10-Rep Learning ~ Teague's Tech Treks

Assessment of IBL and CPS assignments

Here are items to consider and strategies to implement:

• Establish learning objectives: Before starting the project, clearly define what students should learn from the collaborative experience and how their creativity will be assessed.
• Develop rubrics: Create a rubric that outlines specific criteria for evaluating both the collaborative process and the creative product.
  • Collaboration criteria: Include aspects like participation, communication, conflict resolution, shared responsibility, and effective use of teamwork skills.
  • Creativity criteria: Focus on objective indicators of creativity, such as variety of ideas, novelty of idea combinations, and novelty of communication, rather than subjective terms like “interesting”.
  • Performance levels: Describe different levels of achievement for each criterion (e.g., Novice, Proficient, Distinguished).
• Share rubrics with students: Provide students with the rubric early in the project to communicate expectations and empower them to self-assess and improve. 

• Balance individual and group grades: Determine how the final grade will reflect both the group’s performance and individual contributions.
• Collect peer and self-evaluations: Utilize methods like surveys, rating scales, or open-ended questions to gather feedback on individual and group performance. This can reveal participation issues and hold students accountable.
• Consider adjusting grades based on peer evaluations: Peer feedback can inform your assessment and encourage more equitable participation. 

• Regular check-ins: Monitor the teams’ progress regularly through observations, conferences, or online tools.
• Provide feedback throughout the process: Offer timely and constructive feedback to teams, helping them improve their teamwork and address any challenges.
• Encourage self-reflection: Prompt students to reflect on their own contributions and learning throughout the project. 

• Focus on feedback: Provide detailed feedback, both written and verbal, that helps students understand their strengths and areas for improvement.
• Shift focus from “earning an A” to meaningful engagement: Encourage students to be driven by curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge rather than just getting a good grade.
• Consider alternative grading systems: Explore options like pass/fail or longitudinal grading, which can reduce pressure and shift the focus to learning and growth. 

• Evaluate problem-solving: If the project requires problem-solving, consider assessing the elegance and effectiveness of the solutions developed.
• Encourage innovative approaches: Give credit for novel and original ideas and their execution.
• Assess project management skills: If relevant, incorporate assessment of project planning, task delegation, and timeline management.