Initiative Lead
University of Limerick

Primary Contact
Donal Canty
donal.canty@ul.ie

€6,500

Student Success

Implementing effective formative assessment requires input and engagement from the teacher, learner and peers. Facilitating this in any learning environment requires solutions that facilitate pedagogy and assessment rather than dictate it. This initiative proposes to utilise the process of comparative pairs assessment to help facilitate the delivery of effective classroom discussions, activities and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning whilst supporting effective pedagogy and authentic student-centred learning.

The initiative will utilise comparative pairs assessment to enable students to engage in peer to peer feedback and assessment. The proposed model works on the basis of having items for assessment (students work) and a group of judges (this can be students and/or teachers) that can review the work for feedback and assessment. The students’ work is presented to the judges in pairs where they holistically assess the work and determine the better piece of work based on predetermined and/or co-constructed criteria between the judging cohort. When utilised as a peer assessment tool, the process facilitates the students in internalising assessment criteria, forming a construct of quality of performance and standards as well as providing the opportunity to give and receive feedback on work. The power of the comparative judgment is that it helps novice assessors to practice and develop their skills in assessment (both formative and summative) and provides multiple sources of data through the pairs assessment software that is a catalyst for discussion and analysis in relation to the learning activity.