Assessing Collaborative Efforts

It would seem to be extremely difficult for an instructor to assess the contributions made by individual learners to a collaborative learning community. There are students who have a great facility for writing and can very eloquently and convincingly expound on a topic without saying much. There are students who have phenomenal ideas that should be shared with the community but due to some lack of confidence or even a lack of writing ability are not able to convey those ideas in a manner that allows a significant contribution to be heard. Unless the instructor “knows” the student, and in an online community this may not be the case, the assessment process will not be “fair and equitable.” The use of rubrics is a means of leveling the field, assessing a student’s participation, and assisting in the assessment process, but not substantively if the student’s contributions do not translate into what may subjectively seem adequate as defined by that rubric.

According to Siemens (2008a) a concrete application for measuring participation, such as the wiki system, where the amount of time allocated to online access and number of posts contributed, may be the consummate assessment tool at present. The feedback system, where students respond to posts of fellow students, is a means of assessing contributions, but it is not a tool on which instructors should base a great deal of reliance.

In the world of online courses, students may not like networking or collaborating, goodness knows I don’t, but upon signing up for the program students know that such collaboration is part of the journey. Until some alternative is provided by the university, what students may or may not want is irrelevant. Although the instructor may try to make students more “comfortable” in the collaborative environment, it is not his role to provide those alternatives. The instructor needs to keep open communication with students, building trust and a connectiveness (Siemens, 2008b) that promotes the online community environment, and allow students to develop a sense of cohesiveness within the community. It should not impact the instructor’s assessment plan, whatever that may be.

Siemens (2008b) observed that some very bright students, used to competing and “winning,” are reluctant to participate in the collaborative environment, yet may have the most to contribute. The blogging process as part of the online course allows students to make individual contributions while still being involved in the collaborative process. Cohort members of the community must just continue to give feedback and allow all to feel comfortable in their community.


References
Siemens, G. (2008a). Assessment of collaborative learning. [Vodcast]. Baltimore MD: Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2009, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3649020&Survey=1&47=4839415&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1Siemens, G. (2008b). Learning Communities. [Vodcast]. Baltimore MD: Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2009, from