PEER ASSESSMENT IN A COLLABORATIVE HYPERMEDIA ENVIRONMENT - A CASE-STUDY

Peer assessment has been advocated as a way for students to assume more responsibility for their learning. A computer-based peer assessment tool has been developed in the University of Liverpool's Department of Computer Science. A group of 32 undergraduate students participated in a peer assessment exercise using this system. Contrary to expectations, the marks awarded by the peers were remarkably similar to those awarded by the tutors, so peer and teacher assessment seem to be equally reliable forms of assessment. Despite this, the majority of the students were extremely skeptical of peer assessment, preferring traditional teacher-based assessment. Thus, although an effective platform has been established for conducting peer assessment, further efforts are required to make the process of assessment more acceptable to the students.