Examination involving students as peer examiners

The main interest in this article is students’ involvement in assessment as a part of growth towards self‐directedness in learning. In order to enhance students’ development of autonomy in learning, a project involving ‘older’ students as peer examiners for ‘younger’ students was designed and carried out. Students in the sixth semester in a PBL‐based Master’s program of Medical Biology participated, together with faculty, as examiners of fifth‐semester students. The examination and the assessment situation was carefully designed based on learning theories, empirical evidence and experiences underpinning student‐centred learning, especially in the form of PBL used at the faculty. The project was evaluated and analysed in order to understand students’ learning processes related to the responsibility for assessing peers. The situation of the peer examiners was interpreted based on their own experiences with statements from the students assessed and faculty involved in the assessment. Evaluations from six occasions, spring and fall, 2003–2005, were included in the study. The findings suggest that involving students in assessment as equal partners with faculty makes it is possible for students to apprehend the metacognitive competences needed to be responsible and autonomous in learning. The peer examiners experience motivation to learn about learning, they acquire tacit knowledge about assessment and they learn through being involved and trusted. The student‐centred educational context, which requires responsibility throughout the programme, is recognized as very important.

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