Leung, A. C. K., Hashemi Pour, B., Reynolds, D., & Jerzak, S. (2017). New Assessment Process in an Introductory Undergraduate Physics Laboratory: An Exploration on Collaborative Learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(2), 169–181.
This example describes a new team learning assessment process designed and tested in two first-year university physics laboratory courses (n=287). The authors are from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Canada. The assessment process provided a strong incentive for students to cooperate and feel responsible for each other’s learning and fostered a sense of collaboration rather than competition. Specifically, students were randomly divided into teams of four to work on a physics experiment and, at the end of the session, only one team member was randomly selected to carry out a post-laboratory performance task. Results indicate that learning outcomes were not compromised and that peer instruction was employed to a greater extent compared to standard practice. Student responses from a post-assessment survey revealed that 76% of students considered the new assessment process to be fair, whereas 57% of students felt the standard process was fair. The new assessment process used in this study led to a 75% reduction in grading duties – an advantage for large classes.