Using self and peer assessment for professional and team skill development: do well functioning teams experience all the benefits?

Abstract

Self and peer assessment has proved effective in promoting the development of teamwork and other professional skills in undergraduate students. However, in previous research approximately 30% of students reported its use produced no perceived improvement in their teamwork experience. It was hypothesised that a significant number of these students were probably members of a team that would have functioned well without self and peer assessment and hence the process did not improve their teamwork experience. This paper reports the testing of this hypothesis and finds it to be incorrect. We found that it is often easy for students to simply focus on the free riding deterrent aspects of self and peer assessment. To increase the benefits for all students we recommend that feedback sessions be focused on learning and not just assessment outcomes.