“Am I Participating Enough?” (“What Do Your Peers Say?”): Small Group Peer Assessment as an Alternative to Class Participation Grades

Abstract

In this paper, I question the effectiveness of instructor/observer grading of class participation for the purpose of encouraging meaningful participation. Instead, I propose that we should promote peer learning in small group work, and subsequent peer assessment, as ways to improve the deep learning that can occur in a truly participative classroom, especially in an Asian higher education setting. I explain the peer learning and assessment practices used in a course with culturally diverse participants and reflect on three advantages that peer learning and assessment has over class participation for this course.