Aligning peer assessment with academic English writing in higher education: Promoting collaborative learning inside and outside the classroom

Abstract

Peer assessment has been considered an effective way of promoting active learning among students in higher education. An English-in-the-Discipline course in the University of Hong Kong uses multiple forms of peer assessment activities to support students in learning effective English writing skills relevant to their discipline. This project investigated undergraduate students’ engagement in peer assessment through group collaboration and e-Learning tasks on Moodle inside and outside the classroom. Data were collected in two-fold: (1) a student questionnaire to elicit students' perceptions on using technological platforms for peer assessment; (2) focus group interviews to gather students’ evaluative feedback on the peer assessment component in the course. Results unveiled that with minimal direct intervention by teachers, peer assessment enables students to take responsibility of their own learning and scaffold knowledge to each other. The presentation will analyse the switching roles of teachers and students within and beyond the classroom as well as students' responses to peer feedback and teacher feedback. Challenges and new directions of the use of peer assessment in collaborative writing will be discussed. The overall goals are to suggest effective ways of organising peer assessment activities in an English writing course and to address students’ feedback on peer assessment materials to cultivate mutual and independent learning. This project leads to insights into the development of innovative peer assessment and e-Learning activities and materials in teaching English across disciplines to enhance students’ experience of using English for communication inside and outside the classroom.