Collection

2007 Fall ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Alfred A. Scalza

responsibilities put on them in theirown team arena. They work as a team to research and present a full term paper. This paper is firstpresented as a written assignment and then they present it orally and must defend their findings beforetheir peers. “No amount of skill in writing can disguise research that is poorly designed or managed” 6.Their peers tend to hold them and their research to a higher standard than the professor might dare. Thediscussions after the oral presentation of a group’s work are sometimes long and even heated.Success and FailureBefore I talk about success and failure, let me point to some other factors that I believe affect the results.First, the class size in both instances is about the same. Research indicates that within a

Collection

2007 Fall ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Paul Stanton; Duane Fairfax

the research5.2. Using Peer Assessments After initially assigning students to groups, instructors must then provide direction, guidance, andcontinual observation of the teams’ progress. As part of the guidance, instructors should ensure that eachgroup has a method for policing itself in the form peer assessments. In order for students to embrace thecooperative learning environment, they must feel that there is a method of ensuring fairness in grading.Nothing will demoralize students faster than for a non-contributing student to receive a high grade basedsolely on the other group members’ efforts. Research shows that students derive a much greater sense ofsatisfaction and higher test scores from groups that have the ability to provide a

Collection

2007 Fall ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Keith M. Gardiner

management, micromanufacturing and leading edge advanced technology trends and also deal with energy issues, alternative fuels, and surveys of food chain supply matters. Students make presentations that are peer-graded and there is an emphasis on development of interpersonal communication skills. Assessment and grading are discussed.IntroductionAs a consequence of lifelong exposure to a wide variety of pedagogic experiences both as a pupil and asan instructor the author has successfully adopted techniques of industry in various undergraduate andgraduate courses. The concept of empowering students and encouraging them to be responsible for theirown learning was first reported at an ASEE Mid-Atlantic Region Conference at