Peer Assessment as a Teaching and Learning Process: The Observations and Reflections of Three Facilitators on a First-Year Undergraduate Critical Skills Module

This article reflects on the experiences and observations of three facilitators as they facilitated first-year undergraduate students in a peer assessment exercise. The peer assessment exercise in question is an integral part of the new Critical Skills module developed by Maynooth University and the focus of this article is on the facilitators’ reflections of how this assessment approach succeeded in terms of intended and unintended learning outcomes. The learning outcomes are explored using four categories developed by Boud, Cohen and Sampson (1999) – Team-work and Collaboration; Critical Enquiry; Communication Skills and Learning to Learn. The article also includes reflections on certain challenges and concerns that arose and bear consideration when adopting peer assessment as a teaching and learning strategy