The Task:
You have been assigned teams to work with in creating content for this course. All of you come to this project with different backgrounds and skills, which means your team has the autonomy to assign tasks accordingly.
Objectives:
- Author quality OER content – A chapter of a textbook in Public Economics
- Communicate effectively with others
- Create, reuse, remix content on the topics in public economics and public finance
Assignments of Teams by Chapter
Working in groups can be both rewarding and challenging. When students write down and agree upon ground rules, expectations, roles, and responsibilities in the form of a contract or project charter, they can help keep one another on track and accountable.
Be sure to read the article discussing how to cope with Hitchhikers and Couch Potatoes (hitchhiker.pdf)
, you will experience this all of your life, learn to deal with this now!
The Assessment
You will be assessed individually, as well as for your teamwork and based on peer evaluation.
The Points
This project is worth 100 points or 20% of your grade. This is a monumental effort and will hopefully result in an equally awesome product.
Of the 100 points here is the breakdown:
| Item | Points |
| Group contract | 5 points |
| Evaluation forms | 5 points |
| Individual Effort | 70 points |
| Team Score | 20 points |
In order to earn individual points your group needs to figure out a system to delineate tasks or show who has completed what section.
Some examples are:
- Color coding text written – each student writes the text using a different color and/or
- Making a list of tasks everyone has completed
If I can’t figure out who has written what or edited what content, or created different information it will be difficult to provide individual scores.
Group Work Rubric
Group Work will be assess using this rubric:
| Novice | Proficient | Excellent | |
| Quality of Content | Content has not been well thought through, missing main points. | Content is informative, but still lacking substance. | Content is excellent and provides a full picture of the concept. |
| Completeness of Task | The chapter was not completed. | The chapter was mostly completed. | The chapter is complete. |
| Organization of the Chapter: Structure and transitions | No discernable organization. Transitions are not present. Connections between ideas seem confusing or incomplete. | Logical progression of ideas.Organization is clear. Transitions are present. | Logical progression of ideas with a clear structure that enhances the thesis. Transitions are mature and graceful. |
| Mechanics: Spelling, punctuation, capitalization |
Distracting errors in punctuation, spelling, capitalization. | Punctuation, spelling, capitalization are generally correct, with few errors. | Punctuation, spelling, capitalization are correct. No errors. |
| Citations/Attributions | Sources were not cited and copyright laws were broken. | Sources were mostly cited, but still room for improvement. | Sources were cited properly and attributions correctly placed. |
| Team Work | Lone Wolfs, did not work well with others. | Most of the team worked together to complete the project. | Wolf pack, worked together, completed the task and worked through issues. |
Deliverables:
I. Team Contract (Due February 21)
In Canvas you find information about Group Contracts and Team Expectations Agreement. Work collaboratively to create expectations for your group. These expectations are how your team score will be evaluated. Once you have created your team contract and have signed it, please upload it into your team google folder.
If there is a dispute or a “couch potato” or a “hitchhiker” it is your responsibility as a group to work thought the issue. If you are unable to work though this you need to contact me. If someone is hostile in your group, you need to contact me. Bullying will not be tolerated in this class or in this assignment. Leaders build people up not tear them down.
II. Chapter (Multiple revisions, see To Do List for Textbook Creation)
You will be assigned a chapter as a team, if you have questions about the topics please reach out to me for clarification, I am always happy to review content.
Be sure that I know who did what parts, this will provide a way for the individual effort to be calculated.
III. Evaluation Forms (at the end of the semester):
At the end of the project, once you have submitted your final draft of the chapter you will be required to fill out the following forms:
- Self-evaluation form
- Peer Evaluation forms (one for every other member of your team)
- Group Evaluation form
These forms will be submitted online via Canvas and only I will be able to review them – in other words, they will not be visible to your team members or other students in this class.
Self-Evaluation Form – Preliminary
Name:
Chapter Title:
Rate yourself on your performance on the project using the following scale:
5 = Always, 4 = Frequently, 3 = Sometimes, 2 = Rarely, 1 = Never
| 1. I was prepared to contributed to the group | |
| 2. I stayed on task | |
| 3. I listened to others | |
| 4. I participated in discussion | |
| 5. I encouraged others to participate | |
| 6. Overall, on a scale from 1 – 5 (1 being the very poor and 5 being excellent) I feel that my performance in the group should be rated: |
Peer Evaluation Form (Prepare one for every other member of your team) – Preliminary
Your Name:
Teammate Name that you are evaluating:
Chapter Title:
Rate your teammate on their performance on the project using the following scale:
5 = Always, 4 = Frequently, 3 = Sometimes, 2 = Rarely, 1 = Never
| 1. They were prepared to contributed to the group | |
| 2. They stayed on task | |
| 3. They listened to others | |
| 4. They participated in discussion | |
| 5. They encouraged others to participate | |
| 6. Overall I feel that their performance in the group should be rated: |
Group Evaluation Form – Preliminary
Your Name:
Chapter Title:
1. Overall, how effectively did your group work together on this assignment?
-
- Poorly
- Adequately
- Well
- Extremely Well
2. Out of the four group members, how many participated actively most of the time?
-
- None
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
3. Out of the five group members, how many were pully prepare for the activity?
-
- None
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
4. Give one specific example of something you learned from the group that you probably wouldn’t have learned working alone.
5. Give one specific example of something the other group members learned from you that they probably wouldn’t have learned otherwise.
6. Suggest one change the group could make to improve its performance.
IV. Video Presentation (worth additional 10% of your final grade)
It will be up to the team to decide how the wish to present the chapter. You can do it as a team or individually.
What is a group contract?
A group contract is a document that a group creates to formalize the expectations of group members. A group contract should contain the following:
- Group members’ names and contact information
- Expectations (ground rules) regarding preparation for and attendance at group meetings, frequency and duration of meetings, and communication. The contract should focus on behaviors that will be expected of all group members and should only include those behaviors that are crucial to the group’s effectiveness. Groups could aim for five-seven ground rules.
- Assignment of specific tasks, roles, and responsibilities along with due dates. The group can itemize the tasks to be completed for the project and provide a space for each group member to sign up for that task.
- Outline of the specific process for dealing with unmet expectations or other problems that might arise.
- An agreed-upon method for peer feedback during the project so that problems can be addressed before the project ends.
- A place for each group member to sign, indicating their agreement to the contract.
- A place for group members to sign once the project is completed to indicate whether or not they agree that all group members contributed as expected and, therefore, earn the group grade.
Here are two examples of group contract that you can use in order to write a group contract for your own team:
Conflict resolution resources
- Resolving Conflict (Links to an external site.) from the UBC Learning Commons
- 8 Steps for Conflict Resolution (Links to an external site.), for the Office of Talent Management, University of Wisconsin-Madison
