Peer assessment through blogs in pre-service teacher training. Student ratings

Abstract

Peer evaluation online presents some advantages that may be profitable to improve the teaching-learning process in university students, especially in the training of pre-service teachers. The present research proposes the following aims: a) to implement an online peer assessment experience in a subject of the Early Childhood Education and Primary Education degrees; b) to evaluate the students' assessment of this experience. University students (N=36) published their work on a blog during the course to be evaluated by their classmates. After the experience, the evaluation of the online peer assessment students process was obtained through the application of the questionnaire designed by Wen and Tsai (2006). The results suggest a) that the students assessed positively the peer evaluation experience; b) that the online format does not seem to be a particularly relevant advantage concerning the pencil and paper format; c) that the students prefer that both the teachers and the students themselves participate in the preparation of the evaluation criteria; d) that students prefer an evaluation modality in which both evaluators and people who are evaluated know the identity of the person who evaluates and performs the work, instead of an anonymous evaluation. The teachers’ evaluation experience is positive, although in future experiences it is proposed to involve the students in the design of the rubrics and evaluation criteria as well as to carry out the evaluation process in the classroom, instead of doing it online.