Group work: alternative assessments

An alternative assessment may be requested by a student registered with Accessibility Services if the student’s ongoing health condition/disability impacts on their ability to complete group work in class or group work assessments. 

For example, some students making these requests might experience social anxiety or be on the autism spectrum, which can make communicating in a group difficult. It’s important to remember that requests are not limited to these conditions, as each student and their requirements are different. 

It’s important to keep in mind that each student’s requirements for alternative assessments might be different, but these are some potential options: 

• Reduce the amount of group work: it may be possible for the student to manage with a small number of group work assessments but not the cumulative effect of working in groups across all subjects on a regular basis. 
• Allow individual work: it might be appropriate for a student to complete course work on an individual basis. It’s important the workload is adjusted accordingly. Approval may be dependent on the condition that the student participate in group work at a later stage of their degree, in order to meet the course requirements. 
• Negotiate presentations in group work: if the student is requesting an alternative to a group presentation but is comfortable in contributing to the group work, the group can be given flexibility to assign roles of preparation and presentation so that the rest of the class receives a full presentation and other group members can receive feedback. 

Some alternatives to group work in class include: 

1. Use of alternative inputs during class: it might be possible for the student to use the chat feature in Teams/Zoom or speak with the camera turned off. 
2. Allow participation after class: the student could email a summary of discussion points following the class or participate in Canvas discussions. 
3. Send discussions points before class: this will allow time for the student to prepare responses. 

Alternative assessments need to be reasonable, so there are several key questions to ask when considering a request: 

1. Does the alternative meet the Subject Learning Outcomes? 
2. Is group work the main objective of the assessment? 
3. Is it feasible to implement the alternative? 

Other logistical considerations include: 

• Assistance with communicating arrangements: The Accessibility Consultant may need to coach/assist the student to communicate these arrangements with their group members/peers – often arrangements mean there may be potential for some disability disclosure to plan and consider. 
• Maintain confidentiality: It’s important to communicate confidentially when making arrangements to ensure information is not inadvertantly shared across peers. 
• Additional administration: This might be required by the student’s teaching staff.