Integrate engagement with outcomes

Just using group work to limit marking for the lecturer is not an academic sound practice.
Engagement is a skill and can be a scaffolding (supporting) strategy to help students to understand work or to understand a process for the first time.

Doing research or a project in a small group, will have students supporting each other. It is important to give clear guidelines on how assessment will take place. A good rubric can encourage effective group work and reduce the burden of members who do not contribute.

Some tips:

• Just placing students in groups (at random or self-enrol) does not automatically ensure
  engagement. Give students guidelines on why and how they are to do the activity
• Not all engagement activity has to be evaluated: the product of engagement can also be
  evaluated
• In groups tools can be made available to the groups that they can use if they want, e.g. file exchange, Collaborate
• When working with students who are mostly off campus, build in training on the use of engagement tools while they have an on-campus session.
• Do not assume students know how to use engagement tools on clickUP: whether they are first years or post graduate students
• Do constructive alignment of engagement activities with the learning and assessment outcomes.
• Do attend the Collaboration clickUP training course and consult your instructional designer before implementing an engagement activity, specifically in large classes.