Managing and assessing students in groups

1
Managing and assessing students in groups

• Dr Margaret Lloyd
• Learning Teaching Developer, TALSSmm.lloyd_at_qut.
  edu.au

2
Why work in groups?

• Experience of group work
• Although almost all students have the opportunity
  to practice group work, few feel that there is
  sufficient preparation for the experience. ..it
  is just form a group and go and do the work,
  there is no structure or mention of how to do
  it. While they are given criteria for success,
  they are not given techniques to overcome
  difficulties. In particular, they feel that they
  are not well equipped to handle conflict within
  the group and deal with group members who were
  not contributing appropriately. Group work in
  Civil Engineering is cited as a positive example
  of effective learning the preparation provided
  by the lecturer and his willingness to intervene
  when required is appreciated.
• Students complain that group work is unfairly
  assessed. They are frequently only assessed on
  the outcome rather than the process of group
  work. Group work is so unfair I hate group
  work there is no time to think about the
  process because it is all about the product or
  outcome.
• There are rarely any consequences for students
  who do not contribute effectively to the group
  process. Students assert that more attention
  should be given to the selection of group members
  to provide a better match of abilities and
  motivation.

Hart, G., Stone, T. (2002). Conversations with
students The outcomes of focus groups with QUT
students. Paper presented at the 2002 HERDSA
Conference. Retrieved March 13, 2009 from
http//www.ecu.edu.au/conferences/herdsa/main/pape
rs/nonref/pdf/GailHart.pdf
3
Why work in groups?

•  Groupwork or team work is an essential component
  of workplaces.  Replicating this experience in
  university studies is often quite difficult and
  students can be resistant to this valuable form
  of learning. This workshop will outline some
  strategies for forming groups, monitoring their
  progress and assessing their outcomes.

4
QUT Teamwork Protocol
Just in time - Teamwork
5
What the MOPP says

• Teamwork develops interactive working techniques
  or introduces a social dimension to student
  learning. Teamwork is an effective strategy for
  tackling large, complex problems and/or sharing
  scarce resources. Minimising administrative
  workload associated with marking is not a
  rationale for the use of teamwork.

6
The Zin Obelisk

• In the ancient city of Atlantis, a solid
  rectangular obelisk called a Zin was built in
  honour of the goddess Tina.
• The structure took less than two weeks to
  complete and your teams task is to determine on
  which day of the Atlantian week it was completed.
  
• You may share the information you have on the
  cards you are given but you may not show your
  cards to other participants.
• Pay attention to some of the processes and
  dynamics at work while you collate your
  information and derive the answer to the question.

7
Assessment of team work

• Assessment of team work is directly related to
  the learning outcomes and the learning and
  teaching approach. Depending on the purpose of
  teamwork (and related learning outcomes),
  assessment may include weighting for the product
  (e.g. report, presentation, simulated task,
  video), the team process, or both the product and
  the process.

8
Assessment models
3
1
1
4
0
2
Equal distribution model
Redistribution model
22
47
53
48
44
42
Individual performance model
Individual plus team assessment model
9
Scenario
52
Equal distribution model
52
Student X and Student Y are engaged in a group
project. Two days before the submission date for
this project, Student X complains to the tutor
that Student Y has been contributing little to
the project.
What would you do?
The project is submitted on time and is awarded a
mark of 52, which is given to both students.
Student X then complains that her mark has been
depressed by the lack of input from Y and
requests consideration of this.
What would you do?
Staff meet with the two students Student Y
admits that she did not contribute fully to the
project and agrees that her contribution
represents about half the effort of Student X.
What would you do?
10
Scenario what happened!
As a consequence, it was decided that Student Ys
mark should be halved - to 26 - with Student X
retaining the full 52.
But it doesnt end there
Student X then disputed her mark remaining at 52
and suggested that her mark should be increased
by Student Ys penalty, that is, to be increased
to 78.
How could this have been averted?
26
52
52
5226 78?
11
Tuckmans (1965) model

• Forming
• Norming
• Storming
• Performing
• Adjourning, mourning.
• Transforming, re-norming

12
Forming

• Random groups tutor-selection. names out of a
  hat, you, you and you
• Friendship groups self-selection based on
  familiarity
• Selective allocation specific criteria
• Topic groups tutor selection based on
  topic/activity preference
• Expert groups a think tank of students with
  differing specialisations or roles
• Opportunistic groups who is sitting at your
  table!

diversity?
13
Forming how many?

• Small teams no fewer than 3
• Large teams no more than 6

14
Storming

• Ask students to reflect on their progress to
  dateteam members could submit team goals (short
  and long term) at the beginning of the project
  and these could be monitored verbally (through
  class presentations) focusing on the progress
  to-date of the team and team members.
• Monitoring team dynamics could involve team and
  teamwork exercises around personality types, role
  playing and teambuilding activities.
• Build team meetings into tutorials so that this
  time can be used to discuss team progress.
• Ask team members to lodge their meeting minutes
  (this could be an online process) so that team
  activities and progress can be monitored.

15
(No Transcript)
16
Storming

• A redistribution model of assessment may be a
  fair system to deal with or prevent conflict in a
  team.
• Consider an autocratic approach to
  interventionmandate task allocation, behaviour
  expectations and create goals and deadlines.
• Set aside specific times each week or fortnight
  to deal with team issues/counselling/problemsthis
  could be organised as an in-class meeting for
  alternate teams at the beginning or end of each
  session.
• Include within the Team Contract a mechanism to
  deal with conflict. This could be a statement
  that could also be part of the course outline.

17
Performing

• Becoming a productive team

• Fun
• Sense of achievement
• The sum is greater than the parts
• Shared experience formation of social and other
  connections.

18
Guidelines

• Groups can work
• Attention needs to be paid to
• matching group composition and size to the task
• making assessment fair and transparent
• monitoring group progress
• establishing mechanisms for communication and
  conflict resolution from the beginning
• setting simple reporting landmarks, and
• making the team project a visible part of
  learning.

19
QUT Teamwork Protocol
http//blackboard.qut.edu.au
Just in time - Teamwork