Peer Assessment

Moodle supports various options for implementing peer assessment, and if additional features are needed, it can be extended with external tools; however, teachers usually require assistance from system administrators for such upgrades.

As a Learning Management System (LMS), Moodle offers numerous possibilities for implementing peer assessment, encouraging active learning, the development of reflective and metacognitive skills, and fostering a collaborative teaching environment.

“Workshop” Activity

The most direct support for peer assessment in Moodle is provided through the “Workshop” activity. This activity enables students to:

• submit their work
• assess the work of their peers – and their own work – according to predefined criteria
• receive feedback on their own work and on the quality of their assessment
• receive feedback on how their assessment compares with that of the teacher or other students

Moodle automatically combines the grade for the submitted work and the grade for the assessment given, which encourages careful and responsible participation.

“Assignment” Activity with Manual Pairing

Although not originally designed for peer assessment, the “Assignment” activity can be adapted for this purpose by manually assigning students’ work to peers for commenting or evaluation. The teacher can use the commenting and feedback features, while students can be encouraged to respond to one another’s comments.

“Forum” Activity

Discussion forums allow open and structured exchange of feedback. Students can post their work, and peers comment on it according to agreed criteria. Although this method does not involve formal grading, it strengthens reflective and communication skills.

Using External Tools Integrated into Moodle

Moodle supports integration with external tools for peer assessment, such as FeedbackFruits, Peergrade, or Turnitin PeerMark, which further automate the distribution of submissions and the collection of grades and feedback.

Thus, Moodle enables the implementation of all major forms of peer assessment – from review and grading to the evaluation of teamwork. By making smart use of activities such as Workshop, Assignment, and Forum, and through integration with external tools, teachers can effectively implement peer assessment across a variety of pedagogical scenarios.