What is it?

A peer review assignment enables students to provide feedback on another student's assignment submission. This tool helps organise, distribute and collect feedback, allowing communication between students that can help students master the concepts of a course and learn from each other. Peer reviews can be assigned to show student names or display anonymously. 

Note: Students can only view peer review assignments after they have submitted work to the assignment. 

What are the potential benefits and issues related to peer review 

Peer review assessment in higher education has numerous benefits, including improving critical thinking skills, enhancing learning outcomes, promoting collaboration, and fostering a sense of ownership among students. It encourages students to critically evaluate their peers' work based on set criteria, leading to better understanding and higher quality output. It also promotes collaboration and interpersonal skills. However, challenges such as potential biases, uneven participation, and the need for proper guidance and training can arise. Bias based on factors like race, gender, or cultural background can impact fairness, and uneven participation may result in imbalanced feedback. Proper guidance and training are crucial for effective peer review assessment to ensure that students provide constructive feedback and adhere to established criteria. These types of activity could be seen as more authentic, putting students in a position to support and develop others rather than produce assessments.  

Overall, peer review assessment can be a valuable pedagogical strategy in higher education, but careful management and guidance are necessary to address potential challenges.