Group Assessment in Systems Analysis and Design: a comparison of the performance of streamed and mixed‐ability groups

The results from a controlled experiment in methods of group formation for a group assessment exercise on a second‐year systems analysis and design module are presented. The experiment was undertaken in response to analysis of module results from the previous 3 years. In the group assessments the members of each group received the same group grade. The experiment compared the performance of streamed and mixed‐ability groups. The results are analysed and discussed. It shows that high ability students obtain considerably lower grades in mixed‐ability groups than in streamed groups whereas the reverse is the case for students at the lower end of the ability range. The study also indicates that lower ability students do better in subsequent examinations after having worked in mixed‐ability groups than those in streamed groups whereas the reverse is the case for higher ability students. The implications of the results and directions for future research are discussed.