Teaching with Collaborative Exams to Advance Equity, Learning, and Marketable Skills

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Description

This interactive workshop introduces collaborative exams as a high impact, equity centered teaching practice that improves student learning, reduces test anxiety, and intentionally develops the Marketable Skills identified in the Dallas College Core Curriculum. Collaborative exams, whether fully group based, hybrid, or post individual discussion models, require students to articulate reasoning, negotiate meaning, and engage in peer teaching. Research in education has consistently shown that students retain more information through discussion and peer explanation, and additional studies have demonstrated that collaborative testing encourages explanation, argumentation, and deeper understanding.

A central focus of this workshop is how collaborative exams naturally cultivate the Marketable Skills that employers seek and students need. These assessments strengthen Critical Thinking through analysis, problem solving, and pattern detection. They reinforce Teamwork by helping students negotiate roles, manage conflict, and work effectively with diverse peers. They enhance Communication through oral articulation, facilitation, and synthesis of ideas. They support Social Responsibility by fostering empathy, inclusivity, and civic awareness. They build Personal Responsibility through ethical behavior, adaptability, and leadership. They also reinforce Quantitative and Empirical Skills through data interpretation, logical reasoning, and evidence based decision making. By making these skills visible and intentional, collaborative exams help close the skills awareness gap that many students experience and support their ability to articulate employability to future employers.

Participants will experience a brief simulated collaborative exam and then explore practical implementation strategies, including setting expectations, managing group dynamics, addressing group pressure, supporting students with accommodations, and aligning assessments with Marketable Skills outcomes.

Specific learning objectives include:

1. Understanding the evidence base supporting collaborative exams.

2. Identifying multiple models of collaborative testing and their pedagogical purposes.

3. Mapping collaborative exam activities to Marketable Skills.

4. Developing an implementation plan tailored to participants’ courses and institutional contexts.

Participants will leave with concrete tools, templates, and strategies they can immediately apply to promote equitable learning and career relevant skill development.

Sub Unit

• Workshops / Teaching Workshop

Presenter

• Rachelle Powell, Dallas College

Session Organizer

• Rachelle Powell, Dallas College