Exploring the Integration of Social Practice into MOOC Peer Assessment

Peer assessment is inherently a social activity, yet it is often an isolating practice in online courses. On the other hand, peer discussion is full of social learning opportunities for learners in massive open online courses (MOOCs), but is often difficult to assess in practice. This study expands on efforts to integrate social processes into peer assessment. Specifically, we explore the connections between peer assessment and peer discussion by investigating a novel environment that merges the two. This environment engages learners through the multiple stages of assignment submission, peer review, open discussion, reflection, and an optional stage of peer citation. Our study examines reflections from learners who participated in this environment hosted by five MOOCs, ranging from material science to technology policy. We applied iterative coding to 250 learner reflections to identify how peer assessment and peer discussion can impact learning. Our analysis suggests that the environment supports learning by providing learners the opportunities to give and receive feedback, see one another’s work, and apply their learnings. Learners benefit from this environment by developing communication skills, broadening their perspectives, and learning how to learn. Finally, we discuss how these learner benefits fit within a framework of 21st century key competencies developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).