Assessing Collaborative Learning

The whole essence of collaborative learning is to facilitate the acquisition and sharing of skills and knowledge while at the same solving complex problems. Sienmens(2008) speaks of the days of Geniuses being over and he is right. The world has become too complex for even the brightest among us to solve complex problems all by themselves and if they can, it will take so long to be done that it would no longer be useful. During collaborative learning people are required to contribute in various ways. Members of the group bring their expertise, experience and points-of-view to the table. All these contribute to the solving of problems and members should be rewarded once they contribute actively to the group. There are times when the topic suits certain members more than others because it falls along their lines of expertise and they may contribute much and the situation changes when the topic changes.

collaborative learning is wholesome and modern. Today, almost everything is done by teams of workers as we leverage the benefits of the division of labour. Just as it is easy to see who did what in the productiion of a car so must we be able to tell that each member contributed to the group activity. They must be tested also and at time peer-teaching could be a good way to teach a topic. The mark given to the group must be the mark that each gets. This will force the motivated ones to stick to the slackers until they make their fair contributiion to the effort. Course work is the most effective way to assess collaborative exercises.

Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of Distance Education. Baltimore: Author