Small-group assessment methods in mathematics

Abstract

Assessment of students' attainment in courses is often driven by the method of instruction. When mathematics is taught in the traditional style of lectures on theory coordinated with homework on standard problems, the testing is often oriented to reproducing the skills demonstrated by the instructor. If a more collaborative teaching method is used, how does one assess the students' acquisition of problem-solving and mathematical-thinking skills? The paper discusses a team-oriented formal testing method used in a mathematical modelling course taught during the Alma College intensive spring term.