Group work assessment: key considerations in developing good practice.

1. Group work assessment: key considerations in developing good practice. Dr Tony Mellor School of Applied Sciences (Geography) CETL Associate Centre for Excellence in Teaching & Learning Assessment for Learning

2. 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.

3. 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

4. Share examples of practice in group work assessment and reasons for doing it Photo: First year fieldtrip to the Cairngorms, Scotland

5. 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).

6. 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).

7. Share examples of concerns about group work assessment and how you have attempted to address these Photo: First year fieldtrip to the Cairngorms, Scotland

8. 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).

9. 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).

10. Assessment for Learning (AfL)

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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).

14. 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.

15. Red Guide on group work assessment

16. Thank you for your contributions Photo: First year fieldtrip to the Cairngorms, Scotland