How did WE work? Assessing Collaborative Projects in the Online or Hybrid Classroom "Assessment methods and requirements probably have a greater influence on how and what students learn than any other single factor" (Boud, 1988). Janet Salmons, Ph.D.

Dr. Janet Salmons Research, write & consult: Taxonomy of Online Collaboration Online Interviews in Real Time A Handbook of Research on Electronic Collaboration and Organizational Synergy Teach & mentor online at Capella University PhD & MA earned through distance learning at Union Institute & SUNY Empire State Think global, live in Boulder, Colorado Dr. Janet Salmons

Instructional Designer Your roles? Instructor Instructional Designer Other

What learners want: immediate feedback.

What learners fear…. And your grade is...

When the assignment collaborative, learners fear…. And your grade is...

When it comes to assessing collaborative projects, the most challenging issue for me is: Making sure the work is fairly distributed among collaborative partners. B Giving feedback to support team performance. C Assessing both individual and team outcomes.

Fundamental Concept #1: Define Collaboration & Collaborative Learning Collaboration: an interactive process that engages two or more participants who work together to achieve outcomes they could not accomplish independently.

Collaborative E-Learning: constructing knowledge, negotiating meanings and/or solving problems through mutual engagement of two or more learners in a coordinated effort using Internet and electronic communications. c. 2009 Vision2Lead , Inc.

Fundamental Concept #2: Distinguish between individual & collective outcomes.

Fundamental Concept #3: Balance formative & summative strategies… Formative: Monitor ongoing work Ascertain needs for additional resources, guidance or revisions; Determine whether all participants are contributing and whether the timeline is being observed. Summative: Evaluate outcomes Compare results with goals and objectives; Identify best practices. Give fair grades. c. 2007 Vision2Lead

…for offering individual or collective assessment. Individual Assessment: To review and support each individual’s progress. Collective Assessment: To review and support group work. To foster learning community. c. 2007 Vision2Lead

Fundamental Concept #4: Balance instructor-driven & learner-driven styles. More time on content, less on process. More time on process, less on content. Instructor-driven Instructor forms teams. Instructor sets goals and parameters. Balanced Facilitation Instructors set main goals and boundaries, and guide learners’ choices. Learner-driven Learners form teams. Learners set goals and parameters.

Fundamental Concept #5: Start with agreement on a plan. Instructor commits to: Learners’ commit to: Determine and observe fair distribution of work & protocols: mission or charter. Report accurately on team process and progress. Address conflicts or problems; request help if not successful. Create and model a climate of trust and belonging; create and observe ground rules for online interaction. Review work in progress and provide detailed feedback. Assist as requested on team process.

Agree on a (Measureable)Team Charter As a team, spell out your answers in a 2–4-page agreement: How will you learn and work together? What leadership model will you use (fixed, rotating, shared)? What parts of the project will you complete individually, and what work will you complete together? How often will your team meet, and in what way will you meet? What ground rules will your team develop? How will you communicate with each other?

Salmons’ Typology of Assessments: Self-assessment (individual) Self-assessment (collective) External assessment (individual) External assessment (collective) Instructor assessment (individual) Instructor assessment (collective) Grading For recent research on collaborative e-learning I interviewed online educators from five countries. One of the outcomes was this typology of assessments. Today we are going to look at formative and summative examples of: Instructor assessment (individual) Instructor assessment (collective) And we will look at ways these approaches relate to grading We’ll keep in mind the need for timely and systematic approaches.

Individual Self-Assessment Individual self-assessment takes place when the learner provides his or her own assessment of performance. Individual progress report Compare status with work plans or agreements, and personal goals. Journal entries Observations and reflections Reflection on work process Assess relationships as well as outcomes

Collective Self-Assessment Collective self-assessment takes place when the team or group assesses their combined performance. Team progress report Compare status with work plans or agreements; determine needs for guidance. Update to work plan Propose revisions and new checkpoints Reflection on work process Discuss relationships as well as outcomes

Instructor Assessment: Collective & Grading The instructor assesses collective outcome according to the achievement of the entire group. Formative Show how learners’ individual work builds upon and complements each others’ ideas. Offer constructive troubleshooting on team process or group performance. Reflect the group’s collective work through summaries or graphics. Summative Assess both process and outcomes. Use individual and collective self-assessments to review learners’ contributions. Create 360 option for teams to use in cases where non-performance is a problem. Link grades to team’s own charter.

Visual Map of Group Inputs Use to reflect group responses or portray composite of group. Show the skills & strengths present in the class.

Balance Process & Outcomes: Sample Grading Rubric Evaluation Criteria Excellent Proficient Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Team Connection & Formation 10% Connected with team and demonstrated leadership enabling team to achieve agreements for team process and collaborative completion of assignment. 10 Connected with team and developed agreement for completing assignment. 9 Connected with team. 8 Did not connect with team. Team Process Participated fully in collaborative process and fulfilled team agreements. Contributed substantively and demonstrated critical thinking skills. Final post made as assigned. Participated fully in team and fulfilled team agreements. Final post made as assigned. Participated in team. Final post made as assigned. Did not participate with team. Project Outcomes 75% Project fulfillsall criteria and demonstrates higher order thinking. 75 Final project is submitted with all criteria met. 70 Final project is submitted with most criteria met. 50 Did not complete project. Exercise timeline observed 5 5% Completed on schedule. 5 Completed after scheduled due date. 2 No messages posted

Discussion Describe one new assessment approach. Is it best used for formative, summative or both? Does it serve individual or collective assessment purposes, or both? Would it work with electronic or f2f collaboration?

To support successful development of competencies needed to collaborate… …we need to offer learners timely response using a fair, explicit and systematic process when assessing collaborative work. With planning and mutual accountability, assessment can become an avenue for meaningful communication– a better experience for instructors and learners! Timely…turnaround that allows learners to integrate input into next assignments while taking into consideration realistic expectations for the instructor. Explicit…everyone understands the expectations– learners and instructor Systematic…congruent with expectations for competencies as stated in course goals and unit objectives. We’ll look at ways to address these three issues.

Next Steps Let’s keep talking in the Ning community! Learn more about my work in online collaboration, and future events, at www.vision2lead.com.