Identifying Students’ Group Work Problems: Design and Field Studies of a Supportive Peer Assessment

Group projects are part of the core educational experience in higher education, but many students report bad experiences with them, characterized by negative emotions and group problems. Group problems may undermine learning and cause stress and frustration. This may be prevented by monitoring and supporting groups, but this is often not feasible for teachers, who lack time and resources. This research aims to find a method for early identification of group work problems via computer-supported assessment. First, interviews and focus groups provided insights into the most common group problems and which visual features students preferred in a peer assessment. Next, two assessment versions were created: a simple, time-efficient version, and a more engaging, interactive one. We also created an initial version of E-Mate, a virtual agent that provides feedback on the assessment. These were tested in a field study. Most students reported a positive experience with the peer assessment, regardless of the version used. Teachers were also positive about its usefulness. Based on the feedback received, new features were added to the peer assessment survey and the E-Mate was redesigned; this new version was tested in a second field study. The results are in line with the previous field study and confirm the positive reception and usefulness of the survey, supporting the use of five attributes to evaluate group collaboration and the usage of a peer assessment survey to assess group work.