Designing transparent assessment strategies for online learning in HE (English language)

Peer assessment can be defined as an activity whereby students judge their peers’ performance or understanding (Alqassab & Panadero, 2022; Hoo, Deneen & Boud, 2022). Darvishi, Khosravi, Sadiq and Gašević (2022) also specify that it encompasses the specification of “the level, value, or quality of a product or performance of other equal-status learners” (Topping, 2009, p. 20). It can concern a wide range of student-generated outputs (e.g., oral presentations, essays, portfolios, etc.) and assume multiple formats, i.e.: i) online or in-person, ii) individual (1:1) or group-to-group, iii) open or blinded, etc.

(See 2.1) Peer assessment can be defined as an activity whereby students judge their peers’ performance or understanding (Alqassab & Panadero, 2022; Hoo, Deneen & Boud, 2022). Darvishi, Khosravi, Sadiq, & Gašević (2022) also specify that it encompasses the specification of “the level, value, or quality of a product or performance of other equal-status learners” (Topping, 2009, p. 20). It can concern a wide range of student-generated outputs (e.g., oral presentations, essays, portfolios, etc.) and assume multiple formats, i.e.: i) online or in-person, ii) individual (1:1) or group-to-group, iii) open or blinded, etc.

The concept of peer feedback refers to a situation when feedback is given from one student to a fellow student, allowing students engage into learning process more actively, familiarize with assessment criteria, and develop feedback literacy skills (Boud, Cohen, and Sampson, 2001).

Portfolios can be defined as “ a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas” (Paulson, Paulson, & Meyer, 1991, p. 60).  A portfolio is a powerful assessment tool, as it is based on the systematic and often multimodal collection of a student’s work. In addition to representing a wide array of competences, portfolios may also differ in appearance, style, or presentation, thus providing evidence of students’ achievements regarding pre-defined learning outcomes.

The concept of progress monitoring of measurement often refers to a process of collecting and analyzing data on student learning in educational settings (e.g., virtual learning environment) in order to make informed judgements on student’s learning. Additionally, this allows teachers to adapt instruction or take specific pedagogical measures and interventions to facilitate student learning and help them to reach the intended learning outcomes (Reister and Blanchard, 2020). To put it in other words, progress measurement / monitoring refers to a series of procedures in order to measure how much students have learnt and to what extent they have reached the intended learning outcomes over a period of time. Finally, it should be mentioned that both teachers and students themselves can monitor learning progress.