As educational organizations move toward online delivery, the burden on educators to assess and grade student work is complicated by many factors not associated with a regular classroom. While it is critical to establish the authenticity of online student submissions for group work, it can be difficult for a supervisor to determine the contribution of each member. This paper investigates a solution for assessment purposes using software forges (collaboration platforms that support collaborative software development over the Internet) to log the activity of students working as a team on a combined project.

The main focus of the investigation is to determine how supervisors can evaluate complex learning environments such as project-based tasks. The grading of project-based assessments with multiple criteria requires careful consideration and evaluation. For example, peer assessments and self-assessments can introduce errors because team members may find it difficult to estimate assessment criteria. Using a case study approach, the paper establishes that the proposed approach has similar outcomes to previous iterations of the same project-based assessment.

In their conclusion, the authors note that the purpose of the assessment instrument is to improve assessments rather than improve student grades, and the consistency of the results ensures the long-term sustainability of the assessment process. This paper should be significant to educators involved in virtual learning environments.