Collaborative Assessment – Engagement in Engineering Education

To hold students accountable for their learning by supporting them in collaboratively assessing their outcomes.

Small groups of students work together to assess their project/learning outcomes.

collaborative learning, peer assessment, team-based learning, group reflection

Students engage in group reflection by considering their own learning outcomes.
Students can identify gaps or weaknesses in their own learning and learn from their results (and mistakes).
Students are held accountable for their learning, both to their instructor and their peers, which fosters responsibility.
Peer-based assessment can motivate students to engage more deeply in the content or activity.
Collaborative assessment supports development of teamwork and social skills.

In creating the lesson plan and activity, develop a sample rubric or method for evaluation. Plan to introduce students to collaborative assessment using your example and prepare for questions.
Consider how large your groups will be, as well as the depth of their assessment. How will their assessment be assessed (if applicable)?
Consider how much time students will have to assess their learning. Will this be done in the classroom, or on their own time?
Consider whether the assessment will include a written component. You may choose to have students design their own assessment rubrics, or to work together to assess themselves using a provided rubric.
After the assessment activity, prompt students to reflect on their experiences. This may be done individually or in a group discussion setting.