The Four Pillars of Peer Assessment for Collaborative Teamwork in Higher Education

AbstractPeer learning is an umbrella term covering diverse strategies supporting students to learn from each other. Studies highlight the power of combining two intertwined models of peer learning, namely peer assessment/feedback and collaborative team-based learning, to prepare graduates for the world of work and encourage acceptable social behaviours. Nevertheless, this approach comes with distinct challenges of marking bias, implementation difficulties, quality, trust and other issues. Studies addressing these challenges in the collaborative teamwork context are sparse and fail to consider the complex and intertwined challenges. Responding to this need, we propose a four-pillar framework comprising veracity, validity, volume and literacy to provide a strong footing on which to base future work in this area. Each of the pillars supports specific but overlapping aspects of peer assessment including assessment design (veracity pillar); implementation considerations (validity pillar); technology factors (volume pillar); and roles and responsibilities (literacy pillar). The framework aims to support educators, policymakers and scholars in mitigating challenges to reimagine and renew peer learning practices to effect positive change.