Project

Assessing Group Work in Media and Communications

Project Information

Year Funded:: 2005
Grant (ex GST):: $100,000
Project Status:: Completed
Program:: Priority Projects
Project Keywords:: Assessment process, Communications, Design based research, Group assessment, Media
Project Discipline:: Creative and Performing Arts

Institutions

University of Canberra (Lead)
Macquarie University
The University of New South Wales

Project Leader

Dr Greg Battye
University of Canberra
Greg [dot] Battye [at] canberra [dot] edu [dot] au

Project Outcome

The project will investigate current best practice for group assessment in Media and Communication courses, identifying common areas for improvement; construct and test tools and techniques for improving assessment; disseminate the results and products to the Media and Communication teaching community; and provide a forum for discussion, testing and feedback.

Project Methodology

This project will involve:

Collecting data, via structured email surveys, on best practice in Media/Communication group assessment;
Designing templates and software to assist the assessment process (see Appendix 1)including several cycles of developing, testing, evaluating and revising our designs with Communications and Media classes in the participating institutions. This step involves observation, qualitative and quantitative data collection and formative feedback; and
Publishing the emerging outcomes of our research, firstly at conferences with the aim of obtaining external feedback; Then on conclusion of the study, at further conferences, in print and on the web site. As our deliverables are designed to be widely disseminated, there will be considerable emphasis on the applications of our research to constructivist theories of learning through authentic tasks and environments. Data collection will be developmental, and the project team will involve all participants as partners in the design-research exercise.

The information on this project's page was correct at the time of funding. Changes may have occurred since.

Resources

Assessing group work in media and communications

Resource Information

Year Published:: 2008
Author/s:: Dr Greg Battye, Dr Ian Hart, Dr Coralie McCormack, Dr Peter Donnan
Institutions:: University of Canberra (Lead); Macquarie University; The University of New South Wales

Description

In Media and Communications, authentic tasks are the basis of learning through assessment. Media production in the real world is almost always a collaborative process. Hence, authentic assessment tasks require student to collaborate in groups. Collaborative group work effectively fosters both discipline-specific and generic professional attributes if carefully devised and managed. The project team identified common target areas for improvement, constructed and tested a range of practical tools and techniques for improving assessment in these areas, disseminated results and the products to the Media and Communication teaching community and are providing an online forum for on-going evolution, discussion, testing and feedback by the teaching community.