Grading Group assignments
In general, one could say that all of the basic principles of designing good quality assessments that apply to individual assignments apply to group assignments as well. However, assessing group work has additional aspects to consider. For instance, will the process also be assessed or teamwork skills? Does the grade need to reflect the individual effort and individual strengths? How can you, as the teacher, obtain information about the group process or the individual contributions?
To give an idea of the possibilities of assessing group work, we compiled various methods that can be used for this purpose. The overview is incomplete; there will probably be more creative and possibly better methods, but it provides at least some ideas. [Assessing group work handout]
Resources I used for the overview and some more:
- Getting the most from Groupwork assessment - leafletLinks to an external site. By ASKe.
- Zeven-manieren-om-tot-een-individueel-cijfer-te-komen-bij-groepswerk.doc (Dutch) - University of Utrecht.
- The assessment of group work: lessons from the literature. Professor Graham Gibbs. https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/uploads/production/document/path/2/2425/Assessing_Group_Work_Gibbs.pdf Links to an external site.
- Groupwork and Assessment Rob Watkins, Kingston University. https://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/handbook/groupwork/welcome Links to an external site.
- Website Carnegie Melon University. Eberly Center. https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/assesslearning/groupWork.htmlLinks to an external site. or Using Group Projects Effectively. Informative site with a lot of tips and tools. https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/index.htmlLinks to an external site.
- Group Work. UNSW Sydney. https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/group-workLinks to an external site. Part of it concerns assessment strategies: https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessing-group-workLinks to an external site.
- What is Cooperative Learning? https://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/cooperative/whatis.htmlLinks to an external site. Assessment of Cooperative Learning. https://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/cooperative/assess.html Links to an external site.
- Links to an external site.Some ways in which you can help reduce the freeloader problem. https://www.reading.ac.uk/engageinassessment/assessing-group-work/eia-group-challenges-freeloaders.aspx Links to an external site.
- Methods for deriving individual marks from group work. Article by Lucy Bowe, Miriam Delaney, Breiffni Fitzgerland, Peter MacCann, and Christina Ryan. Dublin Institute of Technology. https://arrow.dit.ie/ltcpgdprp/1/Links to an external site.
- Supporting Students to Reflect on their Group Work. https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/helping-students-reflect-group-workLinks to an external site.