Chapter 15 page 360
Assigning individual grades. A thorny issue for teachers and students is whether and, if so, how to
assign individual grades for group work. While some teachers may give every individual who worked on a
project the same grade for that project, other teachers may assign individual grades based on how much
credit each member deserves for the final project. In either case, collaborative learning expert Elizabeth
Cohen (1994a) argued that teachers should not assign grades in this way:
Never grade or evaluate students on their individual contributions to the group product. Even if it were true
that a student contributed almost nothing, it is never clear that the student is at fault. Other students may have
acted to exclude him or her from the process. Since the individual’s lack of participation may be a
consequence of a status problem, it is unfair to blame the victim for the group’s low expectations of him or
her. (p. 83)
Cohen (1994a) also argued that group products should not be graded because of the risks to low-status
students. If a group wants to get a high grade, high-status students in the group may deliberately exclude a
low-status student because of fears that that student’s contribution will pull the grade down. And, as we
have noted, there is a strong incentive for the most proficient student to take over the task. Cohen’s
recommendation is that the group’s work should be put on public display but not be graded. The students’
desire to create a product of which they can be proud of will provide sufficient motivation to ensure good
performance. As yet, there is little research on these important questions.
Problem 15.6 Evaluating Teaching. Out-of-school collaborative assignmentsBrian Hinman gives his high school students group work assignments that they must do out of
school. He gives his own grade to the group product, such as a PowerPoint presentation. He also
has students evaluate each group member’s contribution to the group work using this form:
Your name: _______________________Your project title: _____________________________________________________On a scale from 1 to 10, evaluate your own contribution to this project, together with
each of your fellow group members’ contribution.Name: How much did this student contribute to the project?Yourself. not at all 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 a lot_______________ not at all 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 a lot_______________ not at all 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 a lot_______________ not at all 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 a lotMr. Hinman is very careful to have the students fill out the form and hand it to him in a way that
keeps the process private, so that no one knows how he or she has been evaluated by the other
group members. Evaluate the pros and cons of this method.Response: There are many pros and cons that you could consider. The method has some
potential to deter social loafing because the students all know that their contributions will be
evaluated by their peers. Providing a group grade may encourage students to put more effort