Assessing Collaborative Efforts

How should participation in a collaborative learning community be assessed? How do the varying levels of skill and knowledge students bring to a course affect the instructor's "fair and equitable assessment" of learning?

In a collaborative learning community it is imperative that the individual know how he/she is being assessed.  Dr. Siemens states that the assessment has to be changed in order for it to work.  He states that "the assessement must be based on the community approach and that introducing role-playing can contribute to a high functioning collaborative environment." He goes on to say that there must be a way for individuals to stand out, otherwise they may shut down because the "group" is being assessed and not what they know individually.  He states  that "blogging may help to contribute to the learning community.  This is because it gives the individual a chance to express themselves while still participating in the community."(Siemens, 2008)
I agree with Dr, Siemens on all points.  There must be a way for the individual to stand out even though they are being graded with the group.  Progressive learning will not occur if the student cannot function with the group.

If a student does not want to network or collaborate in a learning community for an online course, what should the other members of the learning community do? What role should the instructor play? What impact would this have on his or her assessment plan?

If a student does not want to participate with the group the group should find a way for them to participate without ostracizing the student.  There should be feedback given for any work the student does and he/she should still have to contribute to the lessons even if they are working alone.   The other members should provide feedback to the instructor on how they feel about this student and then it will be up to that instructor to create a comfortable environment for everyone to work together.  The instructor should play the role of instructor and keep providing ways to keep everyone engaged in discussions and lessons. This may slightly alter the assessment plan, however it will make everyone comfortable and the one student who likes working alone will get the same fair and equitable assessment that his classmates get.

References:

Siemens, G.2008Learning Communities. Laureate Education 2008

Siemens, G.2008Assessment of Collaborative Learning, Laureate Education 2008

Swan,K.2004.Relationships between Interactive and Learning in Online Environments."The Sloan Consortium".