Activity 1: Chunking Group Work
Click here to view the video transcript
I have a couple practical things for you to try. The first is a table below this video that should help you break down a learning outcome into the chunks or components that will make up the whole activity that demonstrates the student’s competency. So you take your learning outcome about what you want students to demonstrate by the end of the course or the lesson, and you think about what are all of the components that are comprised within that outcome. Each component should be something that could be practiced independently and then put together to demonstrate accumulation of tasks or cumulative task. So each component might not be equally weighted so it’s also important to think about what is the significance of this specific task, and how important is it to the overall outcome?
So when I’m chunking, an example might be making a birthday cake. In the composition of making a birthday cake, there would be the baking of the cake, making sure it’s fluffy or light, or dense, whatever type of cake you’re making. There might be the whipping of the icing or the creation of a frosting. There might be the decorating and assembly of the cake. So are there opportunities for students to practice the baking of the cake, to practice the layering of the cake, the icing, the fillings, and then the decorative element? Do I practice each of those components separately and have opportunities for feedback and practice before asking students to assemble the final product, the delicious birthday cake?
Identify a specific and measurable outcome that students should be able to achieve by the end of the group work. Break this down into chunks of skills they might need to demonstrate. Think about which activities will allow them to both practice and demonstrate working towards proficiency. How will this impact their grade or be weighted across other tasks? Finally, what cumulative task will demonstrate the entire learning outcome and how will it be assessed?
| Steps to follow | Write your answers | Specify % weight of student work |
|---|---|---|
| A. My end goal is to have students be able to meet this specific learning outcome related to group work | ||
| B. Therefore, I need students to be able to do these three (or more) sub-components, in this sequence | ||
| C. I will get them to practice and build their abilities in these subcomponents by doing these isolated activities, for which they will receive feedback | ||
| D. Now that they have practiced three distinct and separate skills, I will have them comprehensively do this activity, and reflect upon it | ||
| E. I will assess the cumulative work with this assessment tool |
Activity 2: Using Rubrics
Click here to view the video transcript
The second table I’m going to provide for you is an example of a rubric below this video. And the rubric was designed using my institution’s approved AI generating bot, a tool designed with instructional design in mind. Your institution might have something similar, or you might want to try a different generative AI tool or try adapting this one to your own context. The purpose of the rubric is to articulate all of the criteria for students that would demonstrate what a positive outcome would look like. Thinking about what is the scores that are relevant to you, that what are the ranges that would demonstrate the validity and also the importance of each component of the rubric for each criteria and what you want students to showcase.
If you were to give written, handwritten feedback on student work, what might be some of the comments that you would be writing? Typically, that type of information is helpful in making a rubric. This is the type of information that you would write 10 times. You’re finding different students are having the same challenge. That’s probably good criterion. That’s something that you’d want to articulate on the rubric. And you want to make it useful for students. So if your rubric is more than a page long, it’s unlikely that students are going to look beyond the first few rows. So try to make a rubric that is the right concise length to give students information about how well they’re doing and help them improve for next time without being overwhelmed.
This rubric could be used in multiple ways. Think about how it might be used for self-reflection. An individual looking at it for their own progress, how it might be used for peer reflection. If they were to share it with a peer and evaluate a peer’s work, could they still give effective feedback? And then you, as the principal assessor or instructor-led instructor or instructor-led assessor, how would you use the rubric to give students feedback individually or collectively? So thinking about how you might use all of those aspects is key to developing a good rubric.
Arnold et al, describe that, we want to think about what are the different elements and components that would be supportive of group work. So thinking about professional skills, work ethic, communication, contribution of ideas, and all of the other skills that are important to you and your graduate attributes are going to help you come up with a rubric that reflects what you’re looking for in your learners.
The table below presents an example rubric designed using alda.usask.ca, an institutionally trained learning design AI-assistant. This rubric assesses group work in higher education, specifically focusing on nurturing successful relationships, leveraging technology, adapting and problem-solving, and promoting well-being. It is aligned with broad learning outcomes for group work. Each criterion has a suggested weight reflecting its complexity and importance, with greater emphasis on uniquely human abilities such as relationship building and problem-solving.
| Criteria (Weight) | Excellent (90-100%) | Good (70-89%) | Satisfactory (50-69%) | Needs Improvement (Below 50%) |
| 1. Nurturing Successful Relationships (40%) | Demonstrates exceptional ability to collaborate, actively listens, and constructively resolves conflicts, leading to a positive group dynamic. | Effectively collaborates and communicates, with minor conflicts resolved smoothly. | Participates in group activities but occasionally struggles with communication and conflict resolution. | Poor collaboration skills; frequent conflicts not effectively managed, negatively impact ing group dynamics. |
| 2. Leveraging Technology (30%) | Uses technology creatively and effectively to enhance group productivity and communication. Demonstrates full proficiency in required tools. | Uses technology appropriately but with less creativity. Competent in required tools. | Adequately uses technology, but occasional issues in utilization slightly hinder group work. | Limited or ineffective use of technology, hindering group communication and productivity. |
| 3. Adapting and Problem Solving (30%) | Consistently identifies and implements innovative solutions to challenges; adapts quickly to changes with a positive attitude. | Generally effective in problem-solving and adapting but may not always find the most innovative solutions. | Manages to adapt and solve problems but not always efficiently or effectively. | Struggles significantly with adapting to changes and addressing challenges, impeding group progress. |
Instructions for Use:
- Scoring: Assign scores within the ranges based on observations and evidence of the students’ performance in each criterion.
- Feedback: Provide specific examples of observed behaviours or outcomes to support the score. Offer constructive feedback, especially in categories where improvement is needed.
- Review: Encourage students to review their scores and feedback to understand their strengths and areas for improvement in group work settings.
This rubric ensures a comprehensive assessment of essential skills in group work, with a focus on competencies that prepare students for real-world collaboration and problem-solving scenarios.
Activity 3: Framing Group Projects
This activity invites you to explore how you can intentionally frame group work that is more inclusive of different ways students think and work, i.e., creating more neurodiversity-affirming group work environments. It is important to emphasize to students that everyone’s brain works differently, and part of collaborative work is to learn about how different people think and approach tasks. Consider the following points for a more neurodiversity-informed approach:
- Recognize different ways of participating in a group assignment, and explicitly address the lack of hierarchy in roles.
- Consider whether any given assignment must be conducted in a group to meet learning goals. Explain your reasoning to students and consider offering an option of group or individual work.
- Remind students that learning about colleagues’ communication and thinking styles is part of the learning process.
- Support students in reframing interpersonal conflicts or differing working styles as opportunities.
- Remind students that they may need to share and receive information about their and their colleagues’ access needs (Silverman, 2025).
Discussions
How might one rubric support self, peer, group, or educator-directed assessment?
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments section below.