Peer and self-assessment in the first year of university

This paper reviews the literature about peer and self-assessment in university courses from the point of view of their use, and the suitability of their use, in the first year of university study. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part argues that although first-year students are involved in many of the studies that report on the use of peer and self-assessment in higher education, the proportion of these studies that do so is somewhat less than in other year levels. In addition, relatively little of this work directly and explicitly discusses the suitability of peer and self-assessment for students and courses at this year level. The second part of the paper provides an introductory exploration of the relationship between peer and self-assessment, and specific features of first-year assessment, learning and teaching. Three issues relating directly to the suitability of peer and self-assessment in the first year are explored. In the third part, the paper briefly discusses the desirability of implementing peer and self-assessment, in general, before seeking to extend this specifically to the first year. The paper concludes by recommending that greater use can and should be made of peer and self-assessment in the first year of university study.