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Weighing the Pros and Cons of
Group Work Assignments
While working with a Psychology
instructor recently, we engaged in a
very common debate on whether or
not to include a group project
assignment as part of the learner
assessment breakdown [more]
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Weighing the Pros and Cons of Group Work Assignments
Rick Nigol, Co-founder and Senior Consultant, eLearn Campus
While working with a Psychology instructor recently, we engaged in a very
common debate on whether or not to include a group project assignment as part
of the learner assessment breakdown in a newly revised online course. She
acknowledged that she had some very bad experiences in the past with group
work assignments in other courses, and noted that s tudents generally moan and
groan when they see these in the course outline. Students complain that it is
difficult coordinating work with their peers, and that the workload inevitably falls to
one or two persons, with the rest along for the ride. In the end, however, the instructor decided to
include a group work assignment, no matter what the difficulties. She reasoned when they get out
of school and into a job, they will have to work collaboratively in groups with others, so they may as
well start getting some practice at this. So she recognized that there are other valuable
competencies that her learners could develop that were above and beyond those related to the
subject of Psychology.
What are some of the benefits of group work ass ignments? Done correctly, group work assignments
can help learners develop competencies in:
Collaboration / teamwork
Communication / listening
Conflict management
Leadership / project management
Articulating and defending a position
Negotiating ability
Problem-solving
Of course that is not to say that group work assignments do not come with their fair share of
problems and challenges, particularly in an online course. Chief among these are:
Logistical challenges: coordinating a time when geographically-dispersed learners with
varying schedules can collaborate on projects
Lack of time to form strong group bonds
Personality conflicts among group membersHitchhikers in the group who are along for the ride and are happy to leave the work to others
Hijackers in the group who want to take over the project themselves
So what we can we do to maximize the benefits of group work and minimize its drawbacks? Here
are some tips.
Provide Clear Directions
You need to clearly lay out the goals of the assignment, directions on how it is to be completed,
and your expectations for the final product. While this should be the case for any assignment in
your course, it is especially important for group work ass ignments. Confusion and frustration will
grow exponentially times the number of group members if directions and expectations are not
crystal clear (Nigols Law).
Groups Must be an Appropriate Size
If groups are too big, it will be difficult to build group cohesion, and easy for group members to hide
and not do their fair share of work. If groups are too small, they miss out on benefitting from a range
of opinions, inputs and diverse experiences and abilities. Four or five is a good number for most
group activities.
Diversify Your Groups
Strive for heterogeneity in your groups. Try to get a good mix of majors, years and genders if
possible. Again, the idea is to encourage a diversity of viewpoints and talents to come together as a
whole -- that is better than the sum of its individual parts.
Allow Enough Time for Groups to Gel
A common mistake is to expect groups to produce their collective work in too tight a time frame.
Remember, groups need time to coalesce and work through their processes (i.e., forming, storming,
norming, performing, and all that).
Provide Some Guidance at the Outset
You can help groups get started by suggesting different roles that may be assigned within groups,
by setting out clear rules of netiquette, and by pointing to resources available on group work
(perhaps from your own institutions teaching and learning department or academic counseling
centre).
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Emphasize Individual Accountability
Although it is a group project, and a group mark may be assessed, you should let students know
that they will be held individually accountable for their contribution to the project. This is why it is
often a good idea to include an individual mark as part of the assessment, perhaps using peer
evaluations via transparent assessment rubrics. Again, the idea is to let learners know that there is
no hiding or slacking tolerated just because it is a group assignment.
Debrief on the Experience
Having a debrief with your students after the group assignment can serve two purposes. It provides
learners with a chance to reflect on their learnings with respect to group processes, communication,
conflicts, and the key attributes required in working with others toward common goals. And it
provides you with valuable insights to use in tweaking how you approach group work assignments in
the future.
Although I am a proponent of group work, I will not soft soap it. Group work can get nasty because
of personality c lashes among your students. However, try to resist the urge to jump in and fix things
(unless things get really ugly). Remember, urging your students to settle their own disputes is a
good way for them to develop important competencies that will serve them well in other situations.
Group work is often messy business, but then so is life. Protecting students from this is doing them
no favors.
Rick is a Co-founder and Senior Consultant at eLearn Campus, a full-service eLearning consulting
company. eLearn Campus offers a range of eLearning solutions for clients in higher education, the
corporate sector, government, non-profits, and associations.
www.eLearnCampus.com
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