Linking Assessment and Instruction in Large Enrollment Courses: Collaborative Group Testing
Abstract
A difficult issue with large enrollment classes is reforming assessment practices to match the innovative instructional practices. One student-centered strategy is to engage students in collaborative group work. In this session, I describe the collaborative group testing we have been conducting in biotechnology classes. I will discuss practical strategies, theoretical rationales, and the results of investigating the usefulness of the novel assessment approach. Specifically, this study compared 115 students' scores on group tests vs. individual tests and students' perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks of group testing through interviews and surveys. Discussion of ideas was the most common advantage reported by the students, as well as the reduction of test anxiety. Findings suggest that collaborative testing is an effective strategy to try in large courses.
Location
Room 217
Recommended Citation
Siegel, Marcelle, "Linking Assessment and Instruction in Large Enrollment Courses: Collaborative Group Testing" (2013). SoTL Commons Conference. 86.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2013/86
Linking Assessment and Instruction in Large Enrollment Courses: Collaborative Group Testing
Room 217
A difficult issue with large enrollment classes is reforming assessment practices to match the innovative instructional practices. One student-centered strategy is to engage students in collaborative group work. In this session, I describe the collaborative group testing we have been conducting in biotechnology classes. I will discuss practical strategies, theoretical rationales, and the results of investigating the usefulness of the novel assessment approach. Specifically, this study compared 115 students' scores on group tests vs. individual tests and students' perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks of group testing through interviews and surveys. Discussion of ideas was the most common advantage reported by the students, as well as the reduction of test anxiety. Findings suggest that collaborative testing is an effective strategy to try in large courses.
