Last time I designed an evaluation sheet for each group member. There were 4 partial grades of which total made up a total grade for the project. #1 - Oral presentation (individual), #2 - written project(group), #3 Table clinic presentation (group) and #4 peer evaluation (individual. It worked well and it was a fair way to grade based on individual's contribution to the group.
I assign each student specific tasks while in the group so I can evaluate their individual strengths and weaknesses. I also monitor who is leading and who is following and what part of the content they want to pass off on someone else.
wilmanie,
I agree that this 3-4 number is generally the best for small groups because, as you said, it's easier for all to be involved & to monitor what's happening.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
While it is the instructor's job to evaluate each member of the group, I think it is also up to the group member's themselves to help evaluate the members. The groups may work outside of class or maybe in the classroom setting but the instructor is not going to see everything.
It is better to keep each group to about three to four students for effective monitoring. The more people included in the group the more likely one or more student will slack off. It is better at times for the instructor to do the division of the work to ensure equal work for each participant.
Sue ,
this is definitely a challenge when using student groups. One thing, it's not the perfect solution, is to have the students do peer reports on one another. If they're honest you can sometimes get a feel for how much work each is doing.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
This has proved difficult for me, especially when there are several groups to monitor at the same time. I also struggle when some or most of the group work takes place somewhere other than in my presence. It makes it much harder to know how much each individual is contributing towards the sucess of the group. As someone else mentioned there are always those who like to work alone and would rather do the entire project with very little imput so they feel they can "control" the evaluation - hence their own grade. Others are content to let everyone else do the work, and make very little attempt to participate or learn.
The lab assignments have already been created for us by the school. As a group the students are responsible to complete the task correctly. They can depend on each other, and ask for as much guidance as is needed. At the completion of the assignment each student must turn in their own assignment and is graded on the completion of the task as a group as well as the completion of their turned in assignment.
Eric,
this is a nice, creative way to work within the parameters that have been set for you by the school.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The school I teach at has lab sheets that are created for us and cannot be changed. Whenever the lab sheet permits, I like to clearly define what portions of the sheet should be completed as a group, and which should be completed individually. This allows me to assess the students' individual abilities within my institutions guidelines.
Evaluating students in a group individually must be met with a certain set of standards. The group should be evaluated as a whole to ensure that the group knows that the combined effort is being taken into account. The individual evaluation helps to ensure that all members of a group are pulling their weight in the group and that they know that the instructor is observing the group to see what each member is contributing to the whole. Working in groups is something that will happen in any career, so they must understand that the group cannot suffer from the inadequate participation of an individual.
I only have groups of 3 but I let them know that they must work together and share the work no one just answers the paper work but also must do the work also. Although they each answer their own papers every one is graded by what they answer on thier papers not graded as a group.
Terry,
glad you found a positive in this; your point is well taken as it shows the importance of keeping it simple & providing clear instructions.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
When putting groups together You will be able to see who will need the most help and which group will be the weaqkest in learning.
I have been in training classes that divide the class into groups - and it worked great , I have done the same in other classes - it was total chaos.
I noticed when the instructions were simple and clearly expressed it worked great.
The total chaos class I was in had us so confused we lost interest. We were asked to have various people move around and listen in to other groups and give reports about our discussion. No-one really knew what to do.It gave me a headache.
Since I learned what "not to do" in group setting , I would say it was not a total loss.
My students are currently working on a large, end of term group project. I am always struggling on how to grade fairly when it comes to group work. I often hear that some students are not putting as much effort into the project as others, yet they all receive the same grade. This will be my first experience with anonymous peer evaluations. The students do not know, but when they turn in their projects, they will be asked to fill out an evaluation tool on the other group members. I am hoping that through this I will gain understanding of how to grade each student individually.
Thank you for your experience. I haven't had very much experience using student groups. I was pretty fogged about how to evaluate/grade group work. Phil
Jimin,
yes, if we can assign an individual assignment as well as the group aspect this can help in the grading.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I ask them to do individual task (such as small written paper, work they have done, etc) as well as group outcome. This shows both their group project result but also their individual effort to the project. Also peer review seems to be great idea as well.
This is a good idea. We also just started having the students evaluate their own performance, given the same rubric we use.
