Assessment of Group Work University of Warwick 2728 March 2003

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Assessment of Group Work University of
Warwick27/28 March 2003

• Cordelia Bryan
• Project Director
• http//www.ics.ltsn.ac.uk/pub/groupwork/Cordelia2
  0Bryan.ppt

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• Three year HEFCE-funded project
• Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning

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• What makes the assessment of group work
  problematic?
• What are collaborative skills and how can they be
  developed and assessed?
• How might we build on successful practice to make
  this area more transparent and accessible to
  staff and students?

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Methods explored developed

• Peer and self assessment
• How to give and receive feedback
• Guided reflection (a holistic approach)
• Teaching basic group dynamics (diverse
  approaches)
• Recognising and working with diversity

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What do we mean by peer assessment?

• Peer tutoring / mentoring
• Peer feedback (written oral)
• Peer grading
• Tutor modified peer grading

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A constructivist pedagogic view of peer assessment

• To enhance learning (for assessor and assessed)
• To encourage student autonomy
• To develop critical judgement
• Brown Glasner (1999)

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By judging others, students gain

• insight into their own performance
• a sense of ownership of the assessment process
• skills to evaluate their own and their peers
  achievements realistically (lifelong learning)

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PA works best when

• Clear criteria are used
• Well designed appropriate assessment tasks are
  used
• Assessment matches learning objectives

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PA works best when

• Students engage in the process of devising their
  own assessment criteria
• Criteria are introduced from day one so that a
  shared understanding can develop
• Staff are fully committed

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PA works best when students are taught

• Appropriate language
• How to give and receive effective feedback
• (guidelines available on AGP website)
• And they need practice

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What potential problems are there for involving
students in the assessment process?
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Potential problems

• Reluctance to participate in process
• General dislike of assessing/judging friends
• Character conflicts
• Time consuming
• Lack of evaluative skills
• Lack of accuracy of peer grading
• Legal issues relating to degree classification

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Potential benefits

• In pairs or small groups, discuss and list the
  potential benefits of involving students in the
  assessment process.

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Potential benefits for students

• Improves student learning assessment
• Increases understanding of process and product
• Increases student autonomy
• Improves key skills development (critical
  thinking communication self motivation time
  management etc.)

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Potential benefits for staff

• In small groups, list the potential benefits to
  staff of involving students in their own and
  their peers assessment.

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Potential benefits for staff

• Increases staff reflection on teaching /
  assessment relationship
• Enables more productive tutorials
• Can create collaborative and exciting atmosphere
• Can assist in response to increased burden of
  marking