Use of Whatsapp in Higher Education: What's Up With Assessing Peers Anonymously

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the use of WhatsApp application in anonymous peer assessment in higher education. The mobile phone application WhatsApp was used as both an anonymous and nonanonymous peer assessment tool in a classroom environment. The participants of the study were the students of two classes (sophomores and juniors), half of which were assigned to the anonymous peer assessment group and the other half to the nonanonymous peer assessment group for each class. The members of the anonymous groups used the personal messaging function of WhatsApp for assessment, whereas the nonanonymous groups used the group chat function of the application. WhatsApp was confirmed to be a valid tool for peer assessment, and it was shown that the required anonymity of the method was appropriate for the task. The students' perceived attitudes toward the procedure were found to be rather high, with no significant difference identified between the sophomores and junior groups related to the procedure.