Talent wins games, but teamwork and
intelligence win championships. ~
Michael Jordan
Collaborative learning is
the key to a successful distance education course. Today’s world is dominated by cooperative efforts;
therefore, students must acquire collaborative skills to be successful in life
(Laureate Education, 2008b). For
that reason, many courses require group work as part of the curriculum. This blog examines how to assess
collaborative assignments and deal with reluctant group members.
Assessment of Participation
According to Siemens, the
biggest challenge for an instructor is switching assessments created to test
individuals to ones geared for groups and collaboration (Laureate Education,
Inc, 2008a). Siemens recommended four ways for
teachers to assess group work.
The first way is through peer assessment where students rate aspects of
the course (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a). The second method entails reviewing comments from peers and
discussion forums (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a). Next, the third recommendation is based on the students’
input to the discussion and coursework (Laureate Education, Inc. 2008a). Finally, Siemens suggests looking at
learning analytical data to gauge the amount of time spent in the online
classroom and the number of posts contributed by each student (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2008a).
Of the four methods, I think
that reviewing the students’ comments in the forums is the best way to measure
students’ understanding. This
method allows the instructor to see students’ ideas and perceptions. Instructors must also look at whether
students’ comments are clear and insightful. For example, as a geology instructor, I found that some
students often spew information on essay questions hoping to find the right
response. Therefore, considering
how the student answered the discussion prompts and questions is also important
to test understanding.
Conversely, of the four
methods, I think that instructors should be skeptical of peer assessment. For example, some students, when asked
to rate a course will put all threes or ones. Maybe even not judge a course fairly because of a problem
with an instructor. I have
personally witnessed students do this on course assessments as a student and as
an instructor. How accurate and
fair is this type of assessment?
I am not saying that students’ opinions are not enlightening and useful;
however, I think that instructors should cautiously consider students'
viewpoints as part of an assessment.
The goal of assessment is
determining how well an individual learned and understood the coursework. Therefore, the assessment must be fair
and based on the amount of work a student put into learning the course
objectives (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a). Unfortunately, not all students test well, so this endeavor
can be challenging. Siemens also
suggests considering the amount of knowledge a student gained throughout the
course (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a).
Some students may start out knowing more and may not be challenged by
the coursework. While, other
students may need to put in extra time to reach the same level as the student
that knew more resulting in not performing as well on a test. In this case, who deserves a better grade
the person with little gained new knowledge or the person that gained lots of
new knowledge? As Siemens points
out, this is an issue that will need to be addressed in the future as society
changes the education system (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a).
Dealing with a Reluctant Group Member
According to Siemens, there
are several reasons for a reluctant group member. One reason is due to inexperience with the online
format (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b).
The student may be unfamiliar with the computer programs required to
complete assignments. Having
students take a familiarization seminar either online or in-person can
alleviate fears and give them the confidence to complete the course (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2008b). Secondly,
often the smartest students are hesitant to share their ideas (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2008b). Perhaps,
they do not want to rely on others for a grade or do not want to have others
criticize their ideas. Finally,
sometimes life gets in the way of online learning. A child or family member gets sick, and the student has to
shift the focus of their attention away from their studies.
There are several methods to
encourage online collaboration and the reluctant group member. One way is to have assessments
that are both group and individual based (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b). This technique forces students to
collaborate to earn a good grade.
Furthermore, students need to feel safe to express their ideas and not
feel isolated (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b). Nobody wants their ideas or something they write ridiculed
by their instructor or peers. Therefore, students must respect others'
discussion posts and words.
Finally, It is easy for students to feel isolated in an online
environment (Laureate Education, Inc. 2008b). If instructors offer synchronous chat opportunities and
places for students to discuss content asynchronously, it helps students to
feel connected to their distance classroom.
Resource
Cornell
University Center for Teaching Excellence (2014) offers ideas for
collaborative learning assignments.
Check out their website!
References:
Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence
(2014). Collaborative learning:
Group work. Retrieved
from http://www.cte.cornell.edu/teaching-ideas/engaging-students/collaborative-learning.html
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008a). Principles
of distance education: Assessment
of collaborative learning.
Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008b). Principles of distance
education: Learning communities. Baltimore, MD: Author.
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