Overview:

Peer grading involves students assessing each other’s work based on predefined criteria. This practice promotes active learning, collaboration, and responsibility, aligning with a student-centered approach.

Key Aspects:

• Student Involvement: Students engage deeply with the material and grading criteria by evaluating their peers’ work.
• Feedback Exchange: Provides and receives feedback from peers, fostering a collaborative learning environment.

Key Components:

1. Empowering Students:
   • Active Participation: Involves students in their learning journey, enhancing engagement.
   • Critical Thinking: Develops critical thinking through evaluating peers’ work.
2. Developing Assessment Skills:
   • Understanding Criteria: Helps students understand high-quality work and improve their own.
   • Constructive Feedback: Teaches students to provide and articulate constructive feedback.
3. Promoting Equity and Inclusivity:
   • Diverse Perspectives: Introduces varied perspectives, leading to a more comprehensive understanding.
   • Empathy and Respect: Encourages appreciation of different viewpoints and approaches.
4. Enhancing Engagement and Motivation:
   • Ownership of Learning: Increases student ownership and motivation.
   • Collaborative Environment: Fosters a sense of community and mutual support.
5. Utilizing Technology and D2L:
   • Efficient Management: Use D2L tools for submission, anonymous grading, and feedback.
   • Resource Accessibility: Leverage D2L for rubrics, training materials, and discussion forums.

Challenges and Concerns:

• Training and Calibration: Ensure students are well-trained in using rubrics and providing feedback.
• Bias and Fairness: Minimize biases through anonymizing submissions and instructor oversight.
• Balancing Roles: Complement peer grading with instructor assessments to ensure fairness

Benefits:

• Enhanced Learning Outcomes: Improves understanding and retention through teaching and evaluating others.
• Skill Development: Develops critical thinking, communication, and self-reflection skills.
• Improved Engagement: Increases engagement by involving students in grading.

Resources:

• Five Innovative Grading Strategies (iteach article)
• A Student-Centered Approach to Grading (CTLI workshops)
• Teaching students to evaluate each other (Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell University)
• Peer assessment (Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell University)
• Teaching Students to Give Peer Feedback (Edutopia)
• Peer review strategies (University of Nevada, Reno)
• Kritik (specifically an edtech used for peer review)
• Perusall (a social annotation tool with an MSU license that can also be used for Peer Review)