Project using PBL
This page describes an implementation of an assessment method by a lecturer or group of lecturers. The content of the page is the result of an interview conducted through the RAFT project in DIT in the 2013-14 Academic Year.
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Lecturer and Contact Details
Programme and year on which assessment was offered
- BA Leisure Management, Year 3-4
Description
This is a project which is done in groups and submitted at the end of week 6 of the semester. Approximately 30minutes of each lecture during these 6 weeks is spent working on the project and reporting on the groups progress and getting feedback and guidance from the lecturer. In addition each week the students in each group agree moderation marks for each other. This discussion develops negotiation skills and ensures that students evaluate theirs and others contribution. These are skills that will benefit them in other modules where there are group assignments. At the end of the assignment a final overall moderation mark is submitted and this is combined with the mark for the report to calculate the final mark.
Why did you use this Assessment?
- Because it provides for early assessment
- It encourages moderation skills and ensures that the final mark reflects true effort
Why did you change to this form of assessment?
Previously individual reports. Changed to this as with rising numbers individual projects were no longer possible.
How do you give feedback to students?
Verbally each week within the class, and then at the end in the form of a written report. When students hand up the assessment they mark themselves. Then when the project is being given back the lecturer gives them the project back with the comments on it (but no mark) and asks them to remark their own in light of the comments. She then gives them their final mark. As a last stage students then have the opportunity to reflect on their mark and they can write a group reflection or defence of their work which has the potential to increase their grade by up to 10% (the mark will not be reduced below what has been given in the first instance). This process facilitates student’s reflection on their work.
What have you found are the advantages of using this form of assessment?
- Gets students working early on in the semester
- Regular feedback for students
- Requires reflection on learning
- Skills developed in this module are useful for other modules
- Team work
What have you found are the dis-advantages of using this form of assessment?
- Workload for lecturer
If another lecturer was using this assessment method would you have any tips for them?
- Only feasible with small numbers – up to about 30
- Work is front loaded
- Be consistent and persistent in the sessions in the class don’t give up as sometimes the results are not apparent until they submit final document
Do you have any feedback from students about this assessment?
They like the opportunity to increase the mark that they get by developing a group reflection. How much they like it comes down to whether they like group work or not.
Additional Comments
This method is really only suitable to smaller groups and in fact this lecturer will stop using this method next year as the group size will be too big to manage this type of assessment
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