Group Work Assessment in Media Production Discussion of the project and the issues March 28th 2003 Andrew Ireland Project Manager, GWAMP Lecturer in Television Production, Bournemouth University

What I’m going to cover: GWAMP Why group work is important Problems with assessing group work A case study of peer assessment Computer-aided assessment Best Practice

Overview of project GWAMP: Group Work Assessment in Media Production A three year FDTL project Dissemination strategy Supported by LTSN

Higher Education Independent, self directed learners who: Set their own goals Know how to achieve them Know when they have achieved them

Teamwork in H.E. Collaborative learning Assessing others Giving feedback to others Being self-critical of own work A transferable key skill

Group Work in Media Production Vocational activity Replicating real-world practice Role-orientated practice Helps reflection and therefore learning A crucial key skill for successful employment in the media industry

Problems Student resistance Feedback What to mark? Degree classification Validity Reliability Transparency Moderation

Problems with assessing group work in Media Production Students work in hierarchic groups as well as collaboratively Tutor is not usually present when the work is carried out Students are not usually present when the work is assessed The process is assessed as well as the finished artefact

Group Work and Assessment: Induction and group formation Group work process Group work assessment

Induction and group formation How are groups formed? How are roles allocated? Do you teach group working skills? Do you teach self and / or peer assessment skills, explain criteria, and mark range? Do the learning outcomes of the unit match the assessment tasks and criteria?

Group work process Is the process monitored? How? What support does the tutor offer for group maintenance? Are there intermediate deadlines to keep the project on target? Is there formative assessment at these points?

Group work assessment Is the marking mainly on product, or process, or a combination of the two? Is there self assessment? Is this the same as a reflective essay? Is there peer assessment? How is feedback given? Is there a group discussion and justification of the individual marks awarded?

Group work assessment Which of these assessment systems do you use? Student diary Student reflective essay - on the process Student reflective essay - on own performance Student written review of final project - own? Other groups? Peer assessment - with a proforma? Tutor assessment of the process and individual contributions Viva Mark for specialist role (I.e. lighting) Tutor mark for the final artefact Students’ mark for the final artefact

Some assessment systems Give everyone the same mark Everyone has a different task and they get marked on that The group gets a mark for the project - e.g. 60%. If there are six students, the group has 6 x 60%=360 marks to allocate among themselves to reflect involvement / contribution A basic mark is awarded for the project, and then each member negotiates + / - 10% in tutorial with the tutor who has access to diaries, notes from tutorials etc. A basic mark is awarded for the project (e.g. 60%) and students individually allocate a mark to each of their peers (and themselves) which are averaged to produce an individual mark for each student (40%).

GWAMP Case Studies 6 video case studies: Television Documentary at the University of Huddersfield Radio Journalism at Warrington Collegiate Institute Advertising at the University of Gloucestershire Television Production at Bournemouth University Interactive Media at the University of Western England Producing Multimedia at the University of Luton

Television Production at Bournemouth University Level I unit Students work in groups on a number of video productions Peer and Self assessment makes up 35% of the unit mark Each project is assessed by a tutor and is weighted 50% of the overall unit mark Each student writes a 4,000 word Production Analysis worth 15% which is a further form of self assessment

Television Production at Bournemouth University An example of how GWAMP has informed our own learning and teaching strategies: Since filming the video case study we have introduced a pro-forma to alleviate the students concerns about this form of assessment The peer assessment is moderated by everyone marking everyone else Students also discuss their feedback in group tutorials View Video Case Study

Best practice is good practice used appropriately Extensive supporting materials Flexible approach to changes in groups Assessment criteria that reflect the intended learning outcomes Flexibility to allow students to have part-ownership of the group work and assessment process Tutor and technical support of the group work process Formative assessment that allows students to reflect on their participation in group work Tutor ability to moderate peer assessment and deal proficiently with student appeals Transparency of assessment to allow students to understand the assessment process

Conference 12th September 2003 “Group Working and Assessment” A Resource Pack that will feature Academic Papers, lesson plans and a DVD learning and teaching package.

Beyond GWAMP “Peer assessment is time consuming and difficult to administer” C.A.S.P.A.R. Computer Assisted Self and Peer Assessment Ratings A customisable database with a web front-end 2003-2004

End of Presentation aireland@bournemouth.ac.uk Tel. 01202 595340 www.gwamp.bournemouth.ac.uk