Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Undergraduate Collaborative Essays
Looking Back &
Constructive, not a cop-out
Averil BolsterPeter Levrai
University of Macau
We rewrote the Level 2 course in summer 2014We developed an EAP course
Process Writing
Over 1,100 students
24 students per class5 Classes
per teacher
Why Consider Group Essays?
Rationale for Collaborative Essays• Group writing is widespread in universities (Scotland,
2016)• Group writing has added benefits e.g. teamwork & critical
thinking (Shin, 2015)• Group writing leads to better quality essays than individual
writing (Wigglesworth & Storch, 2009; Shehadeh, 2011)• Results in better task fulfilment, grammatical accuracy and
complexity (Storch, 2005; Mulligan & Garofalo, 2011)• Results in better grades (Mulligan & Garofalo, 2011; Berry,
2007)• Group-work helps with employability (Wigglesworth &
Storch, 2009)
How it worked
Groups of three
Mixed gender, mixed language,
mixed major
No pre-assigned roles
The Essay Process: Pilot Year
Notes on a source
(individual)
Outline (group)
Paragraph (individual)
First draft (group)
Second draft (group)
Final Draft (group)
Increase individual writing
in course
Monitor of group-work
process
Emphasize planning and use
of online tools
Mix of group and individual marks
Majority of students engage fully in group
essays
Reflecting on Common ConcernsInsufficient amount of
writing
Uneven workload/unequal contribution
Timing: students don’t meet
outside of class
Unfair/over-generous grade due
to other students
Opposition by students
The Essay Process: Year 2Moodle discussion
of input texts (individual)
Group ground rules (group)
‘Stormboard’ discussion of potential
sources (group)
Mini bibliography (individual)
Outline (group)
First draft (group)
Group work stop, check, reflect (individual)
Tutorial (group)
Second draft (group)
Peer feedback (individual)
Final Draft (group)
Group-work reflection
(individual)
Our Students’ Perceptions
‘I understand what makes a good essay’
Agree completely Agree Disagree Disagree completely
Agree completely Agree Disagree Disagree completely
Pilot Year168 students
Year 2194 students
‘I am better at essay writing’
Agree completely Agree Disagree Disagree completely
Agree completely Agree Disagree Disagree completely
Pilot Year167 students
Year 2193 students
‘I would recommend group essays’
Yes No NA Yes No NA
Pilot Year169 students
Year 2195 students
Reasons for recommendationNo
More ideas (5)
More disagreements (4)
More time (3)
Not equal distribution of work (3)
More difficult (1)
Pilo
t Yea
r
Reasons for recommendationNo
Hard to organize ideas (8)
Can’t show personal ability (6)
More ideas (6)
More disagreements (5)
Not equal distribution of work (4)
Year
2
Conclusion
• Logistics is the least important reason to do collaborative essays.
• Group essays can not be approached in the same way as individual essays.
• Less marking but more monitoring.• With teacher support, collaborative essay assignments
can be very successful.• Collaborative essays develop more than just essay
writing skills.• Wider learning gains should be explicit objectives.
BibliographyBerry, E. (2007). Group work and assessment—benefit or burden?. The Law Teacher, 41(1), 19-36.
Li, M., & Campbell, J. (2008). Asian students’ perceptions of group work and group assignments in a New Zealand tertiary institution. Intercultural Education, 19(3), 203-216.
Mulligan, C., & Garofalo, R. (2011). A collaborative writing approach: Methodology and student assessment. The Language Teacher, 35(3), 5-10.
Scotland, J. (2016). How the experience of assessed collaborative writing impacts on undergraduate students’ perceptions of assessed group work. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(1), 15-34.
Shehadeh, A. (2011). Effects and student perceptions of collaborative writing in L2. Journal of Second Language Writing, 20(4), 286-305.
Shin, M. (2015). Collaborative learning. English Teaching Professional, 97, 11-13.
Storch, N. (2005). Collaborative writing: Product, process, and students’ reflections. Journal of second language writing, 14(3), 153-173.
Wigglesworth, G., & Storch, N. (2009). Pair versus individual writing: Effects on fluency, complexity and accuracy. Language Testing.
Stormboard
