Collaborative Assignments & Projects
What are collaborative assignments & projects?
Collaborative learning combines two key goals: learning to work and solve problems in the company of others, and sharpening one’s own understanding by listening seriously to the insights of others, especially those with different backgrounds and life experiences. Approaches range from study groups within a course, to team-based assignments and writing, to cooperative projects and research (Definition from AAC&U LEAP, 2008).
What are the key characteristics of collaborative assignments & projects?
In its discussion of why some educational activities are particularly effective, the AAC&U report on High Impact Practices prepared by Kuh (2008, p. 24-25) notes that collaborative experiences, in combination with other high impact practices, are particularly valuable because they
increase students' interaction with faculty and peers over an extended period of time
involve problem-solving with others who share intellectual interests
provide diversity with people who are different from themselves
Collaborative experiences "connect" students to people who will support them throughout college, and provide opportunities for learning in new contexts, thus helping to ensure students' success in and beyond college.
For additional information on how to create collaborative assignments and projects, visit the Doing CL website.
Why should reflection be used to facilitate this high-impact practice?
Since most students have or soon will participate in many group projects and activities whether they be in their courses, co-curricular activities, or even in their workplaces, they will likely have had some experience with collaboration. However, having had the experience does not mean that students have learned from it. Integrating reflection activities that will prompt students to identify what they have learned from their positive and negative collaborative experiences and will prepare them for addressing future challenges they will likely face as they interact with others to complete a task.
How can reflection be implemented in this high-impact environment?
Select from the questions below based on the integrative and lifelong learning outcomes and the TAMU student learning outcomes essential to your course or topic, adjusting the questions as needed to the level of students you are teaching.
Choose appropriate reflection activities.
Use the assessment descriptions below as a guideline for evaluating student reflections.
