10 Creative Peer Learning Assignments for Higher Education
Active learning and active assessments improve learning outcomes for all students and close achievement gaps for women, underrepresented minorities, and first generation students. However, due to large class sizes and the burden of grading, active learning is still thought to be inaccessible by most instructors.
Peer learning is the solution to increasing equitable, active learning in your course. Peerceptiv facilitates high-quality peer assessment that accepts a variety of file types to enable active learning in any size class. With over a decade of research the grades generated by Peerceptiv are proven to be as valid and reliable as grades by one expert assessor meaning instructors can reallocate their time to focus on using the results of an assignment to inform their instruction rather than spending hours hand-grading student work.
Plus, including learners in the process of assessment will improve outcomes, develop critical analysis, and build essential soft skills. When learners are placed into the role of assessor, they internalize the criteria on which their work will be evaluated and deeply engage with the content they are learning.
Here are 10 creative ways to use peer-assessment in your courses.
Video Debate
This is a modern twist on an age-old practice and a great way to engage online students. Pair students off and assign them opposite sides of any topic you wish for them to explore in more depth. Once they prepare their arguments, have them connect via video chat and record the session. Then, they upload the video to Peerceptiv for assessment by others in the course.
Role Play
When students role play scenarios they can practice the skills they’ll need in the workforce. Have students roleplay real scenarios or imaginary- like historical characters- to deepen contextual thinking. Whether written or in short video form, their peers can assess each other’s work both in and out of character, strengthening skills.
Lab Reports
The frequency of lab reports lends itself well to peer-assessment. Rather than submitting to an instructor or TA for feedback, leverage the other students in the course. By implementing peer review, students will become familiar with the format and techniques required at a much faster pace as they learn from other lab reports by critically analyzing them.
Reading Reflection
Often, when discussing prior readings in class or on a bulletin board, particular students will dominate the session leaving little room for others to engage. With an incentivized peer-assessment process, all students in the course will be involved in a dialogue around the assigned text. They will also receive credit for these interactions, which inspires more comments of a higher quality.
Elevator Pitch
A creative speech of up to three minutes could be developed, with students encouraged to tell a story that engages their audience with a presentation of a problem, solution and value proposition, as well as a call to action. This activity can work particularly well for entrepreneurship or communications courses. Students can submit a video for their peers and evaluate how well they met the goals of the assignment and the persuasiveness of the presentation.
Podcasts
Fostering student creativity is a great way to get students excited about your course content. Student produced podcasts are becoming a popular way to assess learning. Once they are created, the audio file can be submitted for online peer-assessment. Now other students learn from their peers’ podcasts while also providing evaluations and feedback
Poster Session
Students can work together or alone to create a poster on in class topics, such as interesting related research. Using peer learning technology, such as Peerceptiv, the students view their peers’ projects, learning as they give feedback. Using this feedback, students can create a project to present at a ‘Poster Session’ for the class, incentivizing deeper learning and engagement.
Group Projects + Evaluation
Whether online or on campus, group projects engage students in the learning process in many beneficial ways. Creating an iterative process where groups receive feedback from peers outside of their group will help students improve their project before final submission. As students review other projects, they will benefit from seeing how other groups are approaching the assignment
Peerceptiv includes a feature that guides students through a process of evaluating their group members’ contributions to a project with qualitative and quantitative prompts. When group member expectations are clear and reinforced with evaluation, students’ collaboration will surely improve.
If you would like to discuss these or other ideas you have for including peer-assessment in your course or program, please reach out for a consultation at info@peerceptiv.com.