Measuring Individual and Group Performance in Collaborative Problem Solving (ARC Discovery Grant)

Research Manager

There is consensus that collaboration is essential in the 21st century workplace. Being able to assess individuals in a collaborative context, while also ensuring reliable, valid, and fair assessment of their skills as well as that of the group, represents a major advance in educational measurement. This study aims to develop performance measures of individuals and groups completing collaborative problem solving tasks. The study is significant as it draws on ground-breaking research in online assessment of collaborative problem solving across curricular domains.

As the national economies change towards more digital, knowledge-based, 21st century workplaces, the importance of new methods of teaching and new methods of assessment and measurement increase. This project will produce new kinds of assessment and reporting of emerging digital focused skills that will provide insights for these knowledge based economy and workplace agendas.

Outcomes will include publication of new psychometric models taking into account differences in student ability within groups and differences between groups within classes with varying curriculum emphases. The benefits should provide a better understanding of the measurement and improvement of group work and enables an estimate of group ability as well as individual student ability in collaborative problem solving.