{"id":4628,"date":"2026-08-27T19:26:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:26:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/?p=4628"},"modified":"2026-10-06T14:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T13:49:10","slug":"assessing-collaborative-projects-in-business-subjects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/casestudies\/2026\/08\/27\/assessing-collaborative-projects-in-business-subjects\/","title":{"rendered":"Assessing Collaborative Projects in Business Subjects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Using peer assessment to ensure fairness in group projects.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our opportunity<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The group assessments described below give\u00a0students\u00a0a rich opportunity to work\u00a0together,\u00a0gain vital teamwork experience, and\u00a0build skills\u00a0that can be difficult to gain through individual work and assessment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is not without challenges: there are\u00a0academic integrity\u00a0questions\u00a0in confirming who<\/span> has contributed to the group activities and produced the actual work, for instance. While each module assessment contains elements that can be completed individually, there is still a significant proportion of each module\u2019s weighting that relies on collaborative teamworking, problem based, and experiential learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our approach<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fiona\u00a0Thompson\u00a0leads two modules\u00a0at\u00a0Newcastle University\u00a0Business School\u2019s (NUBS)\u00a0Marketing programmes that have assessed group projects.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Integrated and Digital Marketing Communications (MKT2010), students work in groups with a\u00a0Live\u00a0Client to develop a\u00a0Marketing\u00a0Communications\u00a0Plan. The assessed elements for this project are a collaboratively written report and an\u00a0infographic\u00a0poster presentation to the client themselves. This group project is worth 50% of the overall 20-credit module\u00a0grade and\u00a0has students from two different\u00a0Marketing\u00a0degree programmes who take it (one compulsory, one elective).\u00a0Students\u00a0self-select their MKT2010\u00a0teams from those in the Seminar and there is one Live Client per Seminars (4\/5\u00a0Live Clients in total\u00a0depending on student numbers).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the capstone module options for undergraduate Marketing students is to take a Marketing Consultancy Project (MKT3097) which is open to both Marketing degrees.\u00a0\u00a0The summative assessment contains three elements: a group Live Client Marketing Consultancy Report (40%), a group oral presentation (10%), and an individual Reflective Essay (50%).\u00a0\u00a0Students form friendship groups of 4 students; two friendship groups are randomly combined to make a Project Team of up to 8 students. This third-year capstone module instead of a dissertation allows students to experience first-hand problem-based learning, collaborative learning, experiential learning and reflective learning which are all elements of the Leading-Edge Curriculum. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Stage 2 Marketing students with representatives of West End Women and Girls Centre<\/p><\/div>\n

Gill\u00a0Holden leads a Stage 2\u00a0Accounting and Finance\u00a0module, Understanding Company Accounts (ACC2021), which includes 80% of its assessment as the outputs of a group project: a report (60%) and\u00a0accompanying\u00a0presentation (20%) about a public listed company. The students take on the role of a team of graduate trainees in a professional\u00a0services firm\u00a0and work\u00a0together over several months. Each student also\u00a0submits\u00a0an individual\u00a0multimedia\u00a0journal\u00a0of their experience\u00a0using Microsoft Sway, which is\u00a0the final 20% of the module marks.\u00a0The students on this module self-select their groups based upon the company that they will be investigating.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As well as individual assessment elements, these modules also all use Buddycheck for peer group assessment (PGA). This gives students the opportunity to \u2018rate\u2019 one another on a scale of 1-5 based on their personal contributions across different teamworking dimensions of: timeliness of input; quality of work; communication; and attendance. These peer scores are used to distribute the overall group mark into individual marks. It provides fairness and allocates less marks to those who contributed less.\u00a0\u00a0The system works on averages, comparing the overall group average to the individual \u2018received\u2019 average. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Students in all three modules were all given a practice Buddycheck version as a part of a formative assessment earlier in the module to show the effect of PGA on their possible grades. This helped to underline the importance of contributing equally to the group\u2019s work and helped carry the module\u2019s mantra of \u2018no work = no marks!\u2019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIf students were in a commercial work environment and they did not complete any work at all, it might be: \u2018here’s your P45, there’s the door and goodbye\u2019!\u00a0\u00a0At university we need to develop the workplace ethos that it is not OK to social loaf or expect somebody else to do your work for you. We need to instil into students the importance of taking ownership, continual development of skills, flexibility, understanding consequences which will help prepare them for the future changing workplace.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fiona Thompson \u2013 Module Leader of MKT2010 and MKT3097\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The impact (results)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The quality of the work produced by the groups across these modules shows that this collaborative group working using an experiential learning approach works extremely well.\u00a0\u00a0Students were able to gain valuable lifelong (hard and soft) skills. This was also reflected in the students\u2019 individual Reflective Essay elements on MKT3097. These showed that students had gained rich experiences in working collaboratively.<\/p>\n

Students were able to show growth across a broad range of employability and Graduate Framework skills. Students were able to use these experiences into job applications, LinkedIn profiles and interviews for work internships and graduate employment to great success. The employability skills gained through collaboration, leadership, problem-solving and shared experiences were extremely valuable and will stay with students for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n

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Lessons learned<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A single assessment or exam cannot replicate the<\/span>\u00a0wide range of<\/span>\u00a0employability skills that students develop by working\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in teams or groups<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>y allowing some friendship groups<\/span>\u00a0to be created within each\u00a0<\/span>group, this helps<\/span>\u00a0create engagement\u00a0<\/span>and motivation\u00a0<\/span>from the start.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By\u00a0<\/span>using the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>People<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>function on Canvas\u00a0<\/span>you can\u00a0<\/span>set up self-selecting friendship groups<\/span>\u00a0for students to add themselves into.\u00a0<\/span>If you are working with Live Clients, having a clear written brief from them helps\u00a0<\/span>get\u00a0<\/span>everyone (<\/span>students and staff<\/span>)<\/span>\u00a0on the \u2018same page\u2019<\/span>\u00a0about their\u00a0<\/span>specific\u00a0<\/span>project<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>This\u00a0<\/span>brief i<\/span>s just a\u00a0<\/span>set of questions in a Word document sent out to each Live Client\u00a0<\/span>for them to complete<\/span>\u00a0and return<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Questions\u00a0<\/span>such as where you are now, what are the issues, what can our stude<\/span>nts help with etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This\u00a0<\/span>ensures you receive\u00a0<\/span>consistent\u00a0<\/span>coverage<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>a physical<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>electronic\u00a0<\/span>reference document<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Organising meetings with Live Clients well in advance also helps to\u00a0<\/span>ensure engagement from everyone involved.\u00a0<\/span>By having a Team Leader of each project<\/span>\u00a0group\/team<\/span>\u00a0this creates a single point of contact for the Live Client\/Teaching Team and helps replicates<\/span>\u00a0real<\/span>\u00a0working life.\u00a0<\/span>By having\u00a0<\/span>regular communication\u00a0<\/span>updates sprinkled\u00a0<\/span>through<\/span>out<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>project helps create trust and confidence especially\u00a0<\/span>if the project is across two\u00a0<\/span>Semesters as in\u00a0<\/span>MKT3097.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Tips for colleagues<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n