In the next few weeks, as this semester winds down, it is a good time to evaluate what worked and what didn’t. Teaching is one of the few professions where every four months, you can put your creativity to work and reinvent your profession. While instructional strategies may be easy to update, one area that is hard to reinvent is assessment.
One method I have tried is using a group test. This method is not appropriate for every course, but it is good for courses where collaboration or interaction with the material is helpful in knowing how to use it. In the courses where I use this assessment strategy, I have compared collaborative scores from sections that were assessed in the traditional manner. Both methods provided the same range of grades.
In order to be effective, establishing a good foundation for the collaborative approach is essential. It starts with putting together solid study groups. I collect data on my students by asking them to answer the following questions:
1. Do you commute or live on campus?
2. Do you work? How many hours each week?
3. Do you prefer to work alone or in a group? Why?
4. Do you know anyone in the class that you would like to work with?
5. Please explain to me how you feel about your grades:
A. I want an A and will work hard to get one
B. I would like an A, but I am happy with a B
C. I am ok with a B or C, as long as I pass the course.
6. Please tell me something interesting about yourself (It can be anything from liking dogs to hiking)
Although this may seem like useless information, I think of it as eHarmony for learning. It is essential to use data to build solid Professional Learning Communities (PLC). For example, I always put students who prefer to work alone in a group. I assure them that they can turn their backs on each other and work separately if they prefer. These students typically don’t like to work with others because they usually have had to do all the work for the group. They care deeply about getting a good grade and don’t want to be responsible for everyone. Working with likeminded people is a positive experience.
I put commuters or students who work many hours together in a group. Generally, if students commute or work long hours, they are less flexible with meeting times, more serious about their education, and their time is usually limited to the days they drive to campus to meet for a study session.
Next to work ethic, student study ethics are important. Students are matched by their attitude towards grades. Happy to get a C? Heart failure if I miss a point? Willing to work, but accept that an A is not always possible? These groups work well together, with minimum strife because of the study ethic. In addition, I try to place students with at least one friend. Study and work ethic are more important than social connections when building a PLC, but still, social comfort has a place. Students who do not know anyone in the class seem to feel more secure if they are in a group together. Finally, if there are still students to sort, I put them together by what they tell me about themselves: If they have children, if they like dogs, if they skydive, etc.
Creating the PLC takes about an hour, but I have found that taking the time to create PLCs is critical to success. When students are able to choose their own group, it often is not supportive of the assessment model. The groups need to be carefully arranged in order for them to be effective. It minimizes problems throughout the semester.
– by Kim Nettleton, Ambassador for Excellence in Teaching, Morehead State University
Note: Part 2 of this article will be found in the next Teaching Tuesday newsletter
