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Overview of Collaboration assignments

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Introduction

The Collaboration workspace is a tool available within the UQ ePortfolio system. Workspaces are collaborative or shared environments that contain portfolios, artefacts and discussions. Students could use a workspace as an online environment to work on a group assignment / project and produce a shared portfolio.

Set up options

There are two options available for setting up Collaboration workspaces for group assignnments.

Student created Collaboration workspaces

Collaboration Workspaces can be set up by one member of each assignment/project group, who then becomes the owner of the workspace. The Workspace owner then invites other members of the group to join the workspace.

Collaboration Assignments

The Assignments tool allows staff to set up Collaboration workspaces for assignment / project groups. Students can be allocated to groups when the Collaboration workspaces are set up or self-enrol groups can be made available to students.

Online marking options

ePortfolio

Portfolios created in Collaboration workspaces can be submitted for marking in the ePortfolio system. With student created collaboration workspace the owner can submit the shared portfolio and only they receive the results and feedback. With the Collaboration Assignment one student submits the shared portfolio for the group and all group members receive the results and feedback.

Blackboard Group Assignment

Each group creates a link for their portfolio and the link is submitted by one group member to a Blackboard Group Assignment for marking. All group members receive the results and feedback.

Recommendations

Student created
Submitted in ePortfolio (Recommended)

This option is recommended though marking assignments in the ePortfolio is probably of limited benefit due to the difficulty of all students receiving the feedback.

Advantages

  • Students can easily change the membership of the collaboration workspace i.e. students changing groups and groups merging.
  • Group results are available in the ePortfolio and reporting (analytics). Reporting may be of limited use as results not available for all students.
  • Tutors and/or course coordinator can be added to the groups so staff can monitor student progress. The History tool could be used to check on issues such as non-contributing group members.

Disadvantages

  • The student who submitted the assignment would be responsible for downloading the feedback and passing it on to other group members.
  • Results would need to be downloaded from the ePortfolio and uploaded to Blackboard Grade Centre. Results for group members who did not submit the assignment would need to be manually entered.

Student created
Submitted to a Blackboard Group assignment (Recommended)

This option is recommended though the results (and analytics) are not available in the ePortfolio.

This option is alternative to having students produce blog / wiki type assignments using external online tools. The use of the UQ ePortfolio ensures student work is stored in a UQ tool and the content is easily available to students to incorporate in a personal or showcase 'my ePortfolio'.

Advantages

  • Students can easily change the membership of the collaboration workspace i.e. students changing groups and groups merging.
  • Results and feedback available to all group members.
  • Tutors and/or course coordinator can be added to the groups so staff can monitor student progress. The History tool could be used to check on issues such as non-contributing group members.

Disadvantages

  • Course coordinator would need to set up ePortfolio Table of Contents (TOC) and a Blackboard Group assignment.
  • Students would need to set up their group in both the ePortfolio and Blackboard (if Blackboard self-enrol groups are used)
  • Results are not available in the ePortfolio and there is no reporting (analytics).

Collaboration Assignment
Submitted in ePortfolio (Not viable)

This option is not viable due to issue of not being able to transfer the submitted assignment to another marker. i.e. It is not possible to change the allocated assessor after students have submitted their assignments.

Advantages

  • The collaboration workspace and portfolio are pre-set up for students.
  • Marker assesses one assignment for all group members at once and can also edit the results of individual groups. i.e. non-contributing group members could have their result adjusted.
  • All students receive the results and feedback.
  • Results are available in the ePortfolio and reporting (analytics).

Disadvantages

  • Set up of Course Groups for large courses is time consuming even if student self-select groups are chosen.
  • To set up assignments all students will need to have accounts which will probably not be the case (accounts are usually set up the first time students’ click on an ePortfolio link in Blackboard). Staff will need to log a job to have the students bulk uploaded (Administrator access is needed). 
  • The marker (tutor) of an assignment (multiple groups) cannot be changed once one assignment is submitted. 
  • Links to Collaboration Assignments cannot be added to Learn.UQ (Blackboard) courses.
  • Results cannot be transferred back to Grade Centre.
    • Results would need to be downloaded to a spreadsheet and uploaded to Grade Centre.
  • A link to another Table of Contents (TOC) would be needed for students to access ePortfolio from their Learn.UQ (Blackboard) course.
  • It is not possible for staff to edit the membership of groups once they are sent to students.
  • It is not possible for staff to view a portfolio in progress and the marker cannot be added to the workspace.
  • Students cannot change the members of their collaboration workspace unless self-select group option is used.

Collaboration Assignment
Submitted to a Blackboard Group assignment (Viable)

This option is viable though the group set up will be time consuming for large courses if student self-group selection is not used.

Students swapping groups would require a staff member to set up the new group (student can “leave” the original collaboration space) unless self-group selection is used.

Advantages

  • The collaboration workspace and portfolio pre-set up for students.
  • The ePortfolio web link is submitted by one student to a Blackboard Group Assignment.

Disadvantages

  • Groups and an Assignment have to be set up in Blackboard as well as the ePortfolio.
  • Set up of Course Groups for large courses is time consuming.
  • To set up assignments all students will need to have accounts which will probably not be the case (accounts are usually set up the first time students’ click on an ePortfolio link in Blackboard). Staff will need to log a job to have the students bulk uploaded (Administrator access is needed). 
  • Links to Collaboration Assignments cannot be added to Learn.UQ (Blackboard) courses.
  • A link to another Table of Contents (TOC) would be needed for students to access ePortfolio from their Learn.UQ (Blackboard) course.
  • It is not possible for staff to edit the membership of groups once they are sent to students. 
  • It is not possible for staff to view a portfolio in progress and the marker cannot be added to the workspace.
  • Students cannot change the members of their collaboration workspace unless self-select group option is used.
  • Results are not available in the ePortfolio and no reporting (analytics).