This week’s EKM Journal Club explored the following paper: Understanding nursing students’ perspectives on the grading of group work assessments Smith M. & Rogers J. (2014) Nurse Education in Practice, 14(2) 112-116

The study by Smith and Rogers sought the perspectives of two large nursing cohorts (475 and 275 students) regarding group work itself as well as the grading process involved. Before indulging into the details of the study, those present at the journal club were asked the reasons for which they valued group work.

Many agreed that group work allows for an easier grading process compared to administering individual assignments. Additionally, journal club members believed that group assignments facilitate team work and relationship building among peers. Some disadvantages associated with group work were also identified. Teachers found that students sometimes felt they were penalized when the dynamic was not favorable, and when others in the group were perceived to be putting in less work than required.

Those present also discussed situations where students did a poor job presenting the material in a class group-presentation and the need for instructors to re-teach it as a consequence, creating additional stress for both parties involved. Finding time to get together to work on group assignments was also presented as an issue, as was the debate of students picking their own group vs. being put into groups by the instructor.

The study reported in the paper was a creative mixture between a cross-sectional and longitudinal design. Two groups of students were examined by survey on their attitudes to group-work and grading (particularly same-mark for the whole group vs. peer weighted marking for part of the grade). One cohort was a group of new students, and a the second a group of senior students, who were surveyed before and after a group assignment.  The surveys were reviewed by experts with no association to the study and were also piloted by 6 student volunteers, and modifications were made accordingly.

While all students valued team working skills in the context of nursing and agreed that group assignments encouraged these competencies, many did not enjoy the assessment aspect of group work. Overall, students believed that group work penalized good students and that it was not as reliable as individual assessments. Students’ opinions changed minimally throughout the course of the study: while the majority of students indicated not having a preference for either grading method before the assignment, 37% reported feeling more comfortable with the weighted approach after having completed the assignment.

Responses from those present at the journal club were varied when asked their opinions on considering student preferences (as only about 45% of students actually liked group-assignments in the study). After much discussion, most agreed that student preferences should be considered to some extent in assessment design, but should nort be the presiding factor in selecting an assessment strategy.

The pros and cons associated with weighted marking were discussed, and while some found it important to engage students in evaluating their peers, issues surrounding grade negotiation amongst students were brought forward. Additionally, students’ inexperience in grading and lack of knowledge in what to look for in an assignment as well as their tendencies to mark more emotionally compared to instructors was also considered. Good clear marking rubrics were agreed as an essential component for the process to work effectively. It was also noted that with small groups (such as 2 or 3 students) peer review and grading might not be an approriate strategy to use in group work, and simply awarding a shared grade might be simpler to manage.

Overall, it was found that the study was well designed, however, the methods section could have been presented more clearly. While the authors addressed the quality of the questionnaires, only face validity was considered. However, there was a good attempt to establish this. Most agreed with the author’s recommendations and valued the suggestion to build teaching strategies into the course that allow students to reflect on team processes and the skills required for positive outcomes.

The presentation slides used throughout our discussion can be found here:

Group Assignment Journal Club Slides