Evaluating Peer Contributions to Group Work

Collaborative group project work in the classroom is common in many disciplines, because it teaches, encourages, and reinforces numerous skills and competencies that are desirable in the job market. However, group work brings with it a number of implementation challenges, one of the most important of which is varying contribution levels among group members. Peer evaluations, or assessments, allow teachers to understand and evaluate information about the individual efforts of team members that would otherwise be unavailable. There is a tremendous amount of literature on the topic of peer evaluation. This review surveys a sampling of the relevant literature with respect to peer evaluation development, administration, and challenges, as well as some alternative techniques and considerations.