Assessing Group Work

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Assessing Group Work

• Associate Professor Rosanne Taylor
• OBTL Consultant to FSE
• 20 th January 2006

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Intended outcomes

• 1. Review why group learning tasks and
  assessments are used
• 2. Discuss how to plan and implement group
  assessments effectively
• 3. Design a group assessment task aligned to your
  course ILOs

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Why use group assessments?
List and explain 3 major ways that group
assessments can help students achieve the course
ILOs (pairs)
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What are the problems?

• Identify some of the major pitfalls in using
  group assessments to help students demonstrate
  achievement of course ILOs (pairs- fours)

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Planning group assessment

• Start small and aim for quality integration of
  group work rather than quantity
• Before semester
• Prepare teaching and learning activities,
  materials
• Develop group assessment requirements marking
  criteria
• Plan for how to manage monitor groups
  individuals
• Key factors
• Group size
• Methods of selection
• Student self-selection
• Selection on criterion, e.g. topic interest
• Random selection
• Train teaching staff

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Preparing students

• Start of semester
• Prepare students well- explain clearly the task,
  expectations
• Guide students slowly through the course ILOs
  reinforce how the ILOs are linked to the
  teaching, learning and assessment
• Explain the group work components in detail
  include a why group work guide

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Starting group work

• Get the groups off to a good start
• Help students to form groups through
  non-threatening class activities
• Explain stages of group formation- Forming,
  norming, storming performing
• Provide in class opportunities for students to
  practice working in pairs, groups
• Monitor encourage groups closely and offer
  ongoing assistance out of class
• Reinforce learning about group process as well as
  product in a safe environment- its OK to make
  mistakes

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Assessing group work - students concerns

• Marking criteria need to grade on ILOs
• Product
• Product process
• Individual contribution to group
• Grade allocation
• Same group mark
• Individual mark (self, peer or staff assessment)
• What are some likely common concerns?

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Criteria for assessing process

• If the ILO is
• contribute effectively as a member of a small
  group
• list ways that students could demonstrate
  achievement (discuss as group)
• TIPS Negotiate criteria at start
• Provide scaffolding for support

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Criteria for assessing product

• If ILO waspresent a research paper to a
  professional audience, identifying opportunities
  for practical application of the findings
• Students might need to
• Manage timing of each members contribution to the
  talk
• Build on the ideas and evidence presented
  sequentially through the presentation
• Allocate questions appropriate in group

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Options for assessment

• www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/assessinglearning
• 4 tables (assessment option, possible advantages
  disadvantages)
• Options for lecturer/tutor assessment of group
  work product
• Options for student assessment of group work
  product
• Options for lecturer/tutor assessment of group
  work process
• Options for student assessment of group work
  process

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Assessing group work in OBTL

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Intended outcomes

• 1. Review why group learning tasks and
  assessments are used
• 2. Discuss how to plan and implement group
  assessments effectively
• 3. Design a group assessment task aligned to your
  course ILOs

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References and examples

• Assessing learning in Australian Universities-
  group work assessment
• www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/assessinglearning
• RMIT website on Learning, Teaching and Assessment
• http//www.rmit.edu.au/browseIDmfbqsn6uqxpg
• Learning in Groups- Derek Bok Centre for Teaching
  and Learning, Harvard University
• http//bokcenter.harvard.edu/docs/wigintro.html
• Oxford Brookes- group work assessment resources
• http//www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/2_learntch/
  2_learnt.html
• Lincoln University
• http//learn.lincoln.ac.nz/tls/groupwork/assessmen
  t/guidelines.htm
• www.lmt.uts.edu.au/assessment
• Levin, P. (2005). Successful Teamwork. England
  Open University Press.

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Options for lecturer assessment of group product

• Shared group mark
• Group average mark
• Individual mark - allocated task
• Individual mark - individual report
• Individual mark - exam
• Combination of group average individual mark

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Options for student assessment of group product

• Student distribution of pool of marks
• Student allocate individual weightings
• Peer evaluation - random marker, using criteria,
  moderated

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Options for lecturer assessment of group process

• Individual mark - based on records/observation of
  process
• Group average mark - based on records/observation
  of process
• Individual mark - for paper analysing process

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Options for student assessment of group process

• Peer evaluation - average mark, using
  predetermined criteria
• Self evaluation - moderated mark, using
  predetermined criteria