Abstract

Universities are under increasing pressure to equip graduates with a broader set of competencies, such as communication, teamwork and leadership skills, that go beyond subject-specific knowledge. This, alongside growing student numbers in higher education, creates pedagogic challenges, especially with regards to assessment design. Conventional assessment modalities, such as individual essay writing, are costly to scale up and poorly suited for the development of further desired competencies. To address these challenges in the context of a first-year economics module, we replaced a 1,000-word individual written assignment with a group video assignment, where students were required to work in small teams to create a three-minute video on a contemporary economic issue. Focus groups and module evaluation questionnaires were used to elicit students’ perceptions of how the group video assessment contributed to their learning experience and skill development, how it compares with other modes of assessment, as well as suggestions for improved implementation. Our analysis generates insights on all these aspects. Students reported a preference for diversity in assessment methods, and found the video assignment to be a positive, engaging but also challenging experience, which provided the opportunity for collaboration and development of diverse skills.

摘要

大学面临越来越大的压力，要求毕业生具备更广泛的能力，例如沟通、团队合作和领导技能，这些能力超出了特定学科的知识。这与高等教育中不断增长的学生人数一起，带来了教学挑战，尤其是在评估设计方面。传统的评估方式，例如个人论文写作，扩大规模的成本很高，并且不适合进一步发展所需的能力。为了在第一年经济学模块的背景下应对这些挑战，我们将 1,000 字的个人书面作业替换为小组视频作业，要求学生以小团队的形式制作关于当代经济的三分钟视频问题。焦点小组和模块评估问卷用于引发学生对小组视频评估如何促进他们的学习经验和技能发展的看法，与其他评估模式的比较，以及改进实施的建议。我们的分析产生了对所有这些方面的见解。学生们报告了对评估方法多样性的偏好，并发现视频作业是一种积极、引人入胜但也具有挑战性的体验，这为合作和发展各种技能提供了机会。