Using Peer and Self Assessment for the First Time.

The case study detailed below outlines the experiences I had in my first encounter with any form of assessment other than tutor-based. Despite assurances from colleagues that the outcome of the use of a combination of peer and self assessment is generally that the students end up with lower marks than a tutor would have awarded them, my expectation was that the reverse would be true. In the case described my fears were realized, but further consideration of this outcome revealed much to me about my own attitudes towards assessment, and revealed flaws in my implementation of the assessment exercise, arising in particular from my use of peer assessment. In this account I describe the assessment exercise and attempt to outline the flaws in implementation. I also offer proposals for an improved means of implementing it in the future.