Advantages
Encourages collegiate interaction between students and teachers, develops collaborative skills, and provides an active and authentic learning environment. Builds cumulatively over the teaching and learning period – this helps to facilitate an in-depth knowledge of the field of study, a core UQ graduate attribute. While this assessment has been successfully employed within Archaeology, it could be transferred to any course or discipline that wish to simulate a specific environment or context - using material artefacts - on which to perform a series of problem sets or analyses.
Challenges
Requires sufficient resources (materials, facilities) to create assemblage – Staff must be sure to prepare in advance and source the materials required to create an appropriate site or assemblage. Staff may encounter disparities in students' familiarity and proficiency with computer-assisted data analysis tools or software – this can be mitigated against by providing opportunities (ideally beyond class time) for students to engage in introductory courses.
Tips for implementation
This assessment works well as a group assessment or coupled with collaborative learning activities. In cases where this assessment is completed as a group task, students should complete a peer assessment form to ensure the equitable contribution of all group members.
How it supports academic integrity
This task is based on the observed, in-class analysis of a unique assemblage so there is almost no opportunity for plagiarism or reliable outsourcing. Staff involvement at every stage of the assessment piece ensures that academic misconduct is readily detected.