This paper reviews some of the literature on the use of groupwork as a form of assessment in tertiary institutions. It outlines the considerable advantages of groupwork but also its systemic associated problems. In discussing the... more
This paper reviews some of the literature on the use of groupwork as a form of assessment in tertiary institutions. It outlines the considerable advantages of groupwork but also its systemic associated problems. In discussing the problems, the paper considers issues such as ‘‘free riding’’ and the ‘‘sucker effect’’, issues associated with ethnic mix in groups, and the social dilemma problem—in which students face conflicting demands between altruism and self-interest. The paper then outlines several models of effective groupwork and makes suggestions for implementing groupwork tasks. The paper also looks at the key assessment tasks which are commonly employed—namely, additive, conjunctive, disjunctive and discretionary tasks—and assesses which are most suited to groupwork. The paper considers the related issues of task complexity, recognition for effort, and strategies for minimising issues concerning group size. The paper also briefly considers strategies for implementing incentives for groupwork members, and outlines the issue of penalties for unproductive group members. The paper concludes by providing recommendations for how to maximise the advantages of groupwork while trying to minimise the disadvantages.
The shift in the educational concepts from “teacher-centred education” to “student-centred education” led to the necessity of re-assessing teaching, learning and assessment strategies used in education. Active learning strategies are... more
The shift in the educational concepts from “teacher-centred education” to “student-centred education” led to the necessity of re-assessing teaching, learning and assessment strategies used in education. Active learning strategies are examples of the conceptual shift in education. Group based assessments are examples of active learning strategies that are believed to support this change in educational ideologies. This study highlights the concept of active learning and group-based assessment through an experience of applying two different methods of group-based quizzes on fourth year students of architectural engineering program. The two methods are: quiz bowl, and sit group quiz. The study also tries to track the effect of the selected quiz methods on students’ academic progress through their performance in these group assessments as well as in the individual assessments. The output of this experience is compared to previous semesters in which only individual assessment strategies were applied. It is found that incorporating group based quizzes helps in boosting the academic progress of low achievers, and reducing the gap between low and high achievers.
