SHOULD GROUP TASKS BE INCLUDED IN TERTIARY

ASSESSMENT?

IS THE GRADING FOR GROUP ASSESSMENTS FAIR?

Kelly Wilkins – S0185099

Encarta Online Encyclopedia (2009) states that Assessment is“.. generally, to make a judgement on a person or situation based on available evidence. Educational assessment is similarly concerned with making judgements about student achievement and progress, although the evidence used has not always been the most reliable. Recently the purposes of assessment have also come to encompass encouraging the process of learning as well as measuring its outcomes—assessment for learning as well as assessment of learning.In this respect, a difference should be noted between what might be termed traditional “examinations”—usually timed, written tests taken under controlled conditions—and “educational assessment”—which can be carried out by a variety of means, including the collection of evidence of routine student performance produced under ordinary classroom conditions. Thus, assessment is generally taken to involve a more holistic and rounded set of activities than simply sitting one-off final examination papers.”

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

By completing group tasks students learn valuable life long skills such as:-

negotiating, facilitation, communication, questioning, reporting, judging and assessing

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

Students gain exposure to different learning styles and how they may be able to combine these learning styles to achieve a desired outcomes

“It has been argued that an overly competitive system, which produces far more losers than winners, can carry very negative consequences for individual motivation and self-esteem, leading to wastage of individual talent and the creation of anti-school “subcultures” of disaffected students.” (Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2009)

Students may form study or support groups with their peers that can help them with their studies now and in the future.

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

“Students generally enjoy such projects and report that their learning is more effective than for other forms of learning, such as lectures” (Miller, Imrie, & Cox, 1998)

“team efforts that involve communication, planning, management and social skills. The modern workplace demands proficiency in these skills, yet historically students have been taught to work and learn on their own. Research on collaborative learning suggests that in the process of collaboration, students are forced to clarify and verbalize their problems, thereby facilitating solutions.” (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999)

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

Can group tasks be graded fairly?

“it can be argued that it (group assessment) threatens the reliability of results since students are not producing work under test conditions and individual classroom teachers are not necessarily in a position to mark work objectively according to national standards.” (Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2009)

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

The main objections that are made regarding group tasks and assessment are:-

1. Unfair group dynamics,

2. Plagiarism is not as easy to detect,

3. Enabling ‘freeloaders’ to gain higher grades for less work.

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

Lecturer or teacher to help choose group members.

Students taking ownership of task

Even spread of skill level

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

Group task do not make plagiarism harder to detect. All student would have to be happy to take the risk. Plagiarism is more commonly a misunderstanding of

referencing or copyright laws

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

Perhaps a more serious and warranted concern.

“Freeloading happens when students in the group benefit from the work of others, but do not contribute significantly themselves’ (Isaacs, 2002).

‘Freeloaders’ receive the same grade with minimal contribution

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

What the teacher can do.

“It is the teachers’ responsibility to stress at the outset that each team member must make a significant contribution to the teams’ project and that each person’s contributions will be graded accordingly.” (Miller, Imrie, & Cox, 1998)

Explain what is being graded:– Process, Project or both, Assessed Individually or as a group

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

What the teacher can do.

Introduce Self and peer assessment using a tool like Spark.

Spark stands for Self and peer assessment resource kit. “It enables students to confidentially rate their own and their peers' contributions to a team task or individual submissions” (Spark )

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

What the teacher can do.

If Spark is not suitable for the cohort, teachers can add an individual assessment task to the criteria.

Written or oral assessment, What the students’ personal contribution was, Strengths and weaknesses of the group The students’ opinion of using group tasks as a

form of assessment

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

Things the student can do.

Students need to take a certain responsibility when it comes to group dynamics.

A simple plan to follow:- Establish team rules, Keep in regular contact, Discuss self and peer assessment.

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

Group tasks are an exciting and engaging way of assessing students at a tertiary level.

Group tasks require trust in students, and can initially be more work for teachers.

By establishing a clear criteria for students to follow and including modes of self and peer assessment, the grading of these tasks can absolutely remain fair.

Should group tasks be included in tertiary assessment?

Is the grading for group assessments fair?

YES!

Assessment. (2009). In Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Retreived September 31, 2009, from http://au.encarta.msn.com

Freeloaders.jpg Retrieved October 1, 2009, from http://wiki.couchsurfing.org/wiki/images/1/16/Freeloaders.jpg

Group Dynamics.GIF Retrieved October 1, 2009, from http://culturewizard.rw-3llc.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/group-dynamics.gif

Isaacs, G. (2002). Assessing Group Tasks. Brisbane: The University of Queensland .

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999, May 4). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 4, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

L. Buxton . (2003 , November 23 ). Group Assessment . Retrieved September 21, 2009 , from University of Essex : http://www.essex.ac.uk/assessment/group_assessment.htm

Miller, A., Imrie, B., & Cox, K. (1998). Student Assessment in Higher Education. London: Kogan Page Limited.

Plagiarism.GIF Retrieved October 1, 2009, from http://www.quinnipiac.edu/other/abl/quilt/tilt/tilt/module3/images/plagiarism.GIF

Spark . (n.d.). Retrieved September 20th, 2009, from Spark - Self and Peer Assessment Resource Kit: http://spark.uts.edu.au/

Students.jpg Retrieved October 1, 2009, from http://www.baylor.edu/content/imglib/62147.jpg

Teacher.jpg Retrieved October 1, 2009, from http://iteach.org/images/teacher_chalk.jpg

References