Self-assessment and co-assessment to improve oral competence in university students in the remote education modality

In recent years, the use of remote teaching modality in higher education has become widespread. This has posed various challenges in different areas of learning, with one of them being associated with the development of oral competence. The objectives of this study were, first, to describe university students’ perceptions of their oral communicative competence, and second, to describe their perceptions regarding their processes of self-assessment and peer assessment of their oral communicative competence. This research corresponds to a qualitative descriptive study. The sample consisted of 45 first-cycle students from the Faculty of Health Sciences who, in the 2023-1 semester, were taking the Communication course in the remote education modality. To achieve this, two data collection techniques were employed: documentary analysis of the self-assessment and peer assessment forms completed by the students, and a focus group directed at them. Among the findings, it was identified that bodily, oral, and content-related resources pose greater difficulties for students, with issues such as pronunciation, tone of voice, facial gestures, and the development of solid arguments standing out. The categories that emerged from this analysis were metacognitive skills, time management, and pedagogical support. It was concluded that both self-assessment and peer assessment are highly beneficial activities for the formation and improvement of oral communicative competence, and these should be framed within the application of didactic strategies aimed at the development of each of its components.