The Buddy Quiz: a collaborative assessment and a representation of the scientificenterprise

The form and function of a collaborative assessment known as a ‘Buddy Quiz’ is presented.The assessment is conducted in three successive phases over a contiguous 45–60 min classperiod. A portion of each quiz is completed in collaboration with one or two peers and aportion is completed without collaboration. The quiz is primarily summative and is alsodesigned to include formative aspects. The representation in the quiz of the scientificenterprise as collaborative and individualistic is discussed. The employment ofthis instrument in a ninth-grade (age 15 years) conceptual physics course in anindependent US secondary school is described and student feedback is presented.