Findings in students' involvement in the formulation of assessment
Two aspects of students' involvement in the formulation of this assessment project were investigated, namely the choice of group size and methods of working together. Working in pairs was the most popular choice with 68% of the students having opted to work in pairs; 13% worked in groups of three and 19% worked individually. Forty-seven percent of students reported that they enjoyed working in small groups and 54% said that it suited their learning style.
With regard to the methods of working together, 67% of the students stated that they preferred to work in face-to-face situations with 73% choosing to work in labs rather than out of labs. Forty percent reported a preference for use of email to communicate with group members. These were not mutually exclusive categories. With regard to the manner of progress on the project, 40% of the students reported working continuously; 38% reported working regularly; and 22% sporadically.
The development of team skills was investigated in relation to group processes and problem solving. Students worked both autonomously (47%) and collaboratively (52%) on their projects and 51% said that they had achieved a reasonable balance of workload. Their team skills were demonstrated by helping each other understand the subject content (55%), solve problems (67%), and generate innovation (60%). Students reported benefits in the development of a wide range of generic skills (e.g. communication, time management, decision making and leadership).
The quality assurance issues that were explored included the development of professional knowledge and skills, academic relevance, group dynamics, and suggestions for improvement. With regard to the development of professional knowledge and skills, 67% of the students said that the project had workplace relevance; 56% reported that the group learning processes enhanced their understanding of the subject; and 52% reported that learning in a group had improved their application of theoretical knowledge. Other reported benefits of the group learning experience included camaraderie (47%), leadership development (48%), trust building (63%), and improved motivation (58%).
