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Sample group work rubric

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Feel free to modify this sample rubric for assessing group work to meet your teaching needs.

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Designing Successful Group Assignments

group assignment criteria

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Group assignments can help build relationships with peers and bring diverse skills to the task at hand. However, students may have concerns about group assignments such as grading method, scheduling times to meet or completing tasks fairly. In this post, are easy-to-use strategies and tools for designing successful group assignments that will help your groups function as teams.

Research by Hackman and Vidmar (1970) found that the optimal group size is close to five. An odd number such as five allows for majority rules decision making. Above five increases group management problems by raising the amount of social and logistical interactions. This doesn’t mean that every group has to have precisely five members. There are other factors to consider such as the size of the project and amount of tasks to complete. For example, a group of three could be appropriate for a medium-sized assignment such as a case study.

Three individuals in a group on laptops

Instructors have multiple options for forming groups. One simple method is to randomly enroll students or ask them to self-enroll; however, this method may not result in the best learning experience. Instead, you may like to form groups using criteria such as expertise, leadership preferences, schedule, software skills, writing skills…Students could use the class discussion board for choosing team members followed by a team sign-up form or the instructor could collect information in a survey and then place students in groups.

Having students set ground rules through a contract or charter helps promote better collaboration. A charter prompts group members to set goals and agree on how they will work together. Charters may include:

  • Contact information
  • Meeting time availability and time zone
  • Assignment goals
  • Timelines and deliverables
  • Strengths and weaknesses of the members
  • Roles e.g. devil’s advocate, facilitator, leader, researcher, synthesizer…
  • Ground rules
  • How disputes will be handled
  • How feedback will be handled

Using a charter should reduce your need to intervene and empower students to be in charge of their own learning.

Whether to grade as a whole or individually is complicated ( example Grading Methods for Group Work ). Assigning a single grade to a group of students could result in rewarding underachieving students or disadvantaging stronger ones who tried their best throughout the process, but the final product did not meet expectations. Depending on the objectives of your assignment, both process and product can be assessed if they are important to you e.g. ability to collaborate, solve problems…One option is to ask students to assess their own contributions and their peers’ contributions from a process and product perspective ( example Group and Self-assessment Instrument ). Your grading criteria for the group assignment is best communicated to students in a rubric from the onset of the course and a reminder midway so that expectations are clear.

The simplest way to increase group interaction is to set up collaborative tools such as discussion forums. For example, each group might have a general discussion forum for the overall project. You could also encourage the use of synchronous tools such as Zoom as an easy way for students to meet online and share information. For group presentations, consider using VoiceThread as it is built into Blackboard and designed for ease of collaboration. OneDrive allows students to work collaboratively on documents such as Excel, PowerPoint and Word; the versioning history is also helpful for getting a sense of participation. In addition, OneDrive is a way for you to easily provide feedback via commenting in the formative stages of the project.

Hackman, J. R., & Vidmar, N. (1970). Effects of size and task type on group performance and member reactions. Sociometry, 33(1), 37-54. Retrieved from  http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2786271

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Assessing Group Work

Clarity about the purposes of group work frames how you will assess it. If the purpose is group product, you may not be bothered by how the group came to its final work. If the purpose is group process, you may not be concerned with the product. If your purpose is to assess an individual’s ability to work within or lead a team, other assessment techniques might be best. If assessing a combination of these, then decide how you apportion the grades.

Getting Started

Assessing the product

  • Assessing a group product is much like assessing other student work
  • The faculty or the students can establish the grading criteria and grade each of the group products. The group can get a shared grade, or each individual can get a grade that depends on a specified task.

Assessing the process

  • When assessing group process, you might want students to provide input on ground rules for their group and the particular grading criteria
  • Some criteria might include equal contribution, engagement, ability to listen to others, responsiveness to feedback, being on time to group meetings, completing tasks, cooperating with others

Assigning grades

  • Decide how grades will be assigned, e.g., whether each group get a shared grade, each person get an individual grade, or each group get the average of individual grades
  • Decide whether to give two grades, one for group product and one for group process. Decide what proportion each grade would be worth
  • For assessing an individual’s contribution in a group, you can ask each student to write a reflective piece on the group dynamics, how effectively the group worked together, what could have worked better, and lessons learned.

Starting Somewhere

  • Since group work can be risky and create tensions among group members, you might want to start by having group work count for a small proportion of the overall grade

For more on this topic see Group Work

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Designing effective group work.

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For group work to be successful, it’s best to have a well structured task with associated outcomes. We recommend that you answer the following questions before you design group work activities:

  • What is your motivation for assigning group work? What is the purpose?  
  • Who should be involved in designing and delivering the group work? What resources do you need?  
  • How will you assess the group work and what do you want to evaluate? 
  • How will groups be formed? 
  • How much time is needed to complete the activity? 
  • Which technology will best support the group(s)?

What structures can you provide to facilitate group work? For instance, will you create and assign the group roles, scaffold the project to help with time management, assign leaders or suggest collaborative software tools? Managing group work entails how and when you present the activity, schedule the due dates, share the evaluation criteria, and support a collaborative working environment. 

  • Present the expectations and goals. Provide students with a detailed plan about what they are expected to complete and why. By showing students how the group work  is connected to their learning, and the real-world, they will be motivated to do their best work. 
  • Share the timeline and explain how it fits into the context of the course . Scaffold the activity and provide students with the timeline so they know where they are going, and be able to plan for it.
  • Propose a set of collaboration tools . You can use the Canvas People tool to Create and Manage Groups or Google Course Groups to facilitate group coordination and collaboration. Students can use Canvas Groups to collaborate on projects and assignments, and initiate or participate in asynchronous discussions. Depending on your class size and the purpose of the group work, students may choose which collaboration tool they’d like to use. 
  • Describe how groups are formed . You can ask students to self-sign up by interest, topic, time zone, etc.,randomly assign groups, or manually assign them. Consider that how groups are formed will impact the level of engagement or interaction, at least initially. For assignments, we advise capping groups at 5 members. For discussions, creating a group set of 3-5 participants enables more intimate conversations with enough diversity of perspectives to keep students engaged.
  • Share expectations for group interactions and roles . Articulate the key roles, and norms and expectations for working together to give the group a starting point. Describing roles and responsibilities can often help the groups run discussions and manage projects themselves without direct instructor oversight. Still, encourage groups to discuss how they will handle difficult situations and foster better collaboration as they would in common real-world situations.
  • Engage students in evaluation. Build in mechanisms for students to report on how things are going so you can address issues of concern and equal distribution of work. If you will be grading the group tasks, let students know how individual performance, group performance, and the team work processes will be assessed. Using clear rubrics and providing timely and relevant feedback can help students be successful and improve their work. You may even ask students to develop some aspects of the grading criteria to involve them in the evaluation process.
  • If your course enrollment is high, consider using sections or group discussions to make the conversation more intimate and reading all posts more manageable (and likely) for students. Create several discussion group sets to vary group discussion composition. You can also vary group size. 
  • Assign or request discussion leaders, especially with smaller group discussions. 
  • Have each group from a group discussion post to a classwide discussion their main takeaways. (This is essentially two discussions, one for small groups and one for the whole class. They can be set up back-to-back in Canvas.)
  • Build in a peer review or collaborative element into assignments to hold students accountable to one another. 
  • Make time for groups to socialize and network at the beginning of their group assignments to foster relationships and personal connections. You may provide them with some ice breaker activities or other prompts to get them talking to each other.
  • Have groups focus on different content and produce a project that illustrates their learning. 
  • Create a podcast of a researched topic.
  • Engage in the engineering design process to build a 3D prototype.
  • Invite student groups to present an assigned reading and lead or facilitate the class discussion. 
  • Develop a public facing website or article to raise awareness or make a call to action.
  • Prepare a lesson to teach to the class.
  • Write and present a case study.

Remember that your group work activities will be most effective when they align with course learning objectives, and relate to the subject matter and course context. Email [email protected] to consider how you can design group work that meets the needs in your course.

References & Additional Resources

  • O’Neill, E. (2015). Scaffolding Student Projects: Seven Decisions. Yale Center for Teaching and Learning . Retrieved May 27, from https://campuspress.yale.edu/yctl/scaffolding-student-projects/  
  • Hodges, L. (2017). Ten Research-Based Steps for Effective Group Work. IDEAedu.org. Retrieved on Jun 1 , from https://www.ideaedu.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/IDEA%20Papers/IDEA%20Papers/PaperIDEA_65.pdf
  • Teaching Strategies: Using Group Work and Team Work. UM Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. Retrieved on May 27, from http://crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tsgwcl

Center for Teaching

Group work: using cooperative learning groups effectively.

Many instructors from disciplines across the university use group work to enhance their students’ learning. Whether the goal is to increase student understanding of content, to build particular transferable skills, or some combination of the two, instructors often turn to small group work to capitalize on the benefits of peer-to-peer instruction. This type of group work is formally termed cooperative learning, and is defined as the instructional use of small groups to promote students working together to maximize their own and each other’s learning (Johnson, et al., 2008).

Cooperative learning is characterized by positive interdependence, where students perceive that better performance by individuals produces better performance by the entire group (Johnson, et al., 2014). It can be formal or informal, but often involves specific instructor intervention to maximize student interaction and learning. It is infinitely adaptable, working in small and large classes and across disciplines, and can be one of the most effective teaching approaches available to college instructors.

What can it look like?

What’s the theoretical underpinning, is there evidence that it works.

  • What are approaches that can help make it effective?

Informal cooperative learning groups In informal cooperative learning, small, temporary, ad-hoc groups of two to four students work together for brief periods in a class, typically up to one class period, to answer questions or respond to prompts posed by the instructor.

Additional examples of ways to structure informal group work

Think-pair-share

The instructor asks a discussion question. Students are instructed to think or write about an answer to the question before turning to a peer to discuss their responses. Groups then share their responses with the class.

group assignment criteria

Peer Instruction

This modification of the think-pair-share involves personal responses devices (e.g. clickers). The question posted is typically a conceptually based multiple-choice question. Students think about their answer and vote on a response before turning to a neighbor to discuss. Students can change their answers after discussion, and “sharing” is accomplished by the instructor revealing the graph of student response and using this as a stimulus for large class discussion. This approach is particularly well-adapted for large classes.

group assignment criteria

In this approach, groups of students work in a team of four to become experts on one segment of new material, while other “expert teams” in the class work on other segments of new material. The class then rearranges, forming new groups that have one member from each expert team. The members of the new team then take turns teaching each other the material on which they are experts.

group assignment criteria

Formal cooperative learning groups

In formal cooperative learning students work together for one or more class periods to complete a joint task or assignment (Johnson et al., 2014). There are several features that can help these groups work well:

  • The instructor defines the learning objectives for the activity and assigns students to groups.
  • The groups are typically heterogeneous, with particular attention to the skills that are needed for success in the task.
  • Within the groups, students may be assigned specific roles, with the instructor communicating the criteria for success and the types of social skills that will be needed.
  • Importantly, the instructor continues to play an active role during the groups’ work, monitoring the work and evaluating group and individual performance.
  • Instructors also encourage groups to reflect on their interactions to identify potential improvements for future group work.

This video shows an example of formal cooperative learning groups in David Matthes’ class at the University of Minnesota:

There are many more specific types of group work that fall under the general descriptions given here, including team-based learning , problem-based learning , and process-oriented guided inquiry learning .

The use of cooperative learning groups in instruction is based on the principle of constructivism, with particular attention to the contribution that social interaction can make. In essence, constructivism rests on the idea that individuals learn through building their own knowledge, connecting new ideas and experiences to existing knowledge and experiences to form new or enhanced understanding (Bransford, et al., 1999). The consideration of the role that groups can play in this process is based in social interdependence theory, which grew out of Kurt Koffka’s and Kurt Lewin’s identification of groups as dynamic entities that could exhibit varied interdependence among members, with group members motivated to achieve common goals. Morton Deutsch conceptualized varied types of interdependence, with positive correlation among group members’ goal achievements promoting cooperation.

Lev Vygotsky extended this work by examining the relationship between cognitive processes and social activities, developing the sociocultural theory of development. The sociocultural theory of development suggests that learning takes place when students solve problems beyond their current developmental level with the support of their instructor or their peers. Thus both the idea of a zone of proximal development, supported by positive group interdependence, is the basis of cooperative learning (Davidson and Major, 2014; Johnson, et al., 2014).

Cooperative learning follows this idea as groups work together to learn or solve a problem, with each individual responsible for understanding all aspects. The small groups are essential to this process because students are able to both be heard and to hear their peers, while in a traditional classroom setting students may spend more time listening to what the instructor says.

Cooperative learning uses both goal interdependence and resource interdependence to ensure interaction and communication among group members. Changing the role of the instructor from lecturing to facilitating the groups helps foster this social environment for students to learn through interaction.

David Johnson, Roger Johnson, and Karl Smith performed a meta-analysis of 168 studies comparing cooperative learning to competitive learning and individualistic learning in college students (Johnson et al., 2006). They found that cooperative learning produced greater academic achievement than both competitive learning and individualistic learning across the studies, exhibiting a mean weighted effect size of 0.54 when comparing cooperation and competition and 0.51 when comparing cooperation and individualistic learning. In essence, these results indicate that cooperative learning increases student academic performance by approximately one-half of a standard deviation when compared to non-cooperative learning models, an effect that is considered moderate. Importantly, the academic achievement measures were defined in each study, and ranged from lower-level cognitive tasks (e.g., knowledge acquisition and retention) to higher level cognitive activity (e.g., creative problem solving), and from verbal tasks to mathematical tasks to procedural tasks. The meta-analysis also showed substantial effects on other metrics, including self-esteem and positive attitudes about learning. George Kuh and colleagues also conclude that cooperative group learning promotes student engagement and academic performance (Kuh et al., 2007).

Springer, Stanne, and Donovan (1999) confirmed these results in their meta-analysis of 39 studies in university STEM classrooms. They found that students who participated in various types of small-group learning, ranging from extended formal interactions to brief informal interactions, had greater academic achievement, exhibited more favorable attitudes towards learning, and had increased persistence through STEM courses than students who did not participate in STEM small-group learning.

The box below summarizes three individual studies examining the effects of cooperative learning groups.

group assignment criteria

What are approaches that can help make group work effective?

Preparation

Articulate your goals for the group work, including both the academic objectives you want the students to achieve and the social skills you want them to develop.

Determine the group conformation that will help meet your goals.

  • In informal group learning, groups often form ad hoc from near neighbors in a class.
  • In formal group learning, it is helpful for the instructor to form groups that are heterogeneous with regard to particular skills or abilities relevant to group tasks. For example, groups may be heterogeneous with regard to academic skill in the discipline or with regard to other skills related to the group task (e.g., design capabilities, programming skills, writing skills, organizational skills) (Johnson et al, 2006).
  • Groups from 2-6 are generally recommended, with groups that consist of three members exhibiting the best performance in some problem-solving tasks (Johnson et al., 2006; Heller and Hollabaugh, 1992).
  • To avoid common problems in group work, such as dominance by a single student or conflict avoidance, it can be useful to assign roles to group members (e.g., manager, skeptic, educator, conciliator) and to rotate them on a regular basis (Heller and Hollabaugh, 1992). Assigning these roles is not necessary in well-functioning groups, but can be useful for students who are unfamiliar with or unskilled at group work.

Choose an assessment method that will promote positive group interdependence as well as individual accountability.

  • In team-based learning, two approaches promote positive interdependence and individual accountability. First, students take an individual readiness assessment test, and then immediately take the same test again as a group. Their grade is a composite of the two scores. Second, students complete a group project together, and receive a group score on the project. They also, however, distribute points among their group partners, allowing student assessment of members’ contributions to contribute to the final score.
  • Heller and Hollabaugh (1992) describe an approach in which they incorporated group problem-solving into a class. Students regularly solved problems in small groups, turning in a single solution. In addition, tests were structured such that 25% of the points derived from a group problem, where only those individuals who attended the group problem-solving sessions could participate in the group test problem.  This approach can help prevent the “free rider” problem that can plague group work.
  • The University of New South Wales describes a variety of ways to assess group work , ranging from shared group grades, to grades that are averages of individual grades, to strictly individual grades, to a combination of these. They also suggest ways to assess not only the product of the group work but also the process.  Again, having a portion of a grade that derives from individual contribution helps combat the free rider problem.

Helping groups get started

Explain the group’s task, including your goals for their academic achievement and social interaction.

Explain how the task involves both positive interdependence and individual accountability, and how you will be assessing each.

Assign group roles or give groups prompts to help them articulate effective ways for interaction. The University of New South Wales provides a valuable set of tools to help groups establish good practices when first meeting. The site also provides some exercises for building group dynamics; these may be particularly valuable for groups that will be working on larger projects.

Monitoring group work

Regularly observe group interactions and progress , either by circulating during group work, collecting in-process documents, or both. When you observe problems, intervene to help students move forward on the task and work together effectively. The University of New South Wales provides handouts that instructors can use to promote effective group interactions, such as a handout to help students listen reflectively or give constructive feedback , or to help groups identify particular problems that they may be encountering.

Assessing and reflecting

In addition to providing feedback on group and individual performance (link to preparation section above), it is also useful to provide a structure for groups to reflect on what worked well in their group and what could be improved. Graham Gibbs (1994) suggests using the checklists shown below.

group assignment criteria

The University of New South Wales provides other reflective activities that may help students identify effective group practices and avoid ineffective practices in future cooperative learning experiences.

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., and Cocking, R.R. (Eds.) (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school . Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Bruffee, K. A. (1993). Collaborative learning: Higher education, interdependence, and the authority of knowledge. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Cabrera, A. F., Crissman, J. L., Bernal, E. M., Nora, A., Terenzini, P. T., & Pascarella, E. T. (2002). Collaborative learning: Its impact on college students’ development and diversity. Journal of College Student Development, 43 (1), 20-34.

Davidson, N., & Major, C. H. (2014). Boundary crossing: Cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and problem-based learning. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25 (3&4), 7-55.

Dees, R. L. (1991). The role of cooperative leaning in increasing problem-solving ability in a college remedial course. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 22 (5), 409-21.

Gokhale, A. A. (1995). Collaborative Learning enhances critical thinking. Journal of Technology Education, 7 (1).

Heller, P., and Hollabaugh, M. (1992) Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 2: Designing problems and structuring groups. American Journal of Physics 60, 637-644.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Smith, K.A. (2006). Active learning: Cooperation in the university classroom (3 rd edition). Edina, MN: Interaction.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Holubec, E.J. (2008). Cooperation in the classroom (8 th edition). Edina, MN: Interaction.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Smith, K.A. (2014). Cooperative learning: Improving university instruction by basing practice on validated theory. Journl on Excellence in College Teaching 25, 85-118.

Jones, D. J., & Brickner, D. (1996). Implementation of cooperative learning in a large-enrollment basic mechanics course. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference Proceedings.

Kuh, G.D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J., Bridges, B., and Hayek, J.C. (2007). Piecing together the student success puzzle: Research, propositions, and recommendations (ASHE Higher Education Report, No. 32). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Love, A. G., Dietrich, A., Fitzgerald, J., & Gordon, D. (2014). Integrating collaborative learning inside and outside the classroom. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25 (3&4), 177-196.

Smith, M. E., Hinckley, C. C., & Volk, G. L. (1991). Cooperative learning in the undergraduate laboratory. Journal of Chemical Education 68 (5), 413-415.

Springer, L., Stanne, M. E., & Donovan, S. S. (1999). Effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 96 (1), 21-51.

Uribe, D., Klein, J. D., & Sullivan, H. (2003). The effect of computer-mediated collaborative learning on solving ill-defined problems. Educational Technology Research and Development, 51 (1), 5-19.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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Methods for Assessing Group Work

Introduction.

Students should be made aware of assessment before starting the project

  • assessment method
  • criteria (product and/or process)

Product versus process

  • assessing the product - measuring the quantity and quality of individual work in a group project
  • assessing the process - evaluating individual teamwork skills and interaction

Assessment by instructor versus by group members

  • by instructor - instructor assigns all marks
  • by group members - group members evaluate their contributions to the group and assign marks

Product assessment by instructor

Equally shared mark.

  • All group members receive same grade

Exam questions

  • Questions should be  specifically  about the project, and are answerable only by students who have been thoroughly involved in the project

Splitting tasks

  • Project must be divisible into multiple tasks of the same complexity
  • Each student is responsible for one task
  • Final mark is part group mark (e.g., 50%) and part individual task mark (e.g., 50%)

Direct evaluation

  • Instructor judges individual merits
  • Oral interviews
  • Periodic reports
  • Meeting minutes
  • Observation

Product assessment by peer evaluation

Issues with peer evaluation:.

  • Should we use self-assessment?
  • Should instructor adjust marks?
  • Should it be done individually or collectively by consensus?

Distribution of a pool of marks (see Appendix for example)

  • Award the group a mark equal to ( group mark ) X ( no. of group members )
  • Let group divide marks among themselves

Individual weighting factor (see Appendix for example)

  • Points awarded for a list of tasks
  • Individual mark = ( group mark ) X ( peer assessment factor )

Process assessment

List of skills to assess, such as:

  • adoption of complementary team roles
  • cooperative behaviour
  • time and task management
  • creative problem solving
  • use of a range of working methods
  • negotiation

Process assessment by instructor

Direct evaluation of team behaviour using teamwork logs - sample questions:

  • what steps have you taken to organize your teamwork?
  • what steps have you taken to monitor the effectiveness of your team?
  • what steps have you taken to improve the effectiveness of your team?
  • what problems have you encountered in working as a team and how did you tackle them?
  • if you were to embark on a second, similar task as a team, what would be different about the way you go about working, and why?

Process assessment by peer evaluation

  • Individual assessment (see Appendix for example)
  • how members view each member of the team
  • use lists of key group work traits
  • average of individual marks must be the same as the group mark
  • Gibbs, G.  Learning in Teams: a Tutor Guide . Oxford, 1995.
  • Lejk, M. et al. A Survey of Methods of Deriving Individual Grades from Group Assessments. In  Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education . Vol. 21, No. 3, 1996.

Appendix with numerical examples

Example for distribution of a pool of marks.

  • Group project mark: 70
  • No. of group members: 4
  • Instructor awards 280 points to group
  • Advises students that difference between marks must not be greater than 20
  • Group members divide marks by consensus as follows:

Example for individual weighting factor

Rating scale.

1 -Did not contribute in this way 2 -Willing but not very successful 3 -Average 4 -Above Average 5 -Outstanding

Peer assessment factor = (individual total) / (average total) Average of individual totals = 10 If project mark = 60

Individual marks:

Ann = 60 * (11/10) = 66 Bob = 60 * (12/10) = 72 Chris = 60 * (7/10) = 42

Example for individual assessment

3 group members (Ann, Bob, Chris), no self-assessment

Student name: Ann Evaluated by: Bob (marks selected are in boldface in this example)

Note: Bob’s evaluation of Chris must add up to -3

Student name: Ann Evaluated by: Chris

Note: Chris’ evaluation of bob must add up to -1

Ann’s final mark: (63 + 61) / 2 = 62%

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help.  View the  CTE Support  page to find the most relevant staff member to contact.

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Group Work: Design Guidelines

by Shannon McCurdy, PhD, Physics

See also Group Work: Techniques

Learning Objectives How to Form Groups Group Size and Duration The Structure of Group Work Fostering Group Interaction Tips for Formulating Productive Group-Work Assignments

Learning Objectives

There are many learning objectives that can be achieved by having students collaborate either in pairs or in small groups. ( Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful resource for formulating your learning objectives.) In groups, students can

  • summarize main points
  • review problems for exams
  • compare and contrast knowledge, ideas, or theories
  • solve problems
  • evaluate class progress or levels of skill and understanding

Think about your goals for the activity: what do you want your students to get out of their participation?

How to Form Groups

Small groups or learning teams can be formed in four ways: randomly, teacher-selected, by seat proximity, or student-selected. Random and teacher-selected group assignments avoid cliques and ensure that students interact with different classmates throughout the semester.

Once you know your students fairly well, teacher selection can be useful for grouping students. Consider selecting groups or pairs with varying strengths and skill levels, since research has shown that groups of problem solvers with diverse skills consistently out-perform groups of problem solvers who are highly skilled in the same way (Page, 2007, cited in Davis, 2009, 194).

You may also want to consider using your students’ attitudes toward group work as a mechanism to help you create groups. Take a one-question survey, or add this question to the initial survey you use at the beginning of the semester:

Which of the following best describes your experience of group work?

  • I like group work because my group helps me learn.
  • I question the value of group work because in the past I’ve ended up doing all the work.
  • I have little or no experience working in groups.
  • I have different experience of group work than the choices above. (Please explain.)

Those who check “B” can be put into a group of their own. They might find this to be the first time they are really challenged and satisfied by group work (adapted from Byrnes and Byrnes, 2009).

Group Size and Duration

Group size can vary, as can the length of time that students work together. Pairing is great for thirty-second or one-minute problem solving. Groups that work together for ten to 45 minutes might include four or five people. (If there are more than four or five, some members will stop participating). Groups can be formal or informal. Informal groups may be ad-hoc dyads (where each student turns to a neighbor) or ten-minute “buzz groups” (in which three to four students discuss their reactions to a reading assignment). Formal group assignments can serve semester-long group projects.

In large groups it is useful to assign roles within each group (examples: recorder, reporter to the class, timekeeper, monitor, or facilitator). If students are not used to working in groups, establishing some community agreements  with the class about respectful interaction before the first activity can foster positive and constructive communication.

It is useful to arrange the students in groups before giving them instructions for the group activity, since the physical movement in group formation tends to be distracting.

The Structure of Group Work

Successful group work activities require a highly structured task. Structure the task to promote interdependence for creating a group product. Create an activity for which it is truly advantageous for students to work together. Make this task clear to students by writing specific instructions on the board or on a worksheet. Include in your instructions:

  • The learning objective: Why are the students doing this? What will they gain from it? How does it tie into the rest of the course?
  • The specific task: “Decide,” “List,” “Prioritize,” “Solve,” “Choose.” (“Discuss” is too vague.)
  • The expected product: For example, reporting back to the class; handing in a sheet of paper; distributing a list of questions to the class.
  • The time allotment: Set a time limit. Err on the side of too little rather than too much. You can decide to give more time if necessary.
  • The method of reporting out; that is, of sharing group results with the class. Reporting out is useful for accomplishing closure. Closure is critical to the learning process. Students need to feel that the group-work activity added to their knowledge, skills, abilities, etc. Summary remarks from you can help to weave together the comments, products, and ideas generated by the small groups. However, group-work activity can also be concluded effectively by inviting individual students to synthesize the class’s overarching findings in the activity.

If your group work consists of a set of short problems for students to work through, as often happens in science and mathematics courses, there are many ways to structure the activity. Here are a few ideas, with some advantages and disadvantages.

You can give the whole class a single problem . Break into groups to solve it, then come back as a class and discuss the problem — either by having groups report out or by leading the discussion yourself. Then repeat.

  • Advantages: You know everyone is exposed to the correct way of thinking about things, so there is good closure for each problem.
  • Disadvantages: Potentially too much idle time for faster groups. This method can be very slow, so less material can be covered.

You can give each group a different problem  and have the groups report solutions back to the class.

  • Advantages : Students get some practice teaching as well as good exposure to problems and solutions.
  • Disadvantages : Students don’t get to practice as much problem solving.

You can give each group a different problem , have them solve it, and then have these groups split up and re-form in such a way that each new group has someone experienced with each of the problems. Then they can explain the solutions to each other.

  • Advantages : Students get a lot of practice explaining, as well as good exposure to problems.
  • Disadvantages : Students don’t get to practice many different problems.

You can give the whole class a set of problems  and discuss the set of problems with each group.

  • Advantages : Students work through more problems without significant idle time. You can address difficulties specific to each group.
  • Disadvantages : You may end up repeating yourself a lot. You also may be spread too thin, especially if several groups are stuck at the same time. If this happens, call the class back together when you find that all the groups are having difficulties at the same place.

Fostering Group Interaction

During group work, as tempting as it may be, do not disengage from your class and sit at the front of the room! Circulate and listen to your students. Are they on task, or are they talking about their weekend plans? Are students understanding the concepts and the assignment, or are they all stuck and confused? Do they have questions for you? Pull up a chair and join each group for a while.

On implementing group work for the first time in their section, some GSIs find that the students fall awkwardly silent when the GSI walks by or listens to their discussion. This is only temporary, and it should stop once your students are familiar with you and the group-work format. Because unfamiliarity drives this reaction, it is good to implement group work very early in the semester and to use it often in your section.

When a student in a group asks you a question, the natural reflex is to answer it. That’s your job, isn’t it? Well, not exactly — it’s lower on the list than empowering students to find answers to the questions they ask. Frequently a student asking a question hasn’t discussed it with the group yet and is not aware that members of the group either know the answer or have enough information to figure it out together. So especially early on, when your class is forming group-work habits, it is important not to answer questions — at least not at first. Instead, ask the other group members how they would approach the question. If no one in the group has an idea, you can either give the group a start on how to answer it, consult with a different group on the question, or answer the question yourself. (The latter is best considered a last resort.) Following this pattern will foster group interactions, and soon students will only ask you questions after they have discussed them with their group.

Tips for Formulating Productive Group-Work Assignments

  • Make sure you have specific and descriptive assignments. For example, instead of “Discuss projectile motion,” try “Solve for the final velocity of the projectile.” Instead of “Discuss the use of clickers in the classroom,” say “Analyze two cases and list criteria to evaluate the use of clickers in each one.” Giving specific group work helps students engage more deeply with content and helps them stay on task.
  • Ask questions that have more than one answer. (This may not work for all disciplines.) Students can then generate a variety of possible answers, explore what is involved with each, and evaluate them in comparison with the other answers.
  • Make the material that groups will analyze short — maybe just a short paragraph or a few sentences. Present it via handout, document camera, chalkboard, or another medium that all can easily see. Frequently, if groups have longer passages to analyze, their work goes well beyond the time-frame the GSI intends.
  • If the material is longer, provide concrete lines of questioning that are displayed prominently or handed out. This helps keep group work within the scale and time frame the GSI anticipates and reduces frustration.
  • Vary the format of the tasks. For example, on one day students might generate the questions they want to analyze; on another students may give arguments or provide evidence for or against a position or theory.

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Guidelines for Using Groups Effectively

Compiled by Chad Hershock and adapted by Stiliana Milkova, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching

Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the processing of information.  One way to involve students in active learning is to have them learn from each other in small groups or teams. Research shows that students working in small groups tend to learn more of what is taught, retain it longer than when the same content is presented in other instructional formats, and appear more satisfied with their classes (Davis 1993, Barkley, 2005). But not any group activity or task would promote learning. In order to be productive, a group assignment needs to be designed so that it leads to collaborative learning (Michaelson et al, 1997). Groups function most successfully when mechanisms for individual and group accountability inform group interactions. Effective management of group activity before, during, and after further maximizes student learning. Below are strategies for creating and managing group activities or assignments.

Strategies for Designing Effective Group Activities and Assignments

Choose tasks that are appropriate for groups..

Assignments should include work that is best done in groups : brainstorming, problem solving, making a specific choice, planning and designing, forming strategies, or debating an issue.  Avoid activities that can be accomplished individually or subdivided and parceled out to individuals.  In particular, avoid writing assignments because writing is an inherently individual activity and this skill is also best developed individually.  However, groups may be effective for brainstorming writing topics or peer-reviewing drafts of student writing.

Align activities with learning goals.

First, clearly identify your learning goals (See outline learning objectives in Strategies for Effective Lesson Planning . ). Next, ask yourself, “What does this activity ask learners to do?” Then, decide whether completing the activity will result in the achievement of the learning goals. For example, if your goal is to foster critical thinking skills, select an activity that cognitively requires application of concepts to unfamiliar situations, analysis, problem-solving, synthesis, evaluation, or questioning the premise of the problem itself, rather than an activity that only requires recall or comprehension of facts.

Phrase assignments to promote higher-order cognitive skills.

The best questions for engaging groups are open-ended and have no single correct answer, or are controversial and have a variety of perspectives/viewpoints. To promote higher-level thinking, challenge students to engage in analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and/or questioning the problem’s premise or assumptions. For example, ask students to make or defend a specific choice.  Closed-ended problems with one correct answer should be difficult enough that individuals cannot solve them easily and should require learners to identify and apply relevant concepts.

Successful group activities have a highly structured task.

Provide written instructions to your students that list (1) the task (i.e., brainstorming, strategies, choosing, solving); (2) the expected product (i.e., reporting back to the class on ideas, handing in a worksheet, presenting a solution to the class); and (3) the method of “debriefing” or “reporting out” (i.e., sharing group results, sharing pros/cons, discussing group ideas, noting consensus and diversity of ideas). Communicate milestones so groups can monitor and reflect on their progress and performance. Always set a time a limit for the activity and periodically inform students about how much time remains. 

Promote group cohesiveness.

Choose tasks that foster the positive interdependence of group members. Select tasks that encourage discussion and maximize student interactions. Activities should require input from all group members and group agreement. Encourage team-building activities to foster social cohesiveness such as icebreakers (so students know each other), choosing a group name, or periodic group- or peer-evaluations. Provide students with immediate and unambiguous feedback on their group products and process. Logistics can be an impediment to group learning that occurs outside of class. Consider setting aside class time for group work, team building, and feedback from the instructor.

Have students do individual work before entering their group.

Require students to work individually first (i.e., have them complete a worksheet or assignment, answer questions, or make a choice) so that each member has something to contribute to the group. An individual assignment/assessment completed before class could be used as each student’s pre-requisite “ticket” into the group activity.

Ensure both individual and group accountability.

A variety of teaching strategies can provide both individual and group accountability, whether or not group work is graded. If you decide to grade group work, a grading system should include (1) individual performance/products; (2) group performance/products; and (3) each member’s contribution to team success (e.g., peer evaluation). Be sure to plan in advance how you will evaluate each of these three aspects and how you will communicate your expectations and/or grading criteria to students. One way to ensure accountability without grading is to call randomly on selected students to present their group’s progress or final product. It is best to establish and explain the procedure at the beginning of class to set the tone and expectations for group work.

Select a debriefing mechanism that promotes high-energy class discussions and reflections.

Minimize the lecture mode of group sharing (i.e., a series of group presentations). Keep the groups’ output for class discussion simple and focused on essential data. Select a mechanism whereby groups share their essential results simultaneously in a highly visible way. Then, provide time for groups to digest, process, compare and contrast, and evaluate the output of other groups prior to the whole class discussion.

Effective group activities are interesting and relevant.

Aim to create a problem that is engaging, complex, realistic, relevant, and builds on prior knowledge. Problems should be impossible to complete without understanding the basic course concepts, otherwise the activity may be perceived as irrelevant.

Checklist for Managing Group Work Effectively

What to do before the activity/assignment:.

  • Set guidelines for student-student and student-instructor interactions during group work and associated class discussions. Provide guidelines and solicit student feedback and suggestions for additional guidelines.
  • Provide written and verbal instructions, including time limits and deadlines. Check for understanding of instructions and clarify confusion before starting the activity.  Clearly set expectations for individual and group preparation, attendance, products and deliverables, and performance (including grading criteria, if applicable).
  • Explain the motivation and learning goals for the activity.  Explain why it is important to spend time in on this group activity.  Provide a meaningful context for the activity with respect to course content or real-world applications or relevance.
  • Establish accountability for both individual and groups.
  • Provide students with the necessary resources to succeed. Teach any new content or skills that are required to complete the activity and provide any resources (e.g., readings, video clips, lab equipment) needed to prepare for the activity.

What to do during the assignment/activity:

  • Actively engage and monitor groups. Check for understanding frequently and clarify instructions or confusion.  Visit all groups regularly.  Facilitate, assist, mediate, intervene, and redirect groups as needed.
  • Frequently provide feedback to groups and individuals.

What to do after the assignment/activity:

  • Debrief the activity with the entire class. Revisit the learning goals.  Summarize and synthesize the main lessons.  Connect the learning to previous knowledge, real-world applications or motivational contexts. 
  • Assess student learning informally or formally. Use non-graded classroom assessment techniques (e.g., minute paper/muddiest point) or graded group or individual products to assess student learning.
  • Provide feedback to individuals and groups regarding both group process and products.
  • Provide students with opportunities to reflect on their learning as well as teamwork.

Allen, D., Duch, B., & Groh, S. (1996). The power of problem-based learning in teaching introductory science courses. In L. Wilkerson and W. Gijselaers (eds.), Bringing Problem-Based Learning to Higher Education: Theory and Practice . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Barkley, E., Cross, P., & Major, C. (2005). Collaborative Learning Techniques . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No.1. Washington, DC: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.

Davis, B. (1993). Tools for teaching . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Heller, P. & Hollabaugh, H. (1992). Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 2: Designing problems and structuring groups. American Journal of Physics . 60(7), 637-644

Michaelson, L.K. & Black, R.H. (1994). Building learning teams: The key to harnessing the power of small groups in higher education. In Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education , Vol. 2, pp. 65-81. State College, PA: National Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.

Michaelsen, L. K., Fink, L. D. & Knight, A. (1997). Designing effective group activities: Lessons for classroom teaching and faculty development. In D. DeZure (Ed.), To improve the academy: Resources for faculty, instructional, and organizational development (Vol. 16, pp. 373-397). Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.

Oakley, B, Felder, R.M, Brent, R., & Elhajj, E. (2004). Turning student groups into effective teams.  Journal of Student Centered Learning , Vol. 2, No.1, pp. 9-34.

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How Do I Facilitate Effective Group Work?

Two male students of color working together on homework at a table.

Successful group work is characterized by trust, psychological safety, clarity of expectations, and good communication; being in the same location while working is not essential to group effectiveness (Duhigg, 2016; Kelly, 2008; Salmons, 2019). Below we offer strategies and examples that work for short-term collaborative group work (e.g., discussions in an online, hybrid/flexible, or in-person class) and long-term collaborative assignments (e.g., group projects), ending with additional considerations for long-term collaborative work.

STRATEGIES & EXAMPLES

Provide opportunities to develop connection and trust.

Engage students with community building activities.  Groups work best when students feel connected and trust each other. Brief  icebreaker activities  are fun and allow students to get to know each other before delving into group work. If using a video conferencing platform such as Zoom or Echo360, ask students to type a word or emoji about how they are doing into the chat, or during in-person classes students can share this orally or via an audience response system. Let students practice group work in  Moodle  or  Blackboard  with some low-stakes group assignments.

Create group norms.  In the first few weeks of class, create participation norms that all students agree upon as a class or within their small groups. Discuss with students how certain social identities (e.g., women in STEM, transgender students) can be unintentionally marginalized during group work as a justification for creating norms around respectful and inclusive communication (Oakley, Felder, Brent, & Elhajj, 2004). Vary the groupings of students so that students can meet other students and hear different perspectives, particularly in the first weeks of class. Refer back to the agreed-upon norms when conflict arises.

Proactively check in with groups.  It’s important to pay attention to both process and the accomplished task. As you drop into groups during class time or consult with groups in office hours, note who does and does not speak; consider asking questions about process such as who is generating ideas and how they know everyone is on board with these ideas. Check in individually with quieter students. Remember, how you address group functioning models how they should interact with each other (Kelly, 2008).

(Over)communicate and Reinforce Expectations

Communicate the purpose.  Communicate in writing and orally the skills students will develop by the end of their group work experience and why this is a valuable task or project to do in groups (as opposed to individually). You might ask students to connect skills they will learn to their personal goals and describe how they will know if they’ve developed these skills apart from your feedback.

Describe the tasks.  In writing, describe the tasks in detail, including steps in the process with due dates/deadlines, resources needed, technology for communication, and expectations for group work. This means giving students clear topics, questions, deliverables, or goals for group work. Consider assigning rotating task roles such as discussion director, connector, summarizer, recorder, and reporter (Kennedy & Nilson, 2008). Create a space online for students to submit questions which are publicly answered for all to see; this can become an  FAQ forum . At the end of group work, have groups submit something that demonstrates their engagement with the task for a small amount of points, such as group decisions, remaining questions, or discussion notes.

Clarify the criteria.  Communicate specific details about how student work generated in groups will be assessed (i.e., rubrics, exemplars, grading scheme). Use positive, “do this” language rather than negative, “don’t do this” language when possible. Show examples that typify important or challenging aspects of the work with narrations (i.e., on video or in a commented document) of what makes the work exemplar.

Additional Tips for Long-term Collaborative Projects

Be sure students have a communication plan.  This can be specified as part of their group norms and processes at the beginning of the project. In addition, be clear how and when groups should communicate with you, where and in what format they should submit materials, and what to do if they encounter a problem.

Break apart the project into phases or milestones with clear deliverables at each stage.  Clearly specify how and where students should turn in work (i.e., online or in person), and use this format consistently for all deliverables.

Have students periodically check in about their group process and report back on their process.  At the beginning of the project, ask students to identify how they want to work together, what their expectations are for each other, and what collaborative tools the group wants to use. Have them post their group norms in an online forum. Include a requirement for a  "team effectiveness discussion"  or evaluation (self or peer) after students have some time to work together (e.g., 2nd milestone; See  Oakley et al. 2004  for a “Crisis Clinic” guide). Allow them to adjust norms and set goals for the next phase of group work.

Clearly connect homework, lectures, or other learning activities to the group project.  For example, after learning new concepts, students might be asked to turn in a brief “Application memo” which connects course content to their group project. An online session might end with an “Integrate it” discussion among group members to integrate new learning into their project. Homework might be called “Project Prep.” Name activities by their purpose so that students see the relevance and utility of each activity more easily.

Foster cross-group peer review.  Students will appreciate hearing what other groups are doing and can get ideas for their own projects. For example, have students share their milestones or group work with another group and have them record questions and feedback in a collaborative document. Review that document to provide feedback to the entire class, saving you from giving feedback to each group. Peer review can also be done as a workshop or group assignment activity in the LMS. 

Please contact the CTL with any questions or for more details about the examples shared at  [email protected] . For support with collaborative technology, email  [email protected] .

For questions on your LMS, Google, and other educational technology contact IDEAS at [email protected]

Duhigg, C. (2016, February 25).  What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team . The New York Times.

Kelly, R. (2008, August 11).  Creating trust in online education ,  Faculty Focus.

Kennedy, F. A., and Nilson, L. B. (2008).  Successful strategies for teams. Team Member Handbook .  Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, Clemson University.

Oakley, B., Felder, R. M., Brent, R., & Elhajj, I. (2004).  Turning student groups into effective teams .  Journal of Student Centered Learning, 2 (1), pp. 9-34.

Salmons, J. (2019).  Learning to collaborate, collaborating to learn: Engaging students in the classroom and online . Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Image by Armin Rimoldi for Pexels.

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Home > Resources > Group presentation rubric

Group presentation rubric

This is a grading rubric an instructor uses to assess students’ work on this type of assignment. It is a sample rubric that needs to be edited to reflect the specifics of a particular assignment. Students can self-assess using the rubric as a checklist before submitting their assignment.

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  1. How to Evaluate Group Work

    Create a rubric to set evaluation standards and share with students to communicate expectations. Assess the performance of the group and its individual members. Give regular feedback so group members can gauge their progress both as a group and individually. Decide what criteria to base final evaluations upon.

  2. Sample group work rubric

    Example of Group Work Rubric. Always willing to help and do more. Routinely offered useful ideas. Always displays positive attitude. Cooperative. Usually offered useful ideas. Generally displays positive attitude. Sometimes cooperative. Sometimes offered useful ideas.

  3. How can I assess group work?

    Assessing group work has added challenges, however. First, depending on the objectives of the assignment, the instructor might want to assess the team's final product (e.g., design, report, presentation), their group processes (e.g., ability to meet deadlines, contribute fairly, communicate effectively), or both.

  4. PDF Self & Peer Evaluations of Group Work

    Sample #1: Research Group Project. Self & Peer Evaluation for a Research Paper Project. Students are required to evaluate the personal productivity of each group member, including themselves. Rate yourself and your group members on each of the following 6 categories. Total the score for yourself and each of the group members.

  5. What are best practices for designing group projects?

    What is true for individual assignments holds true for group assignments: it is important to clearly articulate your objectives, explicitly define the task, clarify your expectations, model high-quality work, and communicate performance criteria. But group work has complexities above and beyond individual work. To ensure a positive outcome, try ...

  6. PDF Designing Effective Group Activities

    The University of Oklahoma. Abstract: The primary objective of this article is to provide readers with guidance for designing effective group assignments and activities for classes and workshops. In doing so, we examine the forces that foster social loafing (uneven participation) in learning groups and identify four key variables that must be ...

  7. Designing Successful Group Assignments

    Your grading criteria for the group assignment is best communicated to students in a rubric from the onset of the course and a reminder midway so that expectations are clear. Tools. The simplest way to increase group interaction is to set up collaborative tools such as discussion forums. For example, each group might have a general discussion ...

  8. Assessing Group Work

    Assessing a group product is much like assessing other student work. The faculty or the students can establish the grading criteria and grade each of the group products. The group can get a shared grade, or each individual can get a grade that depends on a specified task. Assessing the process. When assessing group process, you might want ...

  9. Designing Effective Group Work

    For assignments, we advise capping groups at 5 members. For discussions, creating a group set of 3-5 participants enables more intimate conversations with enough diversity of perspectives to keep students engaged. Share expectations for group interactions and roles. Articulate the key roles, and norms and expectations for working together to ...

  10. PDF GROUP WORK ASSESSMENT

    An example of a group work marking rubric Criteria Standards High distinction Distinction Credit Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Sharing the workload Does a full share of the work - or ... Did they provide editing work and/or making sure the assignment read as a whole? Use the following rubric and enter a mark out of 5 for each member for his/her ...

  11. Group work: Using cooperative learning groups effectively

    The site also provides some exercises for building group dynamics; these may be particularly valuable for groups that will be working on larger projects. Monitoring group work. Regularly observe group interactions and progress, either by circulating during group work, collecting in-process documents, or both. When you observe problems ...

  12. Methods for Assessing Group Work

    assessment method. criteria (product and/or process) Product versus process. assessing the product - measuring the quantity and quality of individual work in a group project. assessing the process - evaluating individual teamwork skills and interaction. Assessment by instructor versus by group members. by instructor - instructor assigns all marks.

  13. Group Work: Design Guidelines

    Group size can vary, as can the length of time that students work together. Pairing is great for thirty-second or one-minute problem solving. Groups that work together for ten to 45 minutes might include four or five people. (If there are more than four or five, some members will stop participating).

  14. Guidelines for Using Groups Effectively

    Choose tasks that are appropriate for groups. Assignments should include work that is best done in groups: brainstorming, problem solving, making a specific choice, planning and designing, forming strategies, or debating an issue. Avoid activities that can be accomplished individually or subdivided and parceled out to individuals.

  15. Evaluating Group Projects

    Tips for planning a Group Project. Give students clear directions and specific criteria for project. Form groups of three - five students. Ask students to establish group expectations and norms. Give students real problems to solve. Promote group cohesion by informing the students of a group and individual evaluations.

  16. Assessing Group Work

    Assessing group work has additional aspects to consider, however. First, depending on the objectives of the assignment, both process- and product-related skills must be assessed. Second, group performance must be translated into individual grades, which raises issues of fairness and equity. Complicating both these issues is the fact that ...

  17. Design and manage group assessments

    Facilitate active learning Facilitate active learning. Engage students asynchronously Engage students asynchronously. Design with the 4 A's Design with the 4 A's. Teach using the DEAR model Teach using the DEAR model. Teach for active learning in constrained spaces Teach for active learning in constrained spaces.

  18. Assessing Group Work and Participation

    Assessing Group Work and Participation. This section provides information on how to assess group work and participation in an online environment. The following video takes viewers through a flow-chart which examines the considerations that instructors should take as they plan to assess group work. The YouTube description for this video contains ...

  19. How Do I Facilitate Effective Group Work?

    Have them post their group norms in an online forum. Include a requirement for a "team effectiveness discussion" or evaluation (self or peer) after students have some time to work together (e.g., 2nd milestone; See Oakley et al. 2004 for a "Crisis Clinic" guide). Allow them to adjust norms and set goals for the next phase of group work.

  20. Grading Methods for Group Work

    Instructor gives shared group grade & individual grade adjusted according to a peer assessment factor. Example. Group Grade = 80/100; The individual student's peer grade ranges from .5 - 1.5, with 1 for full; Grade = Group grade * peer; Below=80 *.75 =60; Above=80 * 1.2 = 96; As Above. As Above. Peer Evaluation - random marker, using criteria ...

  21. Group Work Assessment: Assessing Social Skills at Group Level

    The fifth theme concerns the criteria used to evaluate quality in group work assessment. These quality criteria rate whether the group work assessment method being used is reliable and fair, from both the students' and the teachers' perspectives. ... Students who fail an individual assignment can pass the group assignment, and vice versa.

  22. Designing and assessing group assignments

    Group assignments can be designed in such a way that everyone partakes actively and achieves their learning objectives. You can, for example, do this by: Making the content of the assignment complex. Choose a theme or issue that has to be tackled from multiple angles to ensure a good result. This way students will need to adopt, describe and ...

  23. Group presentation rubric

    Group presentation rubric. This is a grading rubric an instructor uses to assess students' work on this type of assignment. It is a sample rubric that needs to be edited to reflect the specifics of a particular assignment. Students can self-assess using the rubric as a checklist before submitting their assignment.