Session 3:
Feedback and peer-communication (4.3)

The Value of Self-Assessment

A learner's involvement in their own assessment is an important part of their preparation for life and work. In self-assessment, learners take on more responsibility for their own learning and become more aware of their own knowledge gaps, since they assess themselves in relation to the course objectives. Through assessment, viewed as part of the learning process, the learner can track his/her personal development resulting in a deeper learning experience. Learners will be working on tasks at their own pace and will then receive feedback expressed in private messages (this could be particularly advantageous for reserved pupils). Such feedback could be more frequent and could better cater for individual needs than a traditional classroom setting is able to. Self-assessment is quite opposite to traditional assessment methods in classrooms (written tests and oral exams still prevail) and therefore it is new to many pupils.

There are some important rules, how the feedback in these settings should be formulated. According to Stangl ( Regeln für eine wirksame Rückmeldung ) feedback should follow these rules:

• It should always be constructive, that means, it should give perspectives for the future
• It should be descriptive, that means, it should not include assessment (gradings) or interpretations
• It should be specific, not general or global
• It should be written or presented subjectively ("As far as I see...")

Collaborative online assessment

In some schools in the UK, the system MAPS ( Managed Assessment Portfolio System ) is used. With MAPS, teachers can put their grading of a student's work together with some pieces of his work (which they think to be important to explain theirs decision) into the school's moderation portfolio. Other teachers can review the assessment and comprehend and criticize it. That leads to a more valid form of assessment (see Derrick & Wharfe 2006 ). Tracking Capability using Web-based eportfolios in UK schools. In: Jafari A., Kaufman C. (Ed.) Handbook of research on eportfolios. (pp. 378-387)).