ComPAIR

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What ComPAIR is

ComPAIR is a peer-review application in which students compare pairs of answers and write feedback that can refer to both pieces of work. Instructors can enable adaptive scores based on comparison performance and use those scores to create later pairs. The tool has separate student, instructor and system administrator roles with different permissions. It supports rubric scoring, moderation, LTI login, course membership and grade updates for LTI consumers. Learning analytics can be sent to a Learning Record Store through xAPI or Caliper, although both are disabled by default. Authentication options documented for the application include username and password, CAS, SAML 2.0 and LTI. ComPAIR is web-based and self-hosted, with Docker Compose deployment documented; it is freely available under the GPL-3.0 license. The default attachment limit is 250 MB, and PDF, audio, video and image extensions are allowed by default. The project describes its intended communities as higher education and K-12.

Who it suits

ComPAIR suits educators in higher education or K-12 who want students to review paired answers. It also fits teams able to deploy and host a web application themselves.

What it does well

Students can compare paired work and give feedback.
Adaptive scores can inform later pairings.
Supports LTI course membership and grade updates.
Free to download, install and use under GPL-3.0.

What to know first

Learning analytics via xAPI and Caliper are disabled by default.
Default attachment upload limit is 250 MB.
Deployment is self-hosted.

Limits

The default attachment upload limit is 250 MB. xAPI and Caliper analytics are disabled by default, as are application-wide email notifications.

Getting started

Visit the ComPAIR GitHub project.
Deploy the application using Docker Compose as documented in the README.
Access the running application at localhost:8080.
Configure authentication using a documented option such as username and password, CAS, SAML 2.0 or LTI.
Have a system administrator configure LTI consumers with a consumer key and secret if using LTI.
Set course roles, permissions and any desired analytics or email notification options.

Verdict

ComPAIR centers peer review on comparing pairs of student work, with options for adaptive scoring and LMS connections. Its self-hosted setup and default analytics settings are worth considering before adoption.

Questions

Is ComPAIR free?

Yes. It is freely available to download, install and use, and is licensed under GPL-3.0.

Which platforms does ComPAIR support?

It is a web application designed to be self-hosted. The README documents Docker Compose deployment and access at localhost:8080.

Does ComPAIR integrate with learning management systems?

It supports LTI login, course membership and grade updates for LTI consumers. A system administrator configures LTI consumers with a consumer key and secret.

What authentication options are documented?

The README documents username and password, CAS, SAML 2.0 and LTI authentication.

Can ComPAIR send learning analytics?

It can send analytics to a Learning Record Store using xAPI or Caliper. Both are disabled by default.

What files can students attach?

The default attachment limit is 250 MB, and PDF, audio, video and image extensions are allowed by default.

Facts from ComPAIR's own pages

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, 30 Sept 2026
Attachments: The default attachment upload limit is 250 MB, with PDF, audio, video, and image extensions listed as allowed by default. · github.com, 29 Sept 2026
Authentication: Documented login options include username and password, CAS, SAML 2.0, and LTI, with at least one authentication option required. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Availability: The project says it is freely available for anyone to download, install, and use. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Comparison-based review: Instead of evaluating one work at a time, students compare paired sets of peer work. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Deployment: The README documents running ComPAIR with Docker Compose and accessing it at localhost:8080. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Email notifications: Application-wide email notifications are disabled by default, and users can disable notifications for themselves when they are enabled. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Founded: 2002 · github.com, 28 Sept 2026
Integrations: The application supports LTI login and course membership and grade updates for LTI consumers. · github.com, 29 Sept 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, 30 Sept 2026
Learning analytics: ComPAIR can collect learning analytics using xAPI and/or Caliper, and either requires a Learning Record Store. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
License: The repository is licensed under GPL-3.0. · github.com, 30 Sept 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, 29 Sept 2026
LTI setup: LTI consumers are configured by a system administrator using a consumer key and secret. · github.com, 30 Sept 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, 29 Sept 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, 29 Sept 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, 29 Sept 2026
Purpose: ComPAIR is a peer review application that pairs student answers so students can compare peer work and give feedback. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Roles: ComPAIR provides student, instructor, and system administrator roles with different permissions. · ubc.github.io, 29 Sept 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. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Support: The ComPAIR site says its support site has moved to compair.open.ubc.ca. · ubc.github.io, 29 Sept 2026
Technology: The README describes a JavaScript frontend using AngularJS and Bootstrap, with a Python Flask backend and Flask SQLAlchemy for database persistence. · github.com, 30 Sept 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. · github.com, 29 Sept 2026

Where ComPAIR stands on Freedom251

Peer Assessment Software#4 of 17