Abstract
Using peer assessment in the classroom to increase student engagement by actively involving the pupils in the assessment process has been practiced and researched for decades. In general, the literature suggests using peer review for project-based exercises. This paper analyzes the applicability of peer assessment to smaller exercises at secondary school level and makes recommendations for its use in computer science courses. Furthermore, a school pilot project introducing student-centered classrooms, called “learning office”, is described. Additionally, a concept for the implementation of peer assessment in such student-centered classrooms is outlined.
 We introduced two traditional secondary school classes consisting of a total of 57 students to the peer assessment method within the scope of the same software engineering course. The peer students assessed two of 13 exercises using the Moodle workshop activity. The students evaluated these two exercises using an anonymous online questionnaire. At the end of the course, they rated each of the 13 exercises regarding their learning motivation.
 Overall, the anonymous feedback on the peer review exercises was very positive. The students not only obtained more feedback, but also received it in a timelier manner compared to regular teacher assessment. The results of the overall rating of all 13 exercises revealed that the two peer reviewed exercises have been rated significantly better than the other eleven exercises assessed by the teacher. Evidence therefore suggests that peer review is a viable option for small- and medium-sized exercises in the context of computer science education at secondary school level under certain conditions, which we discuss in this paper.
Highlights
Peer assessment has been used in the classroom as a method to increase student engagement by actively involving the pupils in the assessment process for decades
Peer review seems to be a reasonable alternative to teacher assessment in computer science courses
The correlation analyses revealed a strong and significant correlation between the preferred number of peer assessments and student engagement, which could indicate that this method promotes student engagement of students who are satisfied with the peer review method
Summary
Peer assessment has been used in the classroom as a method to increase student engagement by actively involving the pupils in the assessment process for decades. Gibbs analyzed reports and studies regarding students’ experience of feedback in his article “How assessment frames student learning” in 2006 [6] and found indicators that suggest an increase in student performance if their work is peer reviewed by other students. Gibbs stated that it is not the quality of the feedback which increases student engagement, but rather the instantaneousness of feedback and the fact that it is peer reviewed.
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More From: International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (iJEP)
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