CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Group work assessment: key considerations in developing good

practice.

Dr Tony MellorSchool of Applied Sciences (Geography)

CETL Associate

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Introduction

• Introductions and aims.• Share examples of practice in GWA and reasons for doing

it. Summarise key benefits.• Share examples of concerns in GWA. Summarise key

problems.• AfL as a framework for GWA?• Key considerations for good practice in GWA.• Review : the Red Guide.

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Introduce yourselves and your affiliation.

Outline one outcome (general or specific) that you would like to achieve from this workshop.

Photo: First year fieldtrip to the Cairngorms, Scotland

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Share examples of practice in group work assessment and reasons for doing it

Photo: First year fieldtrip to the Cairngorms, Scotland

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Benefits of group work assessment• Employers greatly value a graduate’s ability to work in teams,

whether multi-disciplinary or single disciplinary (Hiley and Carter 2003).

• Team work is part of the ‘employers’ curriculum established by the EHE initiative in 1989.

• Role of group work in encouraging deep learning and developing specific ‘life skills’ such as decision-making, teamwork and communication skills (Mills 2003).

• A vehicle by which students can be involved in deep learning, developing their skills experientially and contributing to the skills they will need for life-long learning (Parsons 2002).

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Benefits of group work assessment• Facilitates evaluation of their (students’) own work and that of

their peers (Bourner et al. 2001).• Important that students learn about their effectiveness in a group

setting (Boud et al. 1999).• Contribution to social and academic integration recognised (Wilcox

et al. 2005).• Supports student retention and engagement (Inkelas et al. 2007).• Reduced marking time?• Efficient use of resources (e.g. field work, laboratory work).

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Share examples of concerns about group work assessment and how you have

attempted to address these

Photo: First year fieldtrip to the Cairngorms, Scotland

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Problems with group work assessment• Assessment of group work should consider

both the product and process of student learning (Glebhill and Smith 1996).

• Main student dislikes in group work assessment include trying to control some group members, poor group dynamics and personality clashes (Mills 2003).

• Consider emotional problems associated with students rejected by their peers (Chang 1999).

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Problems with group work assessment• Consider the ethical issues surrounding student support, notably

for marginalised individuals (Mellor and Entwistle 2008).• Negative emotions generated when students have to rely on others

for their marks (Barfield 2003). Students instinctively prefer individual assessments (Knight 2004).

• Should individual performance within the group setting be assessed? (Mellor 2009). Peer assessment is particularly unpopular amongst students (Maguire and Edmondson 2001).

• Need to address the problem of ‘passengers’ (Parsons 2002) or ‘freeloaders’ (Hand 2001).

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Group Work and AfL• Informal feedback through collaborative working.• Formal feedback through tutor review, logs etc.• Authentic, relevant activity can engage students.• Low stakes, practice (formative) activities can be built in. More

than one component of assessment.• Students can take responsibility within a group; need guidance on

expectations. Self-evaluation and confidence-building.• Learning rather than collecting marks should be the emphasis.

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Key considerations for good practice• Group size.• Group formation.• Student preparation.• Clear assignment brief and criteria.

– Process / product (authentic context).– More than one task (formative / summative).– Group / individual.– AfL approach to assessment.

• Support of groups (and individuals).• Progress monitoring (freeloaders / marginalised students).• Student evaluation and review.

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Review: some final comments• Some groups can be dysfunctional.• Group work task itself can be dysfunctional – needs to be carefully

designed and supported.• Need clarity on outcomes and what students are expected to

demonstrate (fairly common student view is – we did really good things in the group work but we didn’t get the marks that reflected that).

• Need tutor check points – but without constant surveillance (a particular danger where students collaborate online).

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Review: some final comments• Is the group work there in the module because students specifically

need to develop and demonstrate group work or team skills? Or because it means they can engage in a more realistic task? Or for some other reason (e.g. efficiency in staff time).

• But .. Group work tasks normally go on over a period of time , they are not a one-off assessment – so there is a lot of scope for AfL.

• Students do often get very engaged in group tasks.

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Red Guide on group work assessment

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNINGASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Thank you for your contributions

Photo: First year fieldtrip to the Cairngorms, Scotland