Anonymous online peer assessment in an undergraduate course: An analysis of Students’ perceptions and attitudes in the South Pacific

This paper provides insights on students’ perceptions and attitudes on anonymous online peer assessment. Peer assessment tools are being utilized in higher education in the information age to improve student learning experience by enabling a predominantly learner centered environment where students are actively involved in learning and the feedback process. This study aims to explore students’ perception and attitude of online peer assessment strategy in an undergraduate course offered in online and blended modes to students from twelve Pacific Island Countries (PICs). An online questionnaire was administered at the end of the assessment process to a sample of 1160 students out of which 846 completed the survey with a response rate of 73%. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results from this study indicated that the students had a favorable perception and attitude towards online peer assessment method when assessor and assessee are kept anonymous. The online peer assessment strategy also motivated students to learn, improve their understanding of the formative assessment and develop meta-cognitive skills.