ComPAIR
ComPAIR is a free, open-source peer-review application in which students compare pairs of answers and provide feedback on both.
What ComPAIR is
ComPAIR is a free, open-source peer-review application in which students compare pairs of answers and provide feedback on both. Instructors can turn on adaptive scores based on comparison results and use those results to form later pairs. The application has separate student, instructor, and system administrator roles, with different permissions. It supports LTI login, course membership, and grade updates for LTI consumers. Learning analytics can be sent to a Learning Record Store using xAPI or Caliper, but both options are off by default. Authentication options documented for the application include username and password, CAS, SAML 2.0, and LTI. It is web-based and self-hosted, and the README documents Docker Compose deployment. The default attachment limit is 250 MB, with PDF, audio, video, and image extensions allowed. ComPAIR is licensed under GPL-3.0 and is freely available to download, install, and use. Its intended communities include higher education and K–12.
Good
- Students give feedback while comparing paired answers
- Adaptive scores can help generate later pairs
- Supports LTI login, course membership, and grade updates
- Free to download, install, and use under GPL-3.0
Watch out
- Learning analytics options are disabled by default
- Default attachment limit is 250 MB
- Self-hosted deployment is documented with Docker Compose
Who it suits
ComPAIR suits schools and higher-education communities that want students to review work through paired comparisons. It may also suit administrators who can manage a self-hosted web application.
Verdict
ComPAIR centers peer review on comparing two answers at a time and supports LTI course workflows. Schools should account for self-hosting and configure optional analytics if they need them.
The facts
Each one read from ComPAIR's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- 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.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Attachments
- The default attachment upload limit is 250 MB, with PDF, audio, video, and image extensions listed as allowed by default.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Authentication
- Documented login options include username and password, CAS, SAML 2.0, and LTI, with at least one authentication option required.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Availability
- The project says it is freely available for anyone to download, install, and use.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Comparison-based review
- Instead of evaluating one work at a time, students compare paired sets of peer work.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Deployment
- The README documents running ComPAIR with Docker Compose and accessing it at localhost:8080.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Email notifications
- Application-wide email notifications are disabled by default, and users can disable notifications for themselves when they are enabled.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Integrations
- The application supports LTI login and course membership and grade updates for LTI consumers.checked 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.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Learning analytics
- ComPAIR can collect learning analytics using xAPI and/or Caliper, and either requires a Learning Record Store.checked 30 Sep 2026
- License
- The repository is licensed under GPL-3.0.checked 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.checked 29 Sep 2026
- LTI setup
- LTI consumers are configured by a system administrator using a consumer key and secret.checked 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.checked 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.checked 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.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- ComPAIR is a peer review application that pairs student answers so students can compare peer work and give feedback.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Roles
- ComPAIR provides student, instructor, and system administrator roles with different permissions.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Student data controls
- Settings control whether instructors can see student email addresses and third-party usernames, and whether students can edit profile fields such as their name and email.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Support
- The ComPAIR site says its support site has moved to compair.open.ubc.ca.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Technology
- The README describes a JavaScript frontend using AngularJS and Bootstrap, with a Python Flask backend and Flask SQLAlchemy for database persistence.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Transport security setting
- The README says SSL enforcement for requests through LTI and CAS is enabled by default and should only be disabled for development or staging.checked 29 Sep 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2002checked 28 Sep 2026
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