Making group work visible through innovative online assessment: Wikis, group contracts and more

One of the challenges of group based assessment, whether in an online or on-campus setting, is maintaining visibility of the collaborative process in order to reward both individual and group effort. This paper explores how... [ view full abstract ]

One of the challenges of group based assessment, whether in an online or on-campus setting, is maintaining visibility of the collaborative process in order to reward both individual and group effort. This paper explores how innovative online assessment, and the technologies underpinning that assessment, can be used to monitor the progress of students’ collaborative work.

In this presentation we will introduce two group-based assessment activities from a DCU Connected Humanities programme, where students are asked to:  

1. Design and develop a Wiki based on a specified topic
2. Prepare a critical guide based on close reading and detailed analysis of relevant characters from a play 

Thoughtful design and implementation of such assessments is important and in our experience this requires a process of continuous iteration in an assessment development team. Through a variety of sub tasks such as reflective journal entries, group contract preparation, and online meeting reports student activity and progress can be demonstrated at all stages of the assessment. Online tools such as Google Docs, Google Hangouts, discussion forums and Moodle Wiki provide flexible solutions for collaboration and sharing of information. These tools have enabled the collaborative process to be visible and transparent to the members of the group and the tutors assessing the online project. These approaches have facilitated a greater sense of equity among groups and a more accurate approach to marking group assessment.  

This interactive session will describe our journey with online group assessment, the lessons we have learnt and the student and tutor perspective on their experience of the group work tasks.