We describe the group projects undertaken by first year undergraduate
Computer Science students at Coventry University. These are integrative course
projects: designed to bring together the topics from the various modules
students take, to apply them as a coherent whole. They follow an activity-led
approach, with students given a loose brief and a lot of freedom in how to
develop their project.
We outline the new regulations at Coventry University which eases the use of
such integrative projects. We then describe our continuous assessment approach:
where students earn a weekly mark by demonstrating progress to a teacher as an
open presentation to the class. It involves a degree of self and peer
assessment and allows for an assessment of group work that is both fair, and
seen to be fair. It builds attendance, self-study / continuous engagement
habits, public speaking / presentation skills, and rewards group members for
making meaningful individual contributions.Comment: 4 pages. Accepted for presentation at CEP2