By Michael R Jiroutek (Campbell University), Laura Le (University of Minnesota), Steven Foti (University of Florida), V. N. Vimal Rao (George Washington University)
Information
Collaborative Keys (CKs) are an active learning technique that provides students with the opportunity to work together to create an answer key for any assignment. A collaborative document (e.g., Google Docs) is used to provide continuous engagement in the learning process. Students jointly generate and refine answers while teachers provide real-time feedback. This approach is adaptable for any learning environment (e.g., in-person, hybrid, synchronous online, asynchronous online), student population, and learning assignment (e.g., activity, homework). It is also consistent with approaches to maximize student learning, such as alternate grading, low-stakes/low-stress assessments, and cooperative learning. Especially in online courses, CKs help foster a sense of community, with authentic interactions between students and between students and teachers. From our experience across four universities, with different student populations (undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional students in the health sciences), different class sizes (as small as 8 students and as large as 90 students), and different course formats (in-person, hybrid, synchronous online, asynchronous online), we will advocate for the utility and adaptability of CKs through demonstrations of how we implement CKs. We will also provide examples of assessments, examples of students’ work and evaluation of their work, and resources to inspire the implementation of CKs.