Should I use co-assessment in higher education? Pros and cons from teachers and students’ perspectives

Abstract

Co-assessment is a type of participatory assessment in which the teacher and student jointly discuss, negotiate and assess the student’s task or performance. Although the literature on co-assessment is scarce, some authors highlight the benefits for students of participating in co-assessment in higher education, including learning, improved communication, and greater assessment literacy. This study has a double objective: on the one hand, to analyse the strengths and limitations perceived by students participating in co-assessment practices; on the other hand, to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats perceived by professors participating in the experience. The study was developed in 8 class groups with the participation of 470 students and 4 teachers. The qualitative analysis of the data obtained from the questionnaires and focus groups indicates that the students acknowledged several strengths, among which learning from mistakes was prominent. Students also noted some limitations, particularly the lack of adjusted scoring. Professors offered another perspective that complemented the vision of their students, noting that co-assessment presents opportunities as well as risks that may jeopardise its implementation.

Keywords:

• Co-assessment
• dialogical assessment
• higher education
• feedback

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This Work was supported by the Vice-Rectorate of Teaching Resources and Communication of the University of Cádiz (2016–2017).

Notes on contributors

Victoria Quesada

Victoria Quesada, is a lecturer at the Faculty of Education, University of the Balearic Islands. Her research interests include evaluation, assessment and learning in higher education and participatory and collaborative assessment.

Miguel Ángel Gómez Ruiz

Miguel Ángel Gómez Ruiz is a lecturer at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Cádiz. His lines of research comprise learning-oriented assessment and ICT in education.

Maria Beatriz Gallego Noche

Beatriz Gallego Noche is a lecturer at the Faculty of Education, University of Cádiz. Her research focuses on assessment for learning and participatory assessment.

Jaione Cubero-Ibáñez

Jaione Cubero-Ibáñez is a lecturer in the area of Research Methods and Diagnosis in Education, University of Cádiz. She is a member of EVALfor research group. Her lines of research are related to educational assessment and competence development.