Using peer and self-assessment in the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA)

The use of peer and self-assessment in the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA)

Peer and self-assessment are terms that you are likely to be familiar with and we use them for the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA). They can be a valuable tool or can be a waste of time, so they need to be treated with caution. Self-assessment is about a learner assessing their own progress. And we all do this, we reflect on life, where do we want to go and how do we get there. We’ll also evaluate what our strengths and weaknesses so we can determine whether we can achieve our goals. When you sign up for the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) you would have done some form of self-assessment. This is you assessing what career you want to do and which course you need to get there.  

What is peer assessment in the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA)

Peer assessment on the other hand is one of your classmates or your friends in giving you feedback on your work. This could be you discussing your career plans with your friends, and they might say, you would be a real assessor, you have eye for detail, and you are good with people. But again, there are limitations to this. 

For peer and self-assessment to be a useful activity, it needs to be unbiased. It needs to be accurate. I use self-assessment a lot in the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) as I want my learners to be able to critically reflect their own performance and be able to determine when they are ready for assessment. And as an assessor you will often use self-assessment to manage your CPD. What do you want to achieve and what do you need to do to get there? This forms any part of goal setting. Your supervisor on the other hand may suggest that you need to develop your teaching skills, and this is an example of peer assessment.  

A lot of individuals are too critical of themselves and put themselves down a lot saying that they cannot do it, this is obviously going to affect motivation therefore this form of self-assessment is going to be ineffective. However, if we are clear on what we’ve done and what we need to do to improve, it is based on facts, then it gives us a more realistic overview of performance and for some people gives us ownership to progress. Other individuals feel better when they are given positive feedback by their peers.

Peer assessment in the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) when picking your World Cup team

It makes them feel valued and this is a good thing. But the question is, is the feedback given by peers useful? Let’s use football for example and particular when the World Cup comes around, everyone is picking the England team. But who’s opinion matters most? Its going to be the Manager. We need to ensure feedback is given by people who know what they are talking about. Do the individuals giving feedback know what feedback to give? Are they giving feedback in a way that is constructive?

During the Level 3 Award in Education and Training, learners give each other feedback on their microteach lesson, and most are good as they’ve been trained to give feedback, but some individuals will give feedback depending on if they like the person which is most likely to be of no use. Peer and self-assessment are really valuable exercises but only if they are done right.