Using the Gen Ed Collaboration Rubric to Assess Student Learning

Criterion: Team Process

Assessing the team process can be challenging. This is facilitated by asking students to submit planning documents (eg Project Plan, Status Reports, Team Contract etc) and requiring teams to meet in class or in an online space, where you may observe students working and interacting. Effective team work includes time and opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss the concepts at hand. The assessment of Team Process will vary much depend upon how the team work has been designed. Aspects of the Team Process include project planning, shared responsibility, functional norms and interpersonal norms. Suggestions for setting up the team work to allow assessment of the team process:

To assess Project Planning

• Have students submit a Project Plan (to know whether they created a plan)
• Have students submit Status Reports (to know whether they are following plan)

To assess Shared Responsibility

• Have students submit a Project Plan (to know whether they created a plan)
• Peer Assessments: Have students assess teammate’s contributions at middle and/or end of project (to know to what extent they followed plan)
• Set up blocks of time during class/labs for teams to work (Team Time) (To observe teams in action)

To assess Functional Norms and Interpersonal Norms

• Have students submit a Team Contract
• Have students submit Status Reports
• Set up Team Time where student working in teams can be observed

Criterion: Team accountability

Team accountability involves learning, communication and synthesis of individual work. How well does the team support the learning of each student and how is each student held accountable for the work of the team? The Team needs to know which team members need more assistance in completing the assignment and team members need to know that they cannot hitchhike on the work of others. Is the communication honest and open? Is there a sense of true collaboration? Some ideas of how to assess the aspects of Team Accountability are described below.

To assess Learning (is every student learning the concepts and skills associated with the project?)

• Observe individual performance during Team Presentations, Q&A, or reporting out
• Give a quiz or writing assignment that is assessed for each student

Communication

• Observe teams in Team Time.
• Provide a Team self-assessment: Have teams work together to self-assess the team as a whole
• Prompt a team debrief process ( eg “I like, I wish”) during Team Time
• Peer Assessments: Have students assess teammate’s contributions at middle and/or end of project (to know to what extent they have communicated)
• Interact with students one-on-one: do students report other students who are not completing work or engaging in the project? Synthesis
• Review a final team product (paper/presentation/etc)

Criterion: Team Climate/Culture

Involves leveraging diversity, interpersonal cohesion, and feedback-seeking behavior. How well have students leveraged the team diversity, developed interpersonal cohesion, and sought internal and external feedback? Has the team recognized the value of the diversity on the team? Does the team encourage each member to express their point of view? Has the team developed a comradery that students feel safe to express their point of view? As the best type of team assignments require the insights and efforts of more than one person, students must see that their success is dependent on the contributions, inclusion, and success of the other students in the group. Do the students appear to like and respect each other? Does the team manage the divergent points of view in a constructive fashion? Does the team seek external feedback? And respond constructively?

To assess how the team Leverages Diversity

• Observe teams in Team Time,
• Assign and assess an individual reflection paper/response -- “how have the individuals on your team influenced your team’s outcome/product?”

To assess Interpersonal Cohesion

• Assign and assess an individual reflection paper/response

To assess Feedback-Seeking and Response to Feedback

• Observe teams in Team Time
• Prompt a team debrief process ( eg “I like, I wish”) during Team Time
• Assign and assess an individual reflection paper/response Observation of interactions with audience during Q&A of presentations
• Observation of interactions during Team Time in class