Assessing Teamwork Skills in Law School: A Window of Opportunity
AbstractThis article examines the assessment of teamwork abilities. It refers to a three-tiered process of teaching teamwork to law students at Queensland University of Technology over the duration of their full-time undergraduate studies. Until now assessment of teamwork has concentrated on the product, what the team produces. Here the author promotes the assessment of process as well as the product, develops criteria for best practice in assessing teamwork, considers how to structure assessment of teamwork into a law course and suggests an assessment strategy for law schools. The author systematically examines practices of assessment by fixed criteria: valid, reliable, transparent, fair, formative, timely, demanding and efficient. She promotes formative assessment that enables students to learn how they can improve. The article recommends that law schools approach the window of opportunity to assess teamwork skills strategically to encourage students to become independent life-long learners. |