Assessing Group Work SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH & HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Overview Open discussion Quick intro into literature Good assessment starts at the beginning ◦Forming teams ◦Converting groups into effective teams ◦Peer rating Example timeline Wrap-up

Open discussion

Quick intro into literature Group projects have been found to: ◦Increase motivation ◦Develop individual responsibility ◦Co-construct knowledge as a result of member interactions the produce new viewpoints Students must be provided models of effective communication ◦Don’t assume they have the prerequisite skills ◦Often students aren’t provided with the necessary tools to build these skills ◦“Few instructors do much more than assign the teams, and effective teamwork requires training in how to work in teams.” (Vik, 2001, p. 112)

Quick intro cont. “Group-hate” ◦Actual term to indicate the negative attitudes students have to group work (Sorensen, 1981) ◦Stems from: ◦Loss of individual control ◦Need to tutor less competent group members ◦Low self-efficacy Students dislike the prospect of being evaluated as a group or by a group that has these negative behaviors Students desire for the highest individual grade can be at odds with effective cooperative learning

How to remedy these issues? Good assessment starts at the beginning *following suggestions come from the research literature* Oakley, B., Felder, R. M., Brent, R., & Elhajj, I. (2004). Turning student groups into effective teams. Journal of student centered learning, 2(1), King, P. E., & Behnke, R. R. (2005). Problems associated with evaluating student performance in groups. College Teaching, 53(2),

Forming teams Instructors should form teams. Given the choice: ◦Stronger students naturally group together, weaker ones flounder ◦Stronger students “divide and conquer” without discussing material ◦This negates the power of group work (discussion, resolving conflict, teaching each other) Faculty should acknowledge this is unpopular. Give rationale why. ◦“When you go to work you don’t get to choose your co-workers….”

Forming teams cont. Team formation ◦Optimal team size is 3-4 people ◦Form teams diverse in ability (by GPA) & have common blocks of meeting time ◦Remember we want to provide weak students good modeling & tutoring Distribute the “Getting to Know You” handout first day of class

Forming teams cont. Announce that teams will be dissolved after 4-6 weeks unless you receive a request to keep them in tact (all team members). ◦The majority of teams stay in tact ◦Most dissolved teams learn from their mistakes and improve in second team ◦Allow students to say who you don’t want to work with

Thoughts?

Converting groups into effective teams Expectations need to be established ◦Set clear guidelines for team functioning ◦Members must set common expectations

Converting groups into effective teams cont. Students may not naturally know how to work as part of a team Provide tips and guidance on how to deal with problems and issues ◦Take the group roles seriously. Each role develops a different skill ◦Avoid the “divide and conquer” mentality. Assessed on not only your part, but your understanding of the whole project. ◦Don’t solve problems together. Stronger students finish faster. ◦Better option is to outline solutions individually, then meet to solve problems

Dealing with problem members Provide students with information on how to deal with issues. ◦Ask students to respond (1/2 page essay or discussion board post)

Dealing with problem members Provide students with information on how to deal with issues. ◦Intermittently have students self-evaluate the group Discuss results and any major issues with class (~ 10 minutes) ◦Have the class brainstorm solutions

Thoughts?

Peer rating Assess the relative contributions of the team ◦Effort as a percentage of the final product ◦Caution: intrinsically competitive Assessing the “team citizenship” of members ◦Cooperating with team, fulfilling responsibilities, helping others, etc. ◦Stresses teamwork skills over academic ability ◦Only penalizes problem team members

Evaluating Team Members 1.After a few weeks, teams evaluate each other and themselves ◦Share results with team members only ◦Stress importance of initial evaluation, curtails issues down the road 2.Final (or mid-term) evaluation, results go to instructor ◦Use results to calculate group grade

Example timeline

Wrap-up Thoughts? Suggestions? Comments?

Spring 2016 Workshops ◦Active learning strategies ◦Testing to increase retention ◦Case scenarios/debates/simulation/games ◦Flipped classroom