Marking Group Projects at Escape Studios

Marking Group Projects at Escape Studios

How do we mark Group Projects at Escape Studios? For our students studying with us on courses validated by Coventry University, we have a new simplified process for the marking of group projects.

Group work, also called Studio Projects, are marked according a formula which aims to take into account the judgment of tutors and our students themselves, but also allowing for individual contributions (more on this below). 

75% of the grade is awarded for the final Project, and 25% of the grade goes for the final Presentation of the project - usually a group presentation by all the members of the team (some Modules may include a retrospective or an individual Presentation). 

Project Mark - 75%

The Project Mark (sometimes called the Portfolio Mark, or Tutor Mark) makes 75% of the final Module grade.  This Project Mark is the same for everyone in the group, and is awarded by the tutor overseeing the project.  The grade is for the project, not for each students' contribution, so each person within the group will get the same Project Mark.  But this is subject to a Group Modifier (see below). 

Group Modifier (aka Team Rating)
Since not everyone in the group will have made an equal contribution to the project, the Project Mark is subjected to a Group Modifier (also known as a Team Rating). The Modifier is carried out anonymously and allows moderation of the project mark to differentiate between the contributions of individuals within the group.  Each member of the group has an allocation of marks that they can award to the other team members in proportion to their contribution.

How The Group Modifier (Team Rating) Works
For example, in a group of 6 students, each student would have 50 marks to award to the other five members. All 50 marks could be awarded to one group member, or the marks could be apportioned equally, where each member gets 10 marks, or any combination in between.

See the table below by way of example, in which Alex made a big contribution to the project, and Fred a rather smaller one.

Once the modifier marks are tabulated and an average produced, the average is used to adjust each students' final mark within the group. So, for example, see the table  below.

Modifier Algorithm

The Modifier is applied, using this formula:
FINAL_MARK = MIN(100,GROUP_MARK*(1+(STUDENT_MARK-10)/(NUMBER OF STUDENTS * 10)))

This algorithm produces the Final Project Mark for each individual student, which makes up 75% of their overall grade for the whole Module.

Presentation - 25%
The remaining 25% is awarded for the Presentation, an oral presentation of the project, in which each student describes their personal contribution to the group project. Some Modules may require instead a written Retrospective - check with your tutor to see if this applies. 

 

The Problem of "Free Riders"

Don't be a Free Rider

Some group projects have "free riders" - group members who contribute little or nothing to a project. These students cannot expect to pass the module. 

Group Project Moderation Form

Escape Studios Tutors have the final say to moderate marks in cases where students contribute significantly less (or indeed more) than was expected, including failing an individual group member.  

Ensuring Fairness

Moderated grade - Student "did not attend"

Moderation is an important part of how we ensure fairness in the system.  Tutors complete the
Group Project Moderation Form to adjust marks so the result is fair. 

Individual Contribution Form

To help tutors assess what each students did on the project, students will also fill out an Individual Contribution Form stating what that person did on the project. 

Second Marking

All marks are then Second Marked in the usual way. 

Marking at Escape Studios
To see more about how marking works at Escape Studios, follow the links below:

• Second Marking at Escape Studios
• Mit Circs & Extensions at Escape Studios

Teamwork at Escape Studios

BAFTA Shortlisted Jerich0 - Studio Project

To see more about teamwork at Escape Studios follow the links below:

• Why We Do Group Projects at Escape Studios
• Managing Team Projects at Escape Studios
• Group Projects - Six Rules for Success
• Group Projects in Peril - When Team Work Goes Bad
• The Escape Method - How it Works
• How Feedback Works at Escape Studios
• The Rookies Ranks Escape Studios in Top 5 Globally for Teamwork
• How to Make a Short Animated Film
• Framestore Brings Teamwork to Escape Studios
• How We Select Teams for Group Projects at Escape Studios

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects.  To apply for one of our courses, follow this link.