Challenges in aligning assessments to the graduate attribute of ‘team work’ in the online learning and teaching platforms

Group assessment in higher education system has its unique benefits and challenges compared to individual or other forms of assessments. Group assessment has often been unpopular among high distinction students due to the ‘free riding’ tendencies of less engaged teammates causing considerable dissatisfaction and sense of injustice. A number of measures have evolved over the years to make group assessments more effective. These techniques include using measures and tools such as self and peer reflections, use of shared platforms through ‘Learning Management System’ to track the contribution of team members and acknowledge superior contribution of more engaged individuals in the group through a few individual marking criteria in the rubric. These measures, though effective in some cases, have created new administrative challenges and loopholes for the so called ‘free riders’ to defeat the system which in turn reinforced the sense of inequity among the more engaged students. These persisting issues have reached a new height in the virtual teaching and learning platforms forced by COVID-19 lockdown beyond the planned change initiatives. This reflective paper highlights the emerging challenges in administering group assessments through virtual platforms in an attempt to explore more effective alternatives to address the important graduate attribute of ‘Team Work’ in the business related units.