Formative assessment focuses on providing feedback during the process of learning to help learners recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and target areas that need improvement. How can AI technology enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of this feedback process? Dr Elizabeth Koh, Senior Education Research Scientist at NIE’s Office of Education Research, developed a digital formative assessment tool that is augmented by AI to provide personalized feedback for teamwork. She shares with us more about her research project and the benefits of using this tool in the classroom.

Rethinking Teamwork Assessment

“We cannot assume that all learners assigned to work in groups are naturally adept at being good team players,” Dr Elizabeth Koh says. “Teamwork may not come naturally to everyone, but it is a skill that can be learnt.”

A digital formative assessment tool for teamwork, called Teamwork Intelligence for Tertiary Education (TITE), was developed to help tertiary learners grow their 21st century skill of teamwork and collaboration.

“TITE is a techno-pedagogical system underpinned by the Team and Self-Diagnostic Learning (TSDL) approach which allows learners to be more cognizant of their teamwork competencies using formative assessment and AI-embedded learning analytics,” she shares.

“Learners found that TITE’s personalized learning analytics dashboard was especially useful in providing them with deeper insights into their strengths and areas for improvement. The ability to track progress throughout the team project was also particularly valued by learners, as it facilitated their growth as effective team collaborators,” Elizabeth remarks.

Instructors also reacted positively to TITE especially as it allows them to find out more about their learners’ teamwork and contributions which is often not so visible to the instructor.

“Instructors benefit from TITE as it enhances their understanding of the learners’ teamwork dynamics and enables them to identify at-risk learners who may require additional support as they navigate team collaborations,” she adds.

What Is TITE?

TITE is built on Elizabeth’s earlier project called My Groupwork Buddy (MGB) that was successfully trialled in five secondary schools. Refined and adapted from MGB for tertiary learners, TITE was piloted in five local university courses.

“TITE allows learners to receive feedback on their teamwork efforts and evaluate their peers in a timely manner. It was enhanced from the earlier MGB, giving it greater flexibility and control over system functions such as self-registration,” she shares.

“The concept of formative assessment, which focuses on providing ongoing feedback for improvement throughout the learning process, is incorporated into the design,” she further elaborates.

Involving four iterative stages grounded on TSDL, the first stage has learners collaborating and engaging in concrete team activities aimed at completing tasks. They are also instructed to participate in team discussions via TITE’s online chat.

The second stage is where learners can gain more insights into the teamwork dynamics. They are asked to rate themselves and their peers based on these four teamwork dimensions:

i. focusing on organizing team activities to complete a task within a stipulated time frame;
ii. monitoring and assessing the contributions of team members;
iii. addressing differences in interpretation between team members through discussions; and
iv. providing emotional and psychological support to fellow team members.

“An AI-based natural language processing algorithm that my team developed is used to identify indicators of teamwork language from the team’s chatlog. The ratings and the chatlog analytics are then visualized as charts, for example a spider chart or a bar chart, on TITE’s personalized dashboard. By viewing these visualized ratings and chatlog analytics, each learner can then proceed to work on strengthening his/her teamwork skills,” she explains.

The third stage involves learners reflecting on their teamwork and setting targets to achieve. In the final stage, learners are encouraged to track their progress and evaluate whether they have met their targets.

“The cycle then loops once more as the goal is to increase the learners’ awareness of their teamwork and collaborative skills upon the completion of their team project,” she adds.

The Intersection of AI and Pedagogy

While AI use is pedagogically designed and used, a strong learning culture of formative assessment is also needed among learners and institutions. Both elements, she emphasizes, are inextricably linked.

She points out how instructors or teachers need to be adept at setting up a safe and friendly classroom environment where opinions and feedback are valued. They also need to be armed with knowledge on how to motivate their learners to be fully engaged in the teamwork learning process and be prepared to address their concerns.

“While we recognize AI’s exceptional efficiency and personalization, we also cannot forget the essential role human interaction plays in education,” she says. “The growing synergy between AI and humans has much potential to transform and innovate education.”

As AI continues to evolve, Elizabeth is also looking to advance the analytics in TITE as well as expand the use and role of TITE in different educational contexts.