Assessing Group Work / Projects
Most work situations require people to be able to work in groups/teams. There has been recognition of the importance of this generic skill in the University's Teaching and Learning Policy and Strategy. The process of working in a group is, therefore, an aspect that many Departments wish to assess, in addition to the course content discussed/covered in the group work. The issue of assessment in groups is, therefore, twofold:
- assessment of participation in the group, the group process and
- assessment of the content covered by the activity, the product of the group.
Groups can come in very different sizes, shapes and forms, e.g. small groups within a large group, seminars, tutorials, task groups, problem based learning groups, etc.. Therefore they may require very different methods of assessment.
The Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development suggest seven different ways to assess students in groups:
1. All students get the same mark for group project, e.g. 23 out of 30.
2. All students get separate tasks within a group project, which are assessed separately.
3. All students get the same mark, e.g. 23 out of 30. These are then aggregated, e.g. 69 for a group of three students. They can negotiate individual marks, so long as these add up to 69, i.e. a=28, b=19, c=22.
4. All students get the same mark for the product of the group and then peers assess contributions to process out of an additional ten marks, e.g. a=23+9, b=23+4, c=23+7.
5. All students get the same mark for original task and then get different marks for an additional task.
6. All get the same group mark for the product, then get individual marks for performance in a group viva.
7. All get the same mark for the original task, but differentiation is achieved in an exam task based on the group work, where those who worked hard at the first task would be better placed to answer well in the exam.
Participation in Groups: Some ideas to assess in the groups process
- Understanding of concepts
- Linking/development of relevant concepts
- Contribution to discussion development
- Awareness of others in the group
- Reference to literature/other sources
- Listening……
