Evaluating group member contributions

When designing group work assignments, evaluating the process of group work is just as important as grading the final product. Group member evaluation, or peer evaluation, is one way of analysing the group work process. It is a valuable collaborative learning method that prompts students to assess their group members' contributions to their collective work.

"Group-based assessment (group work) must be assessed by means that allow the contribution of each member of the group to be determined. This allows for a fair assessment of an individual’s contributions to the group."
- UOW Assessment and Feedback Policy

Why?

Group members appraising individual contributions to a group task fosters accountability by reflecting on both their own and their peers’ contributions to the assigned activity. Peer evaluation develops skills of self-reflection, performance against standards and delivering constructive feedback to peers (Linn et al., 2022).

Evaluating group members’ contributions in assessment tasks can mitigate the effects of unequal participation or conflicts, known as social loafing. Social loafing occurs when individuals contribute less than their peers to the group’s workload, produce lower quality work, or display disruptive behaviour (Jassawalla et al., 2009). By implementing measures to address social loafing, the effectiveness of the assessment task and development of associated skills can be enhanced (Aggarwal & O'Brien, 2008).

The UOW Assessment and Feedback policy states that “Processes must be put into place to address unequal participation or conflicts within the group.” Incorporating peer evaluation helps document and evaluate group interactions. 

Peer evaluation encourages students to critically review the work of others and consider the broader concept of quality work, particularly when guided by a detailed rubric. This practice supports the development of feedback literacy skills, addressing both giving and receiving feedback.

How?

Explain the peer evaluation process

Dedicate class time to reviewing examples of feedback of varying quality, prompting students to discuss why some feedback is more effective than others. Consider creating a formative task where students practise giving and receiving constructive feedback. 

Clearly explain how peer evaluations will affect students’ final assessment marks. Specify how and why grades may be adjusted based on feedback from group members, and ensure students understand the criteria and rationale for these adjustments. This transparency helps maintain fairness and fosters trust in the peer evaluation process.

Document contributions throughout the project 

At the start of the group work or project, encourage students to define their roles and keep track of their contributions to the group. This process ensures that all students are accountable for the work that they do.

Some examples of how contributions can be documented at multiple points throughout a group project include:

• a group contract
• project logs
• a portfolio
• group meeting minutes
• check-ins with teaching staff
• the FeedbackFruits Group Member Evaluation tool

Peer evaluation rubric

A rubric can be implemented for students to evaluate their peers’ performance and contributions to the group. This can ensure fairness by assessing the process of group work in addition to the output of the task. Marks can be assigned to motivate students to participate and place value on the peer evaluation process.

The FeedbackFruits Group Member Evaluation tool, available in Moodle, can facilitate this process. The tool can be used to assess individual contributions to group tasks, enabling students to evaluate their peers’ overall contributions. 

Consider adding a Self-evaluation step

Encourage students to critically evaluate their contributions to the group. This can be done by encouraging students to assess themselves using the rubric, or through a self-reflection task online or offline. 

The FeedbackFruits Group Member Evaluation tool can be set up to include a self-evaluation step for students to reflect on their contributions before marking those of their peers. 

Release of feedback and anonymity

Consider whether feedback from peers will be released to students after the evaluation is complete. Whilst the feedback may be effective to assist students to reflect on how they can improve their future performance in group work tasks, it may discourage students from expressing their perspectives and experiences. This can be alleviated by allowing students to remain anonymous to other students throughout the task.

The FeedbackFruits Group Member Evaluation tool provides an option for students to remain anonymous to each other. Whilst students are provided with anonymity, all marking staff can see submitters’ names.

Grading options and adjusting the final mark

When using the FeedbackFruits Group Member Evaluation tool, there are two grading options that can be implemented to reflect contributions to the group as part of the final mark.

Standalone component of the assessment mark

Marks from the group member evaluation are a separate component of the assessment mark. For example:

• Assessment task total - out of 40 marks, consisting of:
  
  • Group submission component - 30 marks
  • Group member evaluation component - 10 marks

With this option, marks from the group member evaluation directly contribute to the final assessment mark.

Using the Group Contribution Factor

Marks from the group member evaluation contribute to the calculation of a Group Contribution Factor, which is a metric used to assess individual contributions relative to the average grade provided by their group members. For example:

• Assessment task total – 40 marks
  • Group submission mark – 40 marks
  • Individual group members' grades would then be adjusted based on their group contribution factor, as determined by their peers in the Group Member Evaluation, from 0 to 40 marks in this example. 

References