Published on: 15/09/2023 · Last updated on: 04/11/2024
Assessment Type: Group Coursework
Group Peer Review for formative assessment
The Group Peer Review tool allows students to rate one another after working on a group assignment. Typically you may want students to assess each others’ contribution to the group task, and to adjust the assignment mark for individual students, based on the assessment they receive from their peers.
The tool is designed for summative assessment. However you may wish to provide a formative assessment activity, or a low stakes activity, to allow students to practice and develop their peer evaluation skills.
The recommended workflow for setting up and using the tool is the same as for summative assessment. You will need to assign marks to a group assignment and students will need to assign marks in the Group Peer Review (there is no option for feedback comments only). You will need to inform students in advance that the calculated marks are for formative feedback purposes only.
You will still need to save the final marks to the Gradebook, to make them visible to students, but not transfer them to SAMIS.
1. Create groups in the Moodle course
2. Add students to Groups
You can choose between manual, auto-allocation, csv upload or student Group Choice to add students to the relevant Moodle Group.
3. Create a group Assignment Activity
Before creating the Group Peer Review activity, you first need to create a group Assignment Activity. Students will upload their submission as a group, and you will provide a group mark and feedback for the submission. Add guidance for students on how to upload their submission, and how to access their marks and feedback (including details of the Group Peer Review activity).
4. Create Group Peer Review activity and link to group Assignment
5. Provide detailed information about Group Peer Review
Add information to your Moodle course page to explain the activity to students.
Review and edit the instructions for students in the description.
- Students will follow these guidelines when completing the peer review
- Update the criteria descriptions to reflect the marking criteria for your activity
6. Set up weightings and assessment criteria
Read the guidance to understand how peer weighted marks are calculated. Set the Peer Review weighting and maximum peer rating mark.
7. One Student per group uploads to the group Assignment Activity
Students can upload a PDF/Word/PPT or specialist file.
8. Students give marks and comments to peers via Group Peer Review activity
Students can give a mark for each group member. The criteria you have included in the description appear above the peer review screen. Students enter comments for each member of their group.
- Remind students of the Group Peer Review activity deadline
- Students will not see the marks or comments entered by other members of their group
- Students can complete a self-assessment if enabled in the settings
9. Monitor student participation and review student comments
10. Add grades and feedback in group Assignment Activity
Go to the group Assignment Activity and add grades and feedback for each group. Note you must assign a single grade for each group. The Group Peer Review activity requires a group assignment mark in order to calculate the peer weighted marks.
- You will need to select Apply grades and feedback to entire group to save grades and feedback to each group
- You can use a range of marking options within the Assignment Activity (e.g. PDF annotation, grades and feedback comments, download submissions for offline marking)
- Group grades and feedback will not be visible to students until you set Marking Workflow state to Released
11. Review final peer weighted marks and adjust if desired
Once you have entered grades in the group Assignment Activity, and students have completed their reviews, Weighted group and Weighted peer marks will display in the Group Peer Review activity for each student.
- You can review and adjust the Final mark if needed
- You may choose to to Hide the Group Peer Review activity in the activity settings while you complete the review, and make it Visible to students afterwards once all the marks are saved. This will ensure marks are only visible to students after you have reviewed and saved them for every group
12. Save Group Peer Review grades to Gradebook
When you are ready, you can save the final marks to the gradebook. This must be done group by group.
13. Students view their marks
Once you have saved the final marks to the gradebook, students can see their individual final mark by going back in to the Group Peer Review Activity.
- Make sure student have clear instructions on where to access their final marks
14. Group Peer Review activity formative feedback
To help students learn from the Group Peer Review activity, you may wish to hold a discussion or provide whole cohort feedback to clarify student strengths and areas for improvement in their peer evaluation skills.