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RATIONALE FOR COOPERATIVE EXAMS
I recognize that allowing students to work cooperatively on an examination takes getting
used to (it's normally called cheating), especially if you have been testing students for years
in more usual ways. My premise is simple: if cooperation is advantageous (as
demonstrated in the text), and if group synergy is desirable, then a system of examination
that promotes both cooperation and synergy is not only philosophically justifiable, it should
be enthusiastically encouraged.
Response to Common Objections
I. Won't cooperating on a test allow loafers to obtain high grades without putting
in any effort to learn? This would be true if there were no accountability factor
in the testing. The cooperative form of testing has an individual accountability
factor. Students must demonstrate a minimum level of performance in order to
share in the fruits of group synergy. Typically, because the cooperative test is a
group exam, group members study together--a very effective way to learn
and to encourage the involvement of all group members.
II. Won't cooperative tests inflate student grades? Cooperative tests have been
used at Cabrillo College for more than two decades by numerous instructors in
more than 150 sections of courses. Grades on the group cooperative
exams tend to be slightly higher under the cooperative method of testing than
grades would be if the same exams were given on a standard individual basis.
Preliminary group scores almost always show a synergistic effect (a practical
lesson on the importance of working together effectively in a group), although
there have been instances of negative synergy in which the group worked
lamely together and produced a fiasco (group grades as low as 50%). Yet once
the accountability factor is figured in, individual grades often become deflated.
Class averages on cooperative tests (once individual accountability has been
factored in) have varied widely, from a low of 56 to a high of 85. We should
also note that high scores don’t necessarily mean the testing method was easy.
Sometimes high scores reflect excellent teaching, highly motivated and
intelligent students, and a testing method that encourages critical thinking.
Please also note that test anxiety is significantly reduced. Thus, students are
more likely to perform at their best.
NOTE: The difficulty of the cooperative exam can always be adjusted by asking tougher
questions if an instructor decides the scores are too high. The accountability factor can also
be adjusted (see explanation of procedure below).
III. Won't students learn less because they will rely on others to share the
burden of studying? On the contrary, motivated students do not want to risk
relying on others who may or may not know correct answers to test questions.
3
Average students profit from the discussion of test questions. They learn while
taking the test, and isn't learning the ultimate justification for testing in the first
place? Poorly motivated students who don't read the text material will do
poorly on cooperative tests once the accountability factor has been applied.
Poorly motivated students, however, can't help but learn more from this method.
Test questions and answers are discussed thoroughly and answers have to be
justified to the group. Standard individual testing reflects what students do or
don't know, but they certainly don't teach students while they take the test.
Cooperative tests do. Having to negotiate answers to test questions with other
group members forces students to know the material thoroughly and requires
critical thinking. In rare instances where all group members are unprepared,
ignorance will be shared leading to very low group scores. I have witnessed a
few cases of negative synergy on cooperative tests. Usually, a disastrous result
on the cooperative exam will encourage a more serious attitude on the next
exam from most of the group members.
IV. Won't cooperative tests foster bickering and divisiveness when group members
disagree on the correct answer to a question? Bickering and divisiveness have not
proved to be a problem. Instructors can always monitor group interactions during the
test and caution against bickering and divisiveness.
V. Won't this encourage dominant members to bully the group into answering questions
according to what the dominant members believe are the correct answers? My
experience with cooperative testing shows no such pattern. Since every member has a
stake in the accuracy of the group answer sheet, less assertive members are inclined to
speak up if the bully's answer is incorrect. Ultimately, students learn the advantages of
cooperation coupled with accountability and the synergistic value of group problem
solving as compared to individual efforts. Assertiveness is also encouraged.
Testing Procedure
I. Time required for test---approximately 40 minutes for cooperative exam and an
additional 10 minutes for the individual accountability exam, which follows immediately
after.
II. Format and material covered in each cooperative exam:
A. Cooperative Test #1 --this test will cover the first three chapters of
the text. The format will be multiple-choice and true-false. Multiple-choice
questions will have four possible answers. You will choose all answers
deemed correct (more than one may be correct, even all four). True-false
questions will follow standard form.
B. Cooperative Test #2--this test will cover Chapters 4 through 7.
The same procedure used for Cooperative Test #ONE will be used
for this test except each false answer will require an explanation.
4
C. Cooperative Test #3--this test will cover Chapters 8 through 12. The same
procedure used for the previous cooperative exam will be used for this test.
D. Cooperative Test #4—Twelve Angry Men comprehensive final exam. Same
procedure used for exams #2 and #3 is used for this final exam.
E. Total worth--100 points per test (400 total)
III. Giving and grading the cooperative exam
A. Each group (5 to 7 members) will take the test together without benefit of
notes or text. Although each group member will be given a copy of the test,
only a single designated copy will serve as the group's final answer sheet.
B. Each group member must sign his or her name on the group answer sheet.
C. Individual Accountability---Individual accountability is determined by a
second test (immediately following the group test) given to all group
members working separately without group interaction. The individual test
is composed of multiple-choice and true-false questions covering exactly
the same material as the group test with a proportionate number of
questions from each chapter of the text. Failure to score 80% or above
(minimum standard of achievement) on the individual test will result in the
reduction of that individual group member's test score as follows:
Between 70 and 79 = loss of 5 points from group score
Between 60 and 69 = loss of 10 points
Between 50 and 59 = loss of 20 points
Below 50 = loss of 30 points
Thus, if the group score is 87 and the individual group member scores 65 on
the individual test, that individual will receive a 77 for the test (87 minus 10
points). If that same individual scores a 55 on the individual accountability
test, then he or she will receive a 67 for the test (87 minus 20 points).
PLEASE NOTE: any group member scoring a perfect 100 on the individual
test will receive a bonus of 5 points (add the bonus to the group grade for
that individual).
D. Any group member not present for the cooperative exam or arriving more
than 5 minutes after the cooperative exam has begun must take the
cooperative version of the exam separately from the group, receiving
whatever grade is earned (often significantly lower than the group score on
the same test).
E. If final individual test scores are thought to be excessively high,
5
three alterations can be made.
1. Make the test questions more difficult.
2. Require an explanation for all false answers on the true-false portion of the test
for all four exams. Give two points for giving the correct answer and two points
for providing the correct reason for any false answer. This will lengthen the test
by about 10 minutes.
3. Adjust the accountability factor: deduct 10 points, not 5 from scores in the 70s
on the individual exam; deduct 15 points from scores in the 60s, etc.
F. Grading the exams
1. Cooperative exam--deduct one point for every error of omission or
commission on the multiple-choice questions. Thus, circling any wrong
answer results in a one-point deduction and not circling any correct
answer also results in a one-point deduction. True-false are graded in
the standard way (two point deduction for every wrong answer).
2. Individual exam--deduct one point for every mistake on the
multiple-choice questions and two points for a wrong answer on the
true-false questions. Exam grade is computed as a standard percentage
(number of points earned divided by maximum points possible, such as
40 points earned divided by 50 maximum points = 80%).
G. What happens if an individual scores higher than the group?
1. The group score is recorded by that individual's name, but the individual
score on the accountability test is also recorded in parenthesis. If
individual scores are consistently higher than group scores, I tell
students that their individual test average will be used, not the group
average score. Individuals should not be penalized for consistently poor
group performance.
2. It should be noted, however, that I rarely have had to make such
an adjustment. Groups may perform poorly on one test, but will re-group
and perform better on later exams. Sometimes an individual score will
be higher than the group on only one exam but lower on other exams,
thus negating any complaint.
H. What happens if the group score is extremely low? Do you also deduct
points from the group score if individual exams are also very low?
1. A group may score extremely low (e. g., 65) on the group exam (very
rare). Typically, individuals will also score very low on the individual
exam (e. g., 50 or below). If the group scored 65 and an individual
scored 45 on the individual exam, that would make the final adjusted
score 35 (30 point deduction from 65).
6
2. I normally do NOT deduct points from the group score if
the group score is already a “D” or an “F”.
I. MULTIPLE ANSWER, MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS:
Why allow more than one answer to be correct on multiple-choice questions?
1. Departing from the standard single-response to a multiple-
choice question requires precise knowledge from students. Guessing is
minimized. In the standard format, a student doesn’t need to read all the
answers once the correct answer is ascertained. If they know “a” is
correct, why read any further? No critical thought need be exercised
concerning answers b, c, and d. Thus, these answers become mere filler.
2. Most importantly, students receive credit for everything they do know.
In the standard single-answer format, a student might know that answers
“a” and “b” are incorrect but be uncertain whether “c” or “d” is correct.
If the student answers “c” but “d” is correct, he or she loses all points for
that question. The multiple-response format in which more than one
answer may be correct gives credit for everything students know (wrong
answers left unselected or correct answers circled).
Simply put, the multiple-response version of multiple-choice questions is more
precise, challenging, and fair than the standard single-answer only version.
Nevertheless, if instructors still prefer the standard format, test questions
included in the test bank can be rewritten to allow only a single correct answer,
or questions with only a single correct answer already included in the test bank
can be chosen for the exam.
7
STUDY GUIDES
STUDY GUIDE: EXAM #1 (Chapters 1-3)
1. What are the four communication myths explained in the text? What is hindsight bias?
What is egocentric bias? Communication is transactional. What does this mean?
“Communication is a process—what does this mean?
2. There are two dimensions of every message: content and relationship. Explain the
difference between these two dimensions and provide examples for each. How does
context affect verbal and nonverbal communication? How are verbal and nonverbal
communication interconnected? What is a mixed message? What is bypassing? What
are some of the challenges faced by virtual groups when English is spoken as a second
language by many members?
3. Explain the communication competence model. What does "We-orientation versus
Me-orientation" mean? How does individualism and collectivism relate to the We-
versus-Me viewpoint? In what ways are individualist and collectivist cultures different?
2
RATIONALE FOR COOPERATIVE EXAMS
I recognize that allowing students to work cooperatively on an examination takes getting
used to (it's normally called cheating), especially if you have been testing students for years
in more usual ways. My premise is simple: if cooperation is advantageous (as
demonstrated in the text), and if group synergy is desirable, then a system of examination
that promotes both cooperation and synergy is not only philosophically justifiable, it should
be enthusiastically encouraged.
Response to Common Objections
I. Won't cooperating on a test allow loafers to obtain high grades without putting
in any effort to learn? This would be true if there were no accountability factor
in the testing. The cooperative form of testing has an individual accountability
factor. Students must demonstrate a minimum level of performance in order to
share in the fruits of group synergy. Typically, because the cooperative test is a
group exam, group members study together--a very effective way to learn
and to encourage the involvement of all group members.
II. Won't cooperative tests inflate student grades? Cooperative tests have been
used at Cabrillo College for more than two decades by numerous instructors in
more than 150 sections of courses. Grades on the group cooperative
exams tend to be slightly higher under the cooperative method of testing than
grades would be if the same exams were given on a standard individual basis.
Preliminary group scores almost always show a synergistic effect (a practical
lesson on the importance of working together effectively in a group), although
there have been instances of negative synergy in which the group worked
lamely together and produced a fiasco (group grades as low as 50%). Yet once
the accountability factor is figured in, individual grades often become deflated.
Class averages on cooperative tests (once individual accountability has been
factored in) have varied widely, from a low of 56 to a high of 85. We should
also note that high scores don’t necessarily mean the testing method was easy.
Sometimes high scores reflect excellent teaching, highly motivated and
intelligent students, and a testing method that encourages critical thinking.
Please also note that test anxiety is significantly reduced. Thus, students are
more likely to perform at their best.
NOTE: The difficulty of the cooperative exam can always be adjusted by asking tougher
questions if an instructor decides the scores are too high. The accountability factor can also
be adjusted (see explanation of procedure below).
III. Won't students learn less because they will rely on others to share the
burden of studying? On the contrary, motivated students do not want to risk
relying on others who may or may not know correct answers to test questions.
3
Average students profit from the discussion of test questions. They learn while
taking the test, and isn't learning the ultimate justification for testing in the first
place? Poorly motivated students who don't read the text material will do
poorly on cooperative tests once the accountability factor has been applied.
Poorly motivated students, however, can't help but learn more from this method.
Test questions and answers are discussed thoroughly and answers have to be
justified to the group. Standard individual testing reflects what students do or
don't know, but they certainly don't teach students while they take the test.
Cooperative tests do. Having to negotiate answers to test questions with other
group members forces students to know the material thoroughly and requires
critical thinking. In rare instances where all group members are unprepared,
ignorance will be shared leading to very low group scores. I have witnessed a
few cases of negative synergy on cooperative tests. Usually, a disastrous result
on the cooperative exam will encourage a more serious attitude on the next
exam from most of the group members.
IV. Won't cooperative tests foster bickering and divisiveness when group members
disagree on the correct answer to a question? Bickering and divisiveness have not
proved to be a problem. Instructors can always monitor group interactions during the
test and caution against bickering and divisiveness.
V. Won't this encourage dominant members to bully the group into answering questions
according to what the dominant members believe are the correct answers? My
experience with cooperative testing shows no such pattern. Since every member has a
stake in the accuracy of the group answer sheet, less assertive members are inclined to
speak up if the bully's answer is incorrect. Ultimately, students learn the advantages of
cooperation coupled with accountability and the synergistic value of group problem
solving as compared to individual efforts. Assertiveness is also encouraged.
Testing Procedure
I. Time required for test---approximately 40 minutes for cooperative exam and an
additional 10 minutes for the individual accountability exam, which follows immediately
after.
II. Format and material covered in each cooperative exam:
A. Cooperative Test #1 --this test will cover the first three chapters of
the text. The format will be multiple-choice and true-false. Multiple-choice
questions will have four possible answers. You will choose all answers
deemed correct (more than one may be correct, even all four). True-false
questions will follow standard form.
B. Cooperative Test #2--this test will cover Chapters 4 through 7.
The same procedure used for Cooperative Test #ONE will be used
for this test except each false answer will require an explanation.
4
C. Cooperative Test #3--this test will cover Chapters 8 through 12. The same
procedure used for the previous cooperative exam will be used for this test.
D. Cooperative Test #4—Twelve Angry Men comprehensive final exam. Same
procedure used for exams #2 and #3 is used for this final exam.
E. Total worth--100 points per test (400 total)
III. Giving and grading the cooperative exam
A. Each group (5 to 7 members) will take the test together without benefit of
notes or text. Although each group member will be given a copy of the test,
only a single designated copy will serve as the group's final answer sheet.
B. Each group member must sign his or her name on the group answer sheet.
C. Individual Accountability---Individual accountability is determined by a
second test (immediately following the group test) given to all group
members working separately without group interaction. The individual test
is composed of multiple-choice and true-false questions covering exactly
the same material as the group test with a proportionate number of
questions from each chapter of the text. Failure to score 80% or above
(minimum standard of achievement) on the individual test will result in the
reduction of that individual group member's test score as follows:
Between 70 and 79 = loss of 5 points from group score
Between 60 and 69 = loss of 10 points
Between 50 and 59 = loss of 20 points
Below 50 = loss of 30 points
Thus, if the group score is 87 and the individual group member scores 65 on
the individual test, that individual will receive a 77 for the test (87 minus 10
points). If that same individual scores a 55 on the individual accountability
test, then he or she will receive a 67 for the test (87 minus 20 points).
PLEASE NOTE: any group member scoring a perfect 100 on the individual
test will receive a bonus of 5 points (add the bonus to the group grade for
that individual).
D. Any group member not present for the cooperative exam or arriving more
than 5 minutes after the cooperative exam has begun must take the
cooperative version of the exam separately from the group, receiving
whatever grade is earned (often significantly lower than the group score on
the same test).
E. If final individual test scores are thought to be excessively high,
5
three alterations can be made.
1. Make the test questions more difficult.
2. Require an explanation for all false answers on the true-false portion of the test
for all four exams. Give two points for giving the correct answer and two points
for providing the correct reason for any false answer. This will lengthen the test
by about 10 minutes.
3. Adjust the accountability factor: deduct 10 points, not 5 from scores in the 70s
on the individual exam; deduct 15 points from scores in the 60s, etc.
F. Grading the exams
1. Cooperative exam--deduct one point for every error of omission or
commission on the multiple-choice questions. Thus, circling any wrong
answer results in a one-point deduction and not circling any correct
answer also results in a one-point deduction. True-false are graded in
the standard way (two point deduction for every wrong answer).
2. Individual exam--deduct one point for every mistake on the
multiple-choice questions and two points for a wrong answer on the
true-false questions. Exam grade is computed as a standard percentage
(number of points earned divided by maximum points possible, such as
40 points earned divided by 50 maximum points = 80%).
G. What happens if an individual scores higher than the group?
1. The group score is recorded by that individual's name, but the individual
score on the accountability test is also recorded in parenthesis. If
individual scores are consistently higher than group scores, I tell
students that their individual test average will be used, not the group
average score. Individuals should not be penalized for consistently poor
group performance.
2. It should be noted, however, that I rarely have had to make such
an adjustment. Groups may perform poorly on one test, but will re-group
and perform better on later exams. Sometimes an individual score will
be higher than the group on only one exam but lower on other exams,
thus negating any complaint.
H. What happens if the group score is extremely low? Do you also deduct
points from the group score if individual exams are also very low?
1. A group may score extremely low (e. g., 65) on the group exam (very
rare). Typically, individuals will also score very low on the individual
exam (e. g., 50 or below). If the group scored 65 and an individual
scored 45 on the individual exam, that would make the final adjusted
score 35 (30 point deduction from 65).
6
2. I normally do NOT deduct points from the group score if
the group score is already a “D” or an “F”.
I. MULTIPLE ANSWER, MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS:
Why allow more than one answer to be correct on multiple-choice questions?
1. Departing from the standard single-response to a multiple-
choice question requires precise knowledge from students. Guessing is
minimized. In the standard format, a student doesn’t need to read all the
answers once the correct answer is ascertained. If they know “a” is
correct, why read any further? No critical thought need be exercised
concerning answers b, c, and d. Thus, these answers become mere filler.
2. Most importantly, students receive credit for everything they do know.
In the standard single-answer format, a student might know that answers
“a” and “b” are incorrect but be uncertain whether “c” or “d” is correct.
If the student answers “c” but “d” is correct, he or she loses all points for
that question. The multiple-response format in which more than one
answer may be correct gives credit for everything students know (wrong
answers left unselected or correct answers circled).
Simply put, the multiple-response version of multiple-choice questions is more
precise, challenging, and fair than the standard single-answer only version.
Nevertheless, if instructors still prefer the standard format, test questions
included in the test bank can be rewritten to allow only a single correct answer,
or questions with only a single correct answer already included in the test bank
can be chosen for the exam.
7
STUDY GUIDES
STUDY GUIDE: EXAM #1 (Chapters 1-3)
1. What are the four communication myths explained in the text? What is hindsight bias?
What is egocentric bias? Communication is transactional. What does this mean?
“Communication is a process—what does this mean?
2. There are two dimensions of every message: content and relationship. Explain the
difference between these two dimensions and provide examples for each. How does
context affect verbal and nonverbal communication? How are verbal and nonverbal
communication interconnected? What is a mixed message? What is bypassing? What
are some of the challenges faced by virtual groups when English is spoken as a second
language by many members?
3. Explain the communication competence model. What does "We-orientation versus
Me-orientation" mean? How does individualism and collectivism relate to the We-
versus-Me viewpoint? In what ways are individualist and collectivist cultures different?
