Abstract
Universities are under increasing pressure to equip graduates with a broader set of competencies, such as communication, teamwork and leadership skills, that go beyond subject-specific knowledge. This, alongside growing student numbers in higher education, creates pedagogic challenges, especially with regards to assessment design. Conventional assessment modalities, such as individual essay writing, are costly to scale up and poorly suited for the development of further desired competencies. To address these challenges in the context of a first-year economics module, we replaced a 1,000-word individual written assignment with a group video assignment, where students were required to work in small teams to create a three-minute video on a contemporary economic issue. Focus groups and module evaluation questionnaires were used to elicit students’ perceptions of how the group video assessment contributed to their learning experience and skill development, how it compares with other modes of assessment, as well as suggestions for improved implementation. Our analysis generates insights on all these aspects. Students reported a preference for diversity in assessment methods, and found the video assignment to be a positive, engaging but also challenging experience, which provided the opportunity for collaboration and development of diverse skills.
Highlights
Besides subject-specific skills, universities are under increasing pressure to equip graduates with broader transferable and digital skills that are highly valued by employers
Through these surveys we find that students prefer diverse methods of assessment and consider the group video assignment a positive experience that is engaging yet not overly difficult, through which they collaborate and develop teamwork and communication skills
Summarising findings from the group-based sample, we find that most students prefer diverse methods of assessment and perceive the group video assignment a positive, engaging, and manageable experience, through which they collaborate and develop teamwork and communication skills
Summary
The same questionnaire was sent to the 23 groups that opted not to participate in the focus group; of these, 15 responded, bringing the total group-based response rate to 37 out of 45 Through these surveys we find that students prefer diverse methods of assessment and consider the group video assignment a positive experience that is engaging yet not overly difficult, through which they collaborate and develop teamwork and communication skills. Groups were encouraged to discuss their chosen topics with module leaders during lectures, office hours, via email communication or by posting messages on the module discussion forum Groups worked on their project for seven weeks and submitted their videos through the virtual learning environment at the start of week 9. The online coursework submission included three files: a video file in .mp format, a document with the list of references used to create the video, as well as the individual contributions form
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