Assessing collaborative and experiential learning

Collaborative and experiential learning has many proven merits. Team projects with real clients motivate students to put in the time for successfully completing demanding projects. However, assessing student performance where individual student contributions are separated from the collective contribution of the team as a whole is not a straightforward, simple task. Assessment data from multiple sources, including students as assessors of their own work and peers\u27 work, is critical to measuring certain student learning outcomes, such as responsible team work and timely communication. In this paper we present our experience with assessing collaborative and experiential learning in five Computer Information Systems courses. The courses were scheduled over three semesters and enrolled 57 students. Student performance and student feedback data were used to evaluate and refine our assessment methodology. We argue that assessment data analysis improved our understanding of (1) the assessment measures that support more closely targeted learning outcomes and (2) how those measures should be implemented

The effect of programming competency on success in undergraduate team projects in computing science

PhD ThesisAs part of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Project, Active Learning in Computing (CETL ALiC) Newcastle University, in partnership with Durham University, developed a Cross-Site Software Development Activity in their Stage 2 Software Engineering modules (FHEQ level 5) and both universities carried out this activity during the academic years 2005/06 to 2008/09. This initiative involved ‘Companies’ of Newcastle and Durham students working in partnership to develop a software solution together throughout the academic year. This initiative was risky because assessment and marking of deliverables for the project was conducted between staff at both sites. Each module had differing assessment weightings, learning outcomes and taught content. Therefore it was imperative that CETL ALiC staff kept a close eye on assessment outcomes during the project to ensure that no students were disadvantaged by the Cross-Site work. This thesis outlines an initial review of assessment carried out at Newcastle University, the findings of which led to some concerns about fairness in attainment between students on different programmes at Newcastle due to student perceptions about the ‘higher’ value of programming skills and the ‘lower’ value of soft skills. These findings were the motivation for the deeper investigations into the assessment framework used in the Software Engineering Team Project (SETP) at Newcastle University that are presented in this thesis. The investigations show that student perceptions of the value of technical roles in the project teams led to students in non-technical roles being awarded lower peer percentage weightings, which in turn meant they achieved lower overall marks for the module. The thesis introduces remedial work in the form of competency matrices that was carried out in an attempt to address this problem. This remedial work led to the development of the Student Appraisal Method, a 360 degree feedback method of formative assessment that is presented at the end of this thesis. This method of assessment can be generalised for other disciplines and should ensure students become more aware of their own personal competency development in team projects in the future and that they make better ii judgements about the contribution of their teammates, irrespective of whether their role is technical or non-technical during Software Engineering projects

A collaborative and experiential learning model powered by real-world projects

Information Technology (IT) curricula\u27s strong application component and its focus on user centeredness and team work require that students experience directly real-world projects for real users of IT solutions. Although the merit of this IT educational tenet is universally recognized, delivering collaborative and experiential learning has its challenges. Reaching out to identify projects formulated by actual organizations adds significantly to course preparation. There is a certain level of risk involved with delivering a useful solution while, at the same time, enough room should be allowed for students to experiment with, be wrong about, review, and learn. Challenges pertaining to the real-world aspect of problem-based learning are compounded by managing student teams and assessing their work such that both individual and collective contributions are taken into account. Finally, the quality of the project releases is not the only measure of student learning. Students should be given meaningful opportunities to practice, improve, and demonstrate their communication and interpersonal skills. In this paper we present our experience with two courses in which teams of students worked on real-world projects involving three external partners. We describe how each of the challenges listed above has impacted the course requirements, class instruction, team dynamics, assessment, and learning in these courses. Course assessment and survey data from students are linked to learning outcomes and point to areas where the collaborative and experiential learning model needs improvement

Scientific Illiteracy: Causes, Costs and Cures

[Excerpt] This article examines the causes of the learning deficits in science, math and technology, evaluates their social costs and then recommends policy measures for remedying the problems identified. Following the American Association for the Advancement of Science\u27s Science for All Americans report, I define the domain of science very broadly to include mathematics and technology along with the natural sciences. To avoid confusing readers accustomed to the narrower definition of science, broadly defined science is referred to as science, mathematics and technology

Community Development Evaluation Storymap and Legend

Community based organizations, funders, and intermediary organizations working in the community development field have a shared interest in building stronger organizations and stronger communities. Through evaluation these organizations can learn how their programs and activities contribute to the achievement of these goals, and how to improve their effectiveness and the well-being of their communities. Yet, evaluation is rarely seen as part of a non-judgemental organizational learning process. Instead, the term "evaluation" has often generated anxiety and confusion. The Community Development Storymap project is a response to those concerns.Illustrations found in this document were produced by Grove Consultants

Centralisation of assessment: meeting the challenges of multi-year team projects in information systems education

This paper focuses on the difficulties of assessing multi-year team projects, in which a team of students drawn from all three years of a full-time degree course works on a problem with and for a real-life organization. Although potential solutions to the problem of assessing team projects may be context-dependent, we believe that discussing these in our paper will allow readers to relate to their teaching cases and increase the general appreciation of team project related work. Findings discussed in this paper are based on the first cycle of action research in relation to an existing multi-year team project scheme. Based on the interpretivist perspective, this work draws on data from staff and student focus groups, semi structured interviews and surveys. Team project clients were also asked to comment on their experiences and the way they would like team projects to be improved in the future. Since issues affecting the success of team projects are quite closely inter-related, a systemic view is adopted rather than analysis of a single issue in isolation. Overall there is a feeling that multi-year team projects are a good idea in theory but can be challenging to implement in practice. It is argued that the main areas of concern are the assessment process, the dilemmas and tensions that it can introduce, and the related inconsistencies in stakeholder involvement, which can compromise the learning experience if not handled well. We believe that the assessment process holds the key to a successful learning experience in team project work

A framework to improve training and development of workers' technical skills: Effects on operational performance during company relocation

A case study is presented in a food and beverage company, during the transfer of a production plant location. To address the problems of loss of industrial technicians and closing emerging gaps in knowledge of tasks' execution to be performed by new technicians, the company has implemented mitigation actions: work characterization, the creation of standard procedures, and the implementation of operational control routines, among others. The process of technical skills development for the production center was systematized by a framework developed for this purpose. The use of this framework, combined with a specifically designed training program, allowed for improvements in technicians' proficiency in performing operational tasks that have a direct influence on the process performance, as evidenced by the improvement of Overall Equipment Effectiveness. This framework could be adaptable to other manufacturing companies to improve Training and Development skills of their workers, aiming to create and transfer of intraorganizational knowledge.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/202

Visual modelling and designing for cooperative learning and development of team competences

This paper proposes a holistic approach to designing for the promotion of team and social competences in blended learning courses. Planning and modelling cooperative learning scenarios based on a domain specific modelling notation in the style of UML activity diagrams, and comparing evaluation results with planned outcomes allows for iterative optimization of a course's design. In a case study - a course on project management for computer science students - the instructional design including individual and cooperative learning situations was modelled. Specific emphasis was put on visualising the hypothesised development of team competences in the course design models. These models were subsequently compared to evaluation results obtained during the course. The results show that visual modelling of planned competence promotion enables more focused design, implementation and evaluation of collaborative learning scenarios

A Systematic Review of Developing Team Competencies in Information Systems Education

The ability to work effectively in teams has been a key competence for information systems engineers for a long time. Gradually, more attention is being paid to developing this generic competence as part of academic curricula, resulting in two questions: how to best promote team competencies and how to implement team projects successfully. These questions are closely interwoven and need to be looked at together. To address these questions, this paper identifies relevant studies and approaches, best practices, and key findings in the field of information systems education and related fields such as computer science and business, and examines them together to develop a systematic framework. The framework is intended to categorize existing research on teams and team competencies in information systems education and to guide information systems educators in supporting teamwork and promoting team competencies in students at the course and curricular level in the context of teaching in tertiary education

The National Council on Crime and Delinquency's Evaluation of the Project Development of National Institute of Corrections/Child Welfare League of America's Planning and Intervention Sites Funded to Address the Needs of Children of Incarcerated Parents

The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) was contracted by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) to conduct a process and outcome evaluation of program development for demonstration sites funded by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC). The grantees were to develop projects that would address the needs of children of incarcerated parents. There were ten demonstration sites, four of which received 18 month planning grants, and six of which received three year grants toimplement their intervention programs. The goal of the evaluation was to gain a better understanding of the processes involved in developing and implementing programs that address the needs of children of incarcerated parents