Faq:groups

Group Frequently Asked Questions

The following are some of the frequently asked questions about the collections and groups used in Web-PA.

What strategies are available for selecting groups?

1. Randomly selected, e.g. alphabetically by surname
2. Self selected by students. This often result in some students being grouped by gender, race, ethnicity and geographic location (e.g. same house) and ALSO some students being isolated by the same factors.
3. Seeded groups. One student who is a high academic achiever, or has in some way previously demonstrated better than average ability in the type of activity being assessed, is allocated to each group each. The, remaining students are randomly or self selected to fill these remaining group places.
4. Ranked groups. Students are allocated to groups based on academic performers, e.g. all top students go in one group all bottom students in another. This may result in some dysfunctional groups but will provide a wide variance in performance.
5. Tutor selected. Tutor defines parameters and allocates groups based on these parameters (e.g. to get a mix of Belbin roles in every group)

Are there any restrictions on group/team size?

The Web-PA system does not restrict group or team size. However, we do not recommend running assessments for groups with only 2 members. The algorithm appears to provide best results for teams of 4-6, but has been successfully used with teams from 3 to 8.