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ComPAIR
What it is
ComPAIR is a free, open-source application for peer review in which students compare pairs of answers and provide feedback on both. Instructors can enable scores that respond to comparison performance and use those results to form later pairs. The project describes this approach as supporting richer feedback and deeper critical thinking. Separate student, instructor, and system administrator roles have different permissions. ComPAIR supports LTI login, course membership, and grade updates for LTI consumers. Learning analytics can be sent to a Learning Record Store through xAPI or Caliper, though both are disabled by default. Documented authentication options include username and password, CAS, SAML 2.0, and LTI. It is web-based and self-hosted; the README documents running it with Docker Compose and accessing it at localhost:8080. The default attachment upload limit is 250 MB, with PDF, audio, video, and image extensions allowed by default. ComPAIR is available to download, install, and use under the GPL-3.0 license, and is described as suitable for higher education and K-12 communities.
For and against
For
- Free to download, install, and use under GPL-3.0
- Supports LTI login, course membership, and grade updates
- Adaptive scores can inform later comparison pairs
- Allows xAPI or Caliper analytics connections
- Default attachments include PDF, audio, video, and images
Against
- Self-hosted deployment is documented through Docker Compose
- Learning analytics options are disabled by default
- Default attachment limit is 250 MB
- Kaltura integration supports only version 3 of its API
The verdict
ComPAIR centers review on comparing peer answers, with adaptive scoring and course integrations available. It is free and self-hosted, so deployment and setup are part of using it.
Who it suits
ComPAIR suits higher education and K-12 communities that want students to review work through answer comparisons. It may also fit courses using LTI for login, membership, and grade updates.
On the record
- Adaptive scoring
- Instructors can enable scores that adapt to how an answer performs in each comparison, and those scores can be used to generate subsequent pairs.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Attachments
- The default attachment upload limit is 250 MB, with PDF, audio, video, and image extensions listed as allowed by default.github.com · read 29 Sep 2026
- Authentication
- Documented login options include username and password, CAS, SAML 2.0, and LTI, with at least one authentication option required.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Availability
- The project says it is freely available for anyone to download, install, and use.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Comparison-based review
- Instead of evaluating one work at a time, students compare paired sets of peer work.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Deployment
- The README documents running ComPAIR with Docker Compose and accessing it at localhost:8080.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Email notifications
- Application-wide email notifications are disabled by default, and users can disable notifications for themselves when they are enabled.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Integrations
- The application supports LTI login and course membership and grade updates for LTI consumers.github.com · read 29 Sep 2026
- Intended users
- UBC describes ComPAIR as a tool for instructors and students to conduct peer assessment by comparing answers and providing feedback.ctlt.ubc.ca · read 30 Sep 2026
- Learning analytics
- ComPAIR can collect learning analytics using xAPI and/or Caliper, and either requires a Learning Record Store.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- License
- The repository is licensed under GPL-3.0.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- License and availability
- The project is open source under GPL-3.0 and described as freely available to download, install, and use.github.com · read 29 Sep 2026
- LTI setup
- LTI consumers are configured by a system administrator using a consumer key and secret.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Media integration
- Kaltura uploads can be enabled as an optional media attachment integration, and the README says only version 3 of the Kaltura API is supported.github.com · read 29 Sep 2026
- Peer feedback
- Students can refer to both answers in a pair when writing feedback, which the site says can support richer feedback and deeper critical thinking.compair.open.ubc.ca · read 29 Sep 2026
- Privacy settings
- Administrators can control whether instructors can access student email addresses and CAS/SAML usernames; those fields are disabled by default.github.com · read 29 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- ComPAIR is a peer review application that pairs student answers so students can compare peer work and give feedback.github.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Roles
- ComPAIR provides student, instructor, and system administrator roles with different permissions.ubc.github.io · read 29 Sep 2026
