Using Peer Assessment for Promoting the Learning Process in a Doctoral Blended Learning Program - A Longitudinal Design-based Research Approach

This paper presents an innovative longitudinal study developed during three years, using a design-based approach consisting of four phases. Taking into account the analysis of students’ behavior and opinions, teachers redesigned the peer assessment (PA) strategies used in the context of a Distance Education blended learning module, of a Doctoral Program, in order to improve the effectiveness of students’ learning. The designed cycle allowed, for instance, the identification of problems, such as the lack of students’ familiarity with PA, the design/adaptation of assessment frameworks and therefore practical solutions were implemented and evaluated. The results show that the applied solutions were valued by the PhD students. Moreover the PA tasks fostered constructive criticism, collaboration and active involvement of students in their own and their peers’ learning process. Although the developed PA strategies were efficient, in the described context, their applicability should be analyzed in similar environments.