Jenny Morris introduced participants to a system she uses with her students for summative assessment, based on resources developed by Larry Michaelson.

Individuals are initially tested to check their understanding of core concepts. This is a closed book test using multiple-choice questions (MCQs) – known as the ‘readiness assurance’ process.

Teams, consisting of about 6 or 7 students and which will work together throughout the year, are formed by the academic lead to ensure diversity. This can be particularly useful for tackling cultural issues, such as Chinese students not liking being involved with discussions. These groups are tested using the same questions as in the individual test, this time via scratchcards. Answers are discussed and submitted with immediate feedback. Teams then have the opportunity to appeal against the feedback out of class. Appeals must be submitted with evidence and a point is awarded if it is deemed to be successful. Scratch cards are not only a fun way to submit answers but also effectively control dominant participants, especially if they are seen to get an answer wrong!

Further problems are presented to teams through scenarios. In this workshop Jenny gave us a scenario centred around getting shipwrecked and identifying the most useful items arranged in lists. There is only one solution to these ‘application activities’ and teams are probed as to why they chose a certain answer.

Jenny doesn’t use technology at all for this exercise but, if you wanted to, it could be facilitated using PebblePad, which supports both individual testing and peer-learning.

If you are interested in learning more about this approach see http://www.teambasedlearning.org/starting