Figure 1!Example of an observational checklist with criteria used to judge student ability to collaborate in a group setting
The checklist may also include role-specific criteria for a particular exercise. For example, if a student were playing the role of a mediator in a conflict situation, the observation criteria might include whether the student used positive or negative inducements to get the parties to compromise, whether the student maintained a neutral stance or took sides with one of the parties, and whether the student was able to identify commonalities to unite the parties. The end goal is to get the conflicting parties to engage in constructive dialogue and reach a negotiated settlement, but whether or not they reach a settlement is only part of the exercise, the negotiation process itself and how it is conducted are the key parts of the exercise. By examining the observation criteria, one can ascertain with a fair degree of accuracy what the learning objectives are for the collaborative activity. When the criterion “respects the opinions of others” is considered, it becomes obvious that one of the objectives is that “the student will demonstrate respect for others and their opinions in verbal interactions with other group/team members.” This mirroring of wording exists when learning objectives are used to write the assessment criteria and ensures that the instructor's observations are assessing what is to be learned. Sometimes the observation checklist can be used explicitly in a debriefing. The observation criteria may not be based on “right” or “wrong” behaviors stemming from the learning objectives, but on different approaches taken in the exercise. When a note is made of these different approaches, this can be used to reflect on the final outcomes during the debriefing session. For example, if the parties did not reach a final agreement and the mediator did not use positive inducements with the conflicting parties, then the students might conclude that following a different approach could yield different results. The contrast and comparisons become even more interesting if one group of students took a different approach from another group and had either similar or different results. The observational checklist helps capture what is occurring during the exercise itself and allows for assessment and further reflection afterwards.