Group Work Assessment Research Articles

The nature, purpose and effectiveness of assessment in tertiary mathematics at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT)

Despite the fact that mathematics is the cornerstone of scientific literacy, many South African learners do not perform adequately in this subject. Furthermore, adopting an Outcomes-based Education (OBE) approach has not contributed to an improvement of the situation. In fact, even in 2007, OBE has not been implemented at most tertiary training institutions in South Africa. Only a few educators (lecturers) implement OBE in the teaching of mathematics at tertiary training institutions. Lecturers use their discretion to decide whether or not to implement an OBE approach in learning facilitation and assessment. At TUT problem-based teaching (PBL) and problem-oriented learning (POL) were introduced previously in some departments and executed with varying degrees of success. Even though no formal decision had been made at TUT with regard to the acceptance of a specific teaching and learning model at the time of the current study, there was general agreement that OBE would be the teaching and learning model of choice, especially since (from 2009 onwards) all prospective students will have received schooling in an OBE-based teaching and learning environment. (In the majority of departments lecturers are currently being groomed to implement OBE and the current study formed part of this process.) First-year students’ insufficient achievement in mathematics was, however, the main thrust behind this attempt to investigate renewal in mathematics assessment at TUT by means of action research. An important aim of the study was to evaluate the nature of prevailing assessment practices on the different TUT campuses, the main aim being to introduce lecturers to effective strategies and to encourage the implementation of these strategies by means of action research. The overarching working assumption guiding the current research was the belief that suitable assessment would probably enhance the effectiveness of students’ learning (thereby impacting on their performance). The research focused on the following questions:Are tertiary mathematics facilitators adequately trained and prepared to implement outcomes-based assessment strategies at TUT? To what extent are outcomes-based strategies effectively and regularly introduced in the teaching of mathematics at TUT? Action research was chosen as research strategy because it was deemed suitable to facilitate improvement of current assessment practices. Furthermore, the cyclical nature of action research lent itself ideally to the introduction and handling of different facets of OBE during the different cycles. During the first cycle (questionnaires) information related to assessment practices was obtained. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through questionnaires, personal interviews, interviews with focus groups, observations, documentation and a reflective diary. This article, however, only focuses on the qualitative data obtained from lecturers. Respondents were exposed to assessment strategies in an attempt to enhance their insight into contemporary assessment practices in an outcomes-based teaching and learning environment and, in doing so, empower them to execute their activities in a more accountable way. The authors report extensively on the findings and make recommendations for improving assessment practices (obviously, at TUT in the first place, but, hopefully, at other tertiary training institutions as well). The main findings were as follows:OBE strategies were not being introduced throughout TUT in the teaching of mathematics. Group work and peer assessments were rare occurrences.Some lecturers were convinced that new assessment methods would lower the standard of teaching. Uncertainty about the merger and the varying teaching conditions at the different campuses tended to inhibit lecturers, making them less willing to undertake assessment renewal. The lecturers cited large class groups, a lack of marking assistance and ignorance about OBE as reasons for failing to undertake assessment renewal. TUT should benefit from reviewing its admission criteria.n conclusion, it should be said that respondents generally agreed that this research went some way towards preparing them for assessment renewal. Moreover, since TUT recently went through a merger, assessment renewal seems to be an idea whose time has come, a hiatus that deserves the attention of serious researchers and academics alike. The authors realise that this article is not a panacea, not a cure-all; obviously, we do not have all the answers. However, hope is expressed that he study has made a significant contribution to this positive development and has contributed in some way to ongoing debates in the field.

Multicultural Group Work: A Force for Developing and Healing

Multicultural group work represents a powerful tool for helping and healing in the context of human diversity. This article summarizes multicultural group work, including task, psychoeducational, counseling, and psychotherapy groups, and describes a group work model for multicultural assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning. Group work assessment and diagnosis should be culturally informed involving emic, etic, and a dialectic assessment perspective. Treatment planning begins with culturally informed conceptualizations of group treatment. It should include intentional stage-specific treatment strategies with multiculturally responsive interventions, which continuously address powerful inclinations, liabilities, and needs resulting from human diversity and dialectic interactions between diverse clients.

A Qualitative Student Evaluation of Group Learning in Higher Education

The importance of group learning has increased significantly in higher education in the past two decades (Houldsworth and Mathews, 2000). The primary focus of this study is to explore the feelings and experience of students regarding group work and group assessment in higher education. The study is exploratory based on a qualitative focus group approach. Interestingly, students felt that group work is a significant method to foster the development of critical thinking through discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of others' ideas. Students consider “poor communication” and “poor attendance at group meetings” as the main challenges they face when working within a group. Also, students identified “dedicated assignment seminars” as the most effective tool, which could be used to enhance the effectiveness of group work. This study reinforces the findings of previous research into group work suggesting that the experience is a generally positive one for students. Results are discussed in the conte...

Providing solutions through problem-based learning for the undergraduate 1st year chemistry laboratory

A PBL laboratory-based module for first year undergraduate chemistry has been developed and successfully implemented. Its aim was to develop the students’ practical and transferable skills, as well as their content knowledge and scientific understanding, and also to address the concern expressed in the literature over the effectiveness of the traditional laboratory courses to achieve these aims. The PBL module also encouraged students to prepare for their laboratory session in an active and collaborative manner through pre-lab exercises. By combining elements of group work, discussion, hands-on activities and alternative assessment methods, the students were provided with an environment conducive to meaningful, deep learning. We describe how the PBL module was developed by adapting the experience for the students rather than changing the experiments. Specific examples from analytical, physical and organic chemistry are given with a focus on the pre-laboratory exercises, associated group work, and the assessment methods, as well as on the actual practical work. [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2007, 8 (3), 347-361.]

Strategies to Improve Student Reaction to Group Work

After receiving negative feedback from students and tutors about their group work experiences in a health subject, strategies to resolve these collaborative learning issues were considered. The objectives were to facilitate student ability to resolve group work issues, highlight group work as an important graduate attribute and to improve perceptions of the benefits of group work. A literature review assisted in identifying several strategies that had been used elsewhere to resolve issues similar to those raised by the students in this study. Consequently a number of support resources were designed for the revised delivery of the subject to the next cohort of students. These included a structured introduction to elements of group work and several strategies to improve the group work experience. At the conclusion of the subject students indicated that the group work experience was of value. The overall response suggested that active tuition in the elements of group work contributes positively to student understanding of both the process and group dynamics. S t ra t eg i e s t o I m p ro v e S t u d en t R ea c t i o n t o G ro u p W o r k L y n d a K r i f l i k a n d Ju d y M u l la n Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice – Vol 4/1, 2007 14 Introduction and Background This paper considers the question of what strategies could be developed to improve student involvement in group work processes within the Introduction to Health Behaviour Change (POP 103) subject, at the University of Wollongong (UoW), Australia. The subject required students to complete a group work task which was outlined in the subject guide and overviewed in the first tutorial. The task required students to collaboratively research a health topic; dividing the work equitably, compiling and presenting the research and then presenting this to the tutorial class with each group member participating. Students were generally assigned to groups on a random basis. The group work task was intended to assist students to attain UoW’s fourth Graduate Attribute which is a capacity for, and understanding of, teamwork. In delivering this subject in 2004, the authors of this paper, their fellow tutors and students experienced negativity in response to the group work task. This reaction was reported by all involved in teaching the subject and reflected in many of the student comments in the subject review questionnaire. Three students participated in a focus group convened to further explore the evaluation comments, thus providing a contextual perspective. The compiled responses, including that from the focus group participants, indicated that more structure was required in the group work tasks for these to be perceived as contributing to students’ learning. The identified needs were clarifying the purpose of the group work, strategies to assign students to teams, assisting students to organise and share the workload, and involving students in peer assessment of group work. One of the tutors, also a lecturer in Learning Development, was involved in a university wide review of group work at UoW and used this as an opportunity to develop a scaffolded approach to group work. As a starting point for addressing the issues raised by UoW students, reference was made to the literature to consider group work issues as described in other tertiary settings. This provided both a context in which to consider the concerns of the UoW students and a baseline from which to develop strategies that aimed to facilitate a positive experience of group work processes for UoW students.

Student Experience of Group Work and Group Assessment in Higher Education

ABSTRACT Collaborative learning continues to be an area that is increasingly receiving attention in academic fields. This is because group-based or cooperative learning has many benefits to individual student learning (Slavin, 1996). In addition, group work and group assessment, have, over the past few years, become integral components of many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the UK and all over the world (Houldsworth & Mathews, 2000). The primary focus of this study is to explore the feelings and experience of students regarding group work and group assessment in Higher Education (HE). The study is exploratory and descriptive based on both quantitative and qualitative approach. Accordingly, the findings reported here are based on a survey and a focus group with some final year tourism and hospitality students (n = 72) at the University of Wolverhampton. Interestingly, students felt that group work is a method that significantly fosters the development of a wider breadth of knowledge through discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of others' ideas. On the other hand, students consider “poor communication” and “poor attendance at group meetings” as the main challenges they face when working within a group. Also, students identified “dedicated assignment seminars” as the most effective tool, which could be used to improve the effectiveness of group work. In conclusion, this study reinforces the findings of previous research into group work suggesting that the experience is generally positive for students. Results are discussed in the context of current theoretical and empirical work on group-based learning. Education implications and areas for further research are also discussed.

Deriving individual student marks from a tutor’s assessment of group work

The use of group work, in which three or more students jointly produce a piece of work for summative assessment, is an established aspect of teaching and learning in higher education. Opinions vary however about whether their marks should vary according to the respective contributions they made to the work. This paper is based on the assumption that if adjustments are to be made, they should be made on sound statistical grounds. Current methods for adjusting student marks do not allow the size of the adjustments to be controlled and empirical data are presented which show that very large adjustments can occur. This paper presents a method for deriving final student marks from a single tutor mark and ratings which students make of each other’s contributions. The method incorporates a mechanism for directly controlling the size of the adjustments made. It is demonstrated using data from students following a degree programme in computing. A spreadsheet has been written which undertakes the calculations necessary to apply the method.

The introduction of large class problem-based learning into an undergraduate medical curriculum: an evaluation

When considering implementing integrated curriculum models, such as problem-based learning (PBL), concerns may be expressed about the need for increased staff resources required to deliver tutor-led small group PBL. Less staff intensive ways of supporting PBL need to be explored. We compared the outcomes of a PBL module conducted in a large class format within a lecture theatre with a module having the same defined learning outcomes delivered in small group PBL format, both supported by e-learning resources. The pre-existing 27 small groups within the whole class (n = 246) of first year students undertaking a cardiovascular basic science module at Sheffield undergraduate medical school, UK, were randomized to 22 groups undertaking the large class Integrated Learning Activity (ILA) and 5 groups to traditional small group facilitated PBL sessions. Outcome measures were: a pre–post knowledge based test, a student educational effectiveness questionnaire, and assessment of student group work and presentations. There seemed to be no significant differences in learning outcomes between the methods although it is recognized that students would prefer the small group teaching format. Within institutions where resources to support small group PBL are limited, the large group ILA format supported with e-learning techniques may be a useful alternative approach.

Facilitation and Assessment of Group Work using Web-based Tools

This paper describes a final year biosciences module consisting of workshops to which web-based tools were introduced. The ability of the online tools to facilitate group work and assess the students was investigated. The online module was delivered via WebCT as the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). The initial concept was to enhance rather than substitute current teaching methods. The major part of this study involved implementation of online discussion groups to facilitate group work and to determine whether the online messages could be used to inform assessment. This proved successful from both the student and tutor perspectives, group work was certainly enabled and further modifications devised to assess the online interactions.

Characteristics of academically excellent business studies students in a post-1992 university

In contrast to the extensive investigation of the characteristics of students who fail or perform badly in ‘new’ universities, research into the factors associated with academic excellence within post-1992 institutions has been sparse. This empirical study examined the profile of a sample of 81 high-flying business studies undergraduates in a new university in Greater London. The profile was then compared with that of 193 business undergraduates who were ‘ordinary’ in academic terms. A model intended to explain a student's categorisation as ‘good’ or ‘ordinary’ was constructed on the basis of prior academic literature relating to student performance as a whole. Tests of the model revealed that students in the academically excellent group tended to have a high internal locus of control and high intrinsic (rather than extrinsic) motivation to study. They worked hard and conscientiously, and devoted substantially more hours to private study than their ‘ordinary’ counterparts. Good students did not select the easiest options, and greatly preferred examinations to group-work assessment. Overall, the results implied that academic excellence was more the consequence of an individual's effort and ability than the person's socio-economic background. There were no significant connections between a student falling into the academically excellent category and that individual's financial status. The levels of a person's academic self-concept and social integration into life at university failed to explain the student's categorisation as ‘good’ or ‘ordinary’.

Group work in higher education: a mismanaged evil or a potential good?

This study focuses on the modal proposition that group work in the context of higher education has the potential to enhance learning among students, but has yet to reach its valid zenith of utility value in didactical practice. The particular characteristics of the small group in the context of higher education are described and supplemented by an explication of the small group learning process students partake in. This is followed by a brief examination of structured activities for group work; the assessment of group work; and the implications for the managing of group work in higher education. Empirically, the study explores the perceptions of students regarding group work. Results show that students are positively inclined towards group work and have constructive views regarding the nature of group work as a learning mode. Theoretically speaking, group work has a wealth of potential to offer to the lecturer and the learner. The complexity of the phenomenon leaves the lecturer with no choice but to take great care in the use of group work. The fact that group work is not viewed as a mismanaged evil leaves the door open for further use of this mode of teaching, learning and assessing in higher education. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.18(2) 2004:131-149

Assessing contributions to group assignments

We report the use of a combination of self‐ and peer‐assessment in an undergraduate social psychology laboratory course. Students worked in small groups on a self‐directed empirical project that they each wrote up independently as a laboratory report. Marks for the written assignment were moderated by a contribution index measure based on the self‐ and peer‐assessment measures. Our analyses indicated that: (i) students took the peer‐assessment process seriously, clearly differentiating between group members on the contributions questionnaires; (ii) students show a self‐bias, rating their own contribution to the group task higher than that of other group members; (iii) for a large majority of students the contribution index resulted in very little moderation of the final assignment marks; (iv) there was a strong correlation between the contribution index and the overall assignment score. Implications for the assessment of group work are considered.

Enhancing student learning through collaboration

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that collaborative working has much to offer the learning process. Though it is used in many different disciplines, its use is curtailed largely due to the fact that many feel that the assessment is rather subjective and often unfair. It is difficult to identify individual contributions within a team. Some students can avoid making any real contributions whilst being carried, or hiding behind, stronger group members. Stronger group members can become disillusioned without the benefit of appropriate recognition.It is important to overcome the problem of assessing group work. One of the most powerful is the use of VorteX, a recent development undertaken in Aberystwyth that provides real time collaboration aimed specifically at novice programmers offering: remote collaborative working, individual contribution metrics, animated replays of the entire group work, and scope for potentially any group working exercise. VorteX has been used with great success on a number of first year projects as demonstrated by the following quote:"I found the experience both enjoyable and insightful. Initially I was a little apprehensive at not knowing who I was working with. What I really found interesting about the experience was that it was almost like plugging straight into my colleague's heads, in effect bypassing or filtering out all the visual "noise" associated with day-to-day communication. This permitted us to operate mainly on an intellectual level. Working in this way allowed Student-X [a profoundly deaf student] to interact with us on an equal footing without the usual communication problems and physical barriers enabling him to work freely and express his ideas effortlessly.Significance and Relevance of the Topic: Many academics share the opinion that collaborative work is of significant value. Unfortunately the available methods of assessment make it hard to use to its full potential. This demonstration will introduce new ideas that will make assessment much fairer and less subjective.

Portable Assessment Authoring: using handheld technology to assess collaborative inquiry [1

This article reports on pilot studies of teachers and students using handheld computers to assess the quality of a complex, hard-to-measure classroom activity: student group work. The work describes the evolution of the prototype software through an 18-month design process involving one upper elementary classroom and two middle school classrooms. Teachers and students used a research-based collaboration assessment rubric over a series of classroom sessions and discussed aggregated results presented in different table and bar chart formats. Study found that teachers and students could use handheld computers for assessments easily and their use did not disrupt the flow of classroom activity. Discussions about aggregated data appeared to support classroom consensus and awareness of social norms for productive group work. Future work would need to focus on making assessment rubric's language more oriented toward teachers' goals for assessment of group work.

Reciprocity as a Source of Bias in Multiple Peer Assessment of Group Work

Concerns about the use of peer ratings for assessment purposes are manifold. The issues which are raised by practitioners and researchers, and findings based on recent studies addressing these issues, are outlined. One of the most persistent criticisms is that peer ratings in group settings are prone to bias, resulting in unfairness of mark outcomes. The bias is seen to arise as a result of friendships and social interactions accompanying group task activities. Support for the belief that the validity and fairness of peer ratings are vitiated by 'relational effects' is found in the literature on small group behaviour and interactionist theory. Empirical studies in these two areas operationalise relational effects in what is termed 'reciprocation' - the tendency for two people who are involved in rating each other to be influenced in their rating behaviour by social interactions between the two. The effect of this on rating outcomes, referred to as 'reciprocity effects', is seen to be a major source of bias. The study reported here analyses a data set of multiple peer ratings which had been used as part of the assessment for a subject in community medicine. The analysis is based on cell-by-cell correlation analysis of reciprocal (rater/ratee) pairs, enabling an estimate of the proportion of the variance in scores accounted for by 'reciprocity effects'. The effect was found to be negligible, accounting for only 1% of the variance. Implications for practitioners and for small group behaviour research are discussed.

Assessment of student learning: Evolution of objectives in engineering education and the consequences for assessment

The focus of objectives of engineering education has evolved from knowledge to skills. This is a logical consequence of the changing demands of employers of graduated engineers. This change is referred to as a paradigm shift in engineering education. It is therefore not surprising that the views on assessment of student learning are changing as well. In this paper the relation between the demands and the educational objectives are reviewed. Consequently, the implications for assessment are discussed. Assessment is introduced as a feedback procedure. It is discussed that in fact four different feedback pathways can be identified. Finally, the relation between educational methods and their relation to assessment is discussed in detail. As an example, the problems in assessment of group work are discussed.

Education for the Heart and Mind: Feminist Pedagogy and the Religion and Science Curriculum

Feminist educators and theorists are stretching the boundaries of what it means to do religion and science. They are also expanding the theoretical and practical frameworks through which we might present curricula in thosefields. In this paper, I reflect on the implications of feminist pedagogies for the interdisciplinary field of religion and science. I begin with a brief discussion of feminist approaches to education and the nature of the feminist classroom as a setting for action. Next, I present some theoretical and practical issues to consider when developing a feminist praxis and an antisexist curriculum. This leads into a discussion of the role of language and critical reflection in the religion and science classroom, the risks associated with reflective discourse, and considerations in the use of ‘feminist’ teaching tools such as small group work, journals, and portfolio assessment. Iconclude with a reflection on how feminist pedagogy promotes an epistemology that speaks to the hearts and minds of participants in the dialogue of religion and science.

Group composition, performance and educational attainment

Group working methods, and more particularly assessed group work, have, over the past ten years or so, become integral components of many undergraduate, postgraduate and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes. This study looks at year one results of two intakes of UK students who, as part of their HND course, undertook a large proportion of their assessment by group work. An “action” research approach combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies is used to gain a deeper insight into academic work patterns and social behaviours in the context of a tutorial group, covering norm setting, the group process, and how these may influence performance in assessments. The findings of this study suggest that group performance is influenced by the degree of heterogeneity in composition, with diverse groups performing more consistently. Within most groups certain elements of process loss are apparent, particularly the “sucker effect”, as well as aspects of process gain. Often both appear to be present and tend to balance each other out.

Experiences of Profile-Based Group Composition

This report describes how Belbin personality profiles were combined with ISO9001 quality standard requirements to identify personalities and roles for composing into groups for a Master's level group-work assessment exercise lasting two weeks. Student feedback is broadly supportive, but the dynamics of group cohesion and performance remain an area of close control for tutor-composed groups.

Peer Assessment Between Students in Colleges and Universities

A definition and typology of peer assessment between students in higher education is proposed, and the theoretical underpinnings of the method are discussed. A review of the developing literature follows, including both process and outcome studies. This indicates that peer assessment is of adequate reliability and validity in a wide variety of applications. Peer assessment of writing and peer assessment using marks, grades, and tests have shown positive formative effects on student achievement and attitudes. These effects are as good as or better than the effects of teacher assessment. Evidence for such effects from other types of peer assessment (of presentation skills, group work or projects, and professional skills) is, as yet, more limited. Computer-assisted peer assessment is an emerging growth area. Important factors in successful implementation are summarized, and recommendations for future research and practice are made.