Collaborative Learning

• Formulate clear learning objectives for teamwork and evaluate collaboration. To ensure a collaborative practice for learning during the course, and when applicable assessment of collaboration skills.  

“Mention and emphasize the learning outcomes and importance of teamwork in the course manual and beginning of the course.”

• Teamwork enables the development of various student skills, broadly covered under:
  • Co-operating and communicating with others.
  • Reasoning, reflecting, and forming a judgment. 
  • Or more explicitly, applying teamwork techniques that allow forming effective teams that communicate actively and constructively and engage in collaborative learning.

These can be covered in as broad or as in-depth as the course allows. In terms of the design of the course, and space for collaborative dialogue and reflection. Examples of learning objectives that require collaboration, or support the development of collaboration skills are provided below: 

• In terms of group size, a minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 students is best suited for meaningful interactions, diversity, and reduces the likelihood of free riding. Consider sub-teams in extremely large groups, or having inter-group discussions/ sessions for very small teams or pairs.
• Divide the teams yourself and ensure the greatest possible diversity level, talent, background, gender, interest, etc. or define everyone's unique contribution after dividing the group (Belbin/core quadrant). Heterogeneous groups work most effectively. In addition, it is a prerequisite for innovative ideas. Have students fill out a form in advance on which they fill in their qualities, experiences and interests. It doesn't just affect the result. It also increases learning efficiency.
• Enable student groups to form effective teams through guidance and reflection on the collaborative process.  Have students formulate team goals, express expectations, and make agreements in a collaboration agreement and prompt continuation of collaborative dialogue throughout the course.

Learn more about supporting team collaboration in the following sections.

The following tips aim to provide you with ideas on how to optimize groupwork assignments that support CL and help to prevent common teamwork issues.

• Provide an authentic and challenging assignment that requires students to work together (large, complex) and is appropriate for the number of students in the groups.  By creating a challenging and relevant assignment, students see the importance of collaboration and interaction, reasoning and evaluative thinking are facilitated.
• The task should be challenging and too complex to complete individually. It also shouldn’t be immediately clear to students how to complete it to invite a discussion among students. 
• The tasks within the assignment should be interdependent, requiring students to communicate with each other (e.g., build a product that consists of several components to be integrated).
• Consider setting up the assignment in such way that students in teams have to explain theories or concepts to each
other. This way more content could be processed and applied to the project/ assignment. Moreover, students would be aware of the whole assignment, not only “their parts”.
• The assignment description should include clear expected outcomes to reduce the likelihood of misaligned agreements and students’ freeloading.
• The assignment may include a competitive element between the
teams, as it could strengthen the collaboration within the teams.
• Consider group size for your assignment. Note that in smaller groups (2-3) students would have a greater individual responsibility, but less opportunities for diverse input and complex team working processes. In larger groups students are likely to feel less motivated; however, larger groups can work well if the task is large enough to tackle and good supervision is offered.
• In cases where you aim to contribute to the development of students’ collaborative skill in your course, make sure to include it as a learning objective and specifically assess it. 
• Consider relating individual assignments and components to groupwork. This way, students will be motivated to actively engage in the groupwork assignments, as these will also support their individual tasks.

It is important to understand how students’ progress during the groupwork activities. Regularly evaluating teamwork processes, can help students keep track of their collaboration, and address emerging conflicts or issues. It will also help educators keep an eye out and intervene when required in case of dire situations!

As it is noticed that multi-diverse groups may face power inequality and cross-cultural concerns that can hinder groupwork. Conflict ridden groupwork can not only negatively impact learning and project outcomes; it can severely affect student wellbeing, motivation for participation and learning.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Furthermore, you will have to assess the work of teams (and in some courses, collaboration skills). To ensure appropriate monitoring of students’ progress when working in teams:

• Get students to monitor their teamwork processes themselves, by providing relevant process related criteria. Find more examples of collaborative process related rubrics, and criteria for self-evaluation and peer feedback in the student materials. Select and adapt appropriate criteria that is fitting for the course, and groupwork activities.  
• • Ask students to individually evaluate teamwork process from their own perspective. Consider incorporating individual reflections throughout the course and/ or at the end. Additionally, ask each student to explain their role and contributions to the team and the project. For example, if they were unable to convince their peers of their ideas, this would provide them with a chance to explain what they would have done differently and why.
  • Encourage students to provide peer-feedback throughout the teamwork during group meetings, and afterward.
  • You may use the Buddy Check tool on BrightSpace for self- and peer- feedback. Please make sure that feedback and reflection are discussed with the teams. Without discussion feedback scores are not accurate enough and does not provide learning moments for students.
• Do consider various pieces of different information. For instance, if there were external parties (e.g., a client) involved, they would also have information on how the team proceeded. Moreover, you may have recruited teaching assistants or mentors in your course, who could observe and support student teams during the project. They can share the information about the team processes with you.

"Those with more teaching experience should focus on the process, while those with less teaching experience on content.”

• The above-mentioned evaluations should be discussed with student teams during appropriate formative feedback moments.

“Formative feedback at least two times, around mid-way and before the end assessment gives students the opportunity to reflect on and adapt their collaborative processes”  

• The different sources of teamwork evaluation can inform the summative assessment for teamwork specific learning objectives. Though remember, each student receives an overall grade for the course corrected for individual performance: contribution to the result and the group process (Oakley, 2004). According to Davies (2009), recognizing the individual contribution is crucial and has a positive factor on group work behavior. Furthermore, according to the TU Delft assessment guidelines (Refer to Programme specific assessment policy) course grades should reflect the performance of individual students, also in case of group assignments. 
  Following is a sample of teamwork assessment distribution: 
  •    60% product/ result project
  •    20% group process reflection, incl. external parties: appointments, task division, communication, etc. 
  •    20% Individual performance: self-assessment and peer review tool for group dialogue on contribution to the result and group process.

To ensure that differences don’t turn into conflicts, and students can make the most out of groupwork opportunities; student groups must begin on the right note, with the space to formulate team goals, express expectations, and make agreements.

• At the beginning of the course, make sure you address working in groups during the orientation. Specify the value of working in groups such as critical thinking through negotiating perspectives, mention personal development goals and learning objectives related to teamwork. Doing so will give students space and purpose to learn collaboratively.
• At the start of the assignment, make students familiar with what is expected (in terms of deliverables, assessment criteria, good and bad examples, etc.). This can help students make clearer agreements within their teams.
• Help your students identify the (technical) skills and knowledge needed to complete the
assignment. Encourage students to discuss both the skills they have and would like to develop while distributing tasks and responsibilities. Prompt students to take on different responsibilities to achieve personal goals and learning objectives.

• Encourage students to sign a team contract and develop a project plan. Remember that not all students have learnt about team contract, and even if they have, refer them to the student materials. To enable students to align values, expectations, and set-up team goals, meeting and working norms with their groups

  • Instructions and template are provided for signing a team contract and tips on project planning. Refer to teamwork orientation materials.

• To dive even further into teamwork processes and diversity perspectives for collaboration, ask students to refer to BrightSpace courses on teamwork.

Even better! Organize a workshop on inclusive collaboration for students and teachers, or teamwork orientation workshops within specific courses with ITAV. Refer to trainings and events.

• Encourage students to have a teamwork discussion session half-way through the course, where they can reflect on how the team has succeeded so far. During the formative assessment of the assignment, ask about team processes.
  • The evaluation section of student materials provides examples criteria and rubrics to support student and team reflection throughout the course.
• Topics such as conflict management, decision making or team dynamics, can be addressed a few weeks into teamwork.
  • Contact ITAV to facilitate workshops on these topics, or train teaching assistants to host student-led workshops.