Applying a Methodology for Collaborative Assessment in Learning Groups Tatiana Escovedo Computer Science Department PUC-Rio Rio de Janeiro, Brazil tatiana@inf.puc-rio.br Rubens Nascimento Melo Computer Science Department PUC-Rio Rio de Janeiro, Brazil rubens@inf.puc-rio.br Abstract— Collaborative evaluation is still a less explored subject within the collaboration field. This paper proposes a methodology to collaborative evaluation based on the 3C collaboration model, which can be applied both in learning or working groups. This paper also presents two case studies run on graduate courses of the Computer Science Department of Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro for collaborative evaluation of the students work. The case studies suggest that the methodology is appropriate for this type of assessment. In addition, students participating in the experiment rated the experience as positive, confirming the premise that students value and miss the collaborative evaluation. Keywords- Collaboration, Groupware, Collaborative Evaluation, Assessment I. INTRODUCTION Collaboration is a process by which individuals negotiate and share relevant insights to solve a problem. It is a coordinated and synchronous activity, result of a continuous attempt to construct and maintain a shared understanding of a problem [9]. In collaborative learning, the student is responsible for his/her own learning, and collaborates with the other group members’ learning, constructing knowledge through reflection on group discussion [5]. The active information exchange instigates interest and critical thinking, allowing learners to reach better results than by studying alone. In collaborative learning, the teacher shifts his/her role from authority to supervisor. Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) studies how people can learn in groups using computers. This approach proposes the development of new software that allows group learning and offer creative activities of intellectual exploration and social interaction. CSCL is often combined with e-learning, which can be defined as organizing instruction using computer networks, like the Internet [10]. Due to the collaboration between participants, the traditional assessment methods-- in which the teacher prepares a written test and the student must answer the questions correctly-- are insufficient to measure the results of collaborative learning. Much like the learning process, the assessment should itself be collaborative, thus allowing the evaluated student and their colleagues to contribute to the assessment process, which is no longer the sole responsibility of the teacher. The research presented in [3] illustrates how the students consider and miss collaborative assessment when it is not used. In the words of the learner of an online course that suggested the proposal: “Evaluating is a very interesting activity. We can reflect, analyze, consider… a lot of other reasons could be listed to justify this activity; to assess the other and yourself. I don’t understand why this deliciously cognitive activity – to evaluate – is an aspect restricted to teachers (…) See how simple it would be if, at the end of each message, a field were available at the same site for you (the learner) to evaluate by giving a grade and commenting.” [8] points out that, for teachers, student evaluation has always been challenging, and it is difficult to understand the real level of conjecture of the student learning. In addition, states that the evaluation is still a cause of anxiety in both teachers - because there is a concern about quality, loyalty, fairness, integrity, trustworthiness, privacy, efficiency and honesty of the evaluation - and in students - due to fear, insecurity, humiliation, distrust, anger, rage and tumult of the evaluation. When students share the responsibility of evaluation, the comprehension and the utility of evaluation increase [7][6]. To the evaluated ones, having several assessments of their work increases confidence on the results of the evaluation. Additionally, the evaluators better understand the process and the objectives of the assessment, thus increasing their critical sense and ability to improve on their own work. Despite the evidence of the benefits of collaborative evaluation, the literature still suffers from the lack of a methodology for conducting such assessment. To fill this gap, this paper proposes a methodology based on the 3C Collaboration Model. Section 2 presents a summary of the 3C model and section 3, the steps of the proposed methodology. Section 4 describes the application of the methodology in two case studies and Section 5 provides a analysis of the participants. Section 6 assesses the proposed methodology based on the results of case studies and finally section 7 presents the conclusions of the paper. 1205 978-1-4244-6571-2/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE IEEE EDUCON Education Engineering 2010 – The Future of Global Learning Engineering Education April 14-16, 2010, Madrid, SPAIN