Assessing Collaborative Efforts - EDUC 8842 Module 3

Assessment provides the opportunity to give feedback and evaluate the work done. Assessing collaborative work might be a daunting task, but it is achievable. Collaborative work should be assessed collaboratively by providing guiding principles that would help participants understand what the collaborative work entails. The principles should clearly state the expectations from each participant, develop assessment rubrics to make the task objective and easier, and align assessment with the learning outcomes of set tasks (Palloff & Pratt, 2005). Siemens is of the view that an instructor can carry out a fair and equitable assessment using various models of assessment. The models of assessment should include learners assessing their peers, which will also aid learner determining self performance; constant feedback within the group; instructor assessment based on learners’ contribution and use of metrics from the learning management systems, such as active participation in group-related activities and posting feedback (Laureate, 2008e).

Amidst well-stated guiding principles in a collaborative work, it is difficult for some learners to work with others. The strategy to mitigate this problem is to build a strong sense of community in which learners will find trust, safety and have a sense of belonging (Palloff & Pratt, 2005). Members should bear each other’s burden and give support when required. Where a learner is not ready to move along with others, a one-on-one interaction outside the group work should be initiated to build the learner’s confidence. If this does not yield any satisfactory result, the instructor should be notified. The onus of the instructor is to engage the learner and find out the concerns, build a high level of trust (Laureate, 2008f), state how the learner’s missing role might jeopardize the group achievement, acknowledge the importance of individual contribution in a collaborative work, and finally the impact on the learner assessment. However, where a learner still finds it difficult to make an acceptable contribution to the group work, the assessment should be of a lower grade.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008e). Assessment of collaborative learning. Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.


Laureate Education, Inc. (2008f). Learning communities. Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author.


Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.