Towards an Operational Framework for Establishing and Assessing Collaborative Interactions

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Towards an Operational Framework for Establishing and Assessing Collaborative Interactions
Language: English
Authors: Child, Simon F. J. (ORCID 0000-0002-7171-7688), Shaw, Stuart
Source: Research Papers in Education. 2019 34(3):276-297.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 22
Publication Date: 2019
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Cooperation, Cooperative Learning, Teaching Methods, Group Dynamics, Interpersonal Communication, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Conflict Resolution, Group Activities, Teacher Role, Evaluation Methods, Technology Uses in Education, Educational Technology, Rewards
DOI: 10.1080/02671522.2018.1424928
ISSN: 0267-1522
Abstract: Collaboration skills have been identified as an important educational outcome, not just as a means to enable learning mechanisms to be enacted, but also as a demonstrable skill of interest to assessment practitioners. In recent years, there has been an ambition to develop models of assessment that are underpinned by the collaborative process, and directly assess collaborative abilities of individuals -- an 'assessment imperative'. Defining collaboration, however, has important implications for how it is appropriately measured. In this paper, we present a new framework that educational practitioners (teachers, awarding organisations and test developers) can utilise when attempting to set optimal assessment tasks from which constructs of collaboration can be engendered (and thus observed). This pragmatic framework is presented with reference to three pertinent, interrelated issues in developing assessments that target collaboration: initial construct definition; enabling 'true' collaboration formation; and the assessment model for collaboration. This framework is a first attempt at reconciling tensions at the heart of the assessment of collaboration, namely the imperative for assessors to arrive at a judgement on "individuals'" collaborative skills, and the related difficulties in optimising group dynamics.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2019
Accession Number: EJ1213279
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Collaboration skills have been identified as an important educational outcome, not just as a means to enable learning mechanisms to be enacted, but also as a demonstrable skill of interest to assessment practitioners. In recent years, there has been an ambition to develop models of assessment that are underpinned by the collaborative process, and directly assess collaborative abilities of individuals -- an 'assessment imperative'. Defining collaboration, however, has important implications for how it is appropriately measured. In this paper, we present a new framework that educational practitioners (teachers, awarding organisations and test developers) can utilise when attempting to set optimal assessment tasks from which constructs of collaboration can be engendered (and thus observed). This pragmatic framework is presented with reference to three pertinent, interrelated issues in developing assessments that target collaboration: initial construct definition; enabling 'true' collaboration formation; and the assessment model for collaboration. This framework is a first attempt at reconciling tensions at the heart of the assessment of collaboration, namely the imperative for assessors to arrive at a judgement on "individuals'" collaborative skills, and the related difficulties in optimising group dynamics.
ISSN:0267-1522
DOI:10.1080/02671522.2018.1424928