Collaborative tasks vs. individual work in the context of a course in Experimentation in Chemical Engineering

The development of collaborative tasks is a common practice in laboratory sessions that include a significant content of handwork activities. Group activities entail important advantages for the students, like an improvement in their communicative and teamwork skills and a high interaction between students. However, when a high percentage of the final course mark is allocated in the evaluation of group assignments, there is a risk of underrating students that exhibit a constant dedication during the course. In this study, an evaluation component which is individual and periodic has been included under the framework of a course of Experimentation in Chemical Engineering. The weight assigned to the collaborative and individual tasks on the final course mark has been analyzed and the number of students that are underrated by the weight given to collaborative assignments has been calculated.