To add to the general discussion about evaluation of group work, I have
found that undergraduates look forward to teams with dread, in part
because they don't know how to make them work. I do two things:
In my syllabi and verbally, I tell them that they will be required at the
end of the semester to evaluate other members of their team, and that
these results will be considered as I determine grades. I also advise
that I rarely find out anything I didn't already know, except that I
sometimes find out about someone who has be very quiet in class but really
is a workhorse in their group.
Second, I assign readings from much of a good little book, by Dan Bednarz
& Donna Wood, "Research in Teams" Unfortunately, it's out of print and
unlikely to have another edition - Donna tells me the two of them have
split. But if you can locate a copy, use it because it is very good on
selecting team members, organizing to avoid the usual range of team
problems, and how to cure them if problems do arise. Get it if you can.
Meanwhile, I'll try to see if it could be reprinted by one of the houses
that specialize in low volume orders; or if I could copy it. Since I've
been doing this, I've had almost no team problems; before they were
frequent. Some of my students say, "Why didn't we have this when we first
entered school?" [I teach the capstone course, and generally get them in
the last Semester of their programs.]
Tim Edlund, Morgan State University