How to Design a Peer Group Evaluation Form
Group evaluation forms are valuable tools that teachers can utilize to improve the effectiveness of cooperative learning. These forms encourage the participation of all students throughout the group work process by holding each student accountable for the completion of his share of the work. The form also appeases group members who complain that some of their peers did not do their fair share of the work by giving these concerned group members a way to voice their concerns. Group evaluation forms can take on a variety of formats, and teachers can easily create a form tailored to their class and group structure.
Instructions
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Leave a space for the evaluator's name. For group evaluation forms to work effectively, all members of the group must complete their own form. Allow room at the top of the form for the evaluator to write his name. Assure students that no one will see the form except you to ensure they answer all questions honestly.
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List questions about the overall effectiveness of the group. Write two or three questions that gauge students' feelings about the group dynamic. Below each question, place a 1 to 5 scale. Questions may include "How well do you think the group project went?" and "Did you enjoy working as a group?" Allow student enjoyment of the group work process to affect how frequently you integrate group projects into the curriculum in the future.
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Create a section for the evaluation of each group member. Each group member needs to evaluate other members of his group separately. Leave four or five spaces for students to write the names of their group members.
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List evaluation criteria below each group member's name. Directly after the slots you left for group members' names, list criteria that indicate how actively involved and effective that group member was. List such questions as "Did this group member participate throughout the project?" and "Did this group member offer suggestions during project completion?" Below each question, place a 1 to 5 scale on which the evaluator can rate how well each group member accomplished each of the listed questions.
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Use the evaluation forms as part of the grading process. To make the forms optimally effective, allow the results of the evaluations to influence the students' final grades. You can do this by prorating the grades as a result of the peer evaluations or by allowing five or 10 points of the final grade to be determined solely by the peer evaluation. This practice indicates to students how important working as a team truly is.
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