Group assessments are commonly used to develop teamwork skills and reduce marking burden, but students often report uneven contributions, interpersonal conflict, elevated stress, and lower marks compared to individual assessments. Engaging students as partners in curriculum design can enhance engagement and belonging. This presentation shares results from an anonymous online survey designed, delivered, and analyzed by a team of three academics and six student partners. Undergraduate students (n=245) from the School of Health Sciences completed the REDCap survey on their experiences, challenges, and suggestions for group work. The top three barriers identified were differences in work ethics among group members (54.4%), lack of allocated class/tutorial time for group assignments (45.1%), and difficulties arranging meetings (43.0%) and prioritizing other commitments (43.0%). The top three solutions proposed were regular class/tutorial time for assignments (74.9%), getting to know classmates before group assignment (69.4%), and low weighting for group work (52.5%). Easy-to-implement pedagogical suggestions and examples will be shared.
Teaching@Sydney