![]() Consider asking them to list positive and negative aspects of groups based on their previous experiences and then to brainstorm strategies for preventing or mitigating potentially negative aspects of group work. ![]() If students haven’t taken group projects seriously in previous courses or if their experiences were negative, it may affect how they approach assignments in your course. This activity serves to reinforce the process goals for group work assignments.Īddress negative or inaccurate preconceptions about group work. The instructor then contrasts their answers with the answers given by actual employers, who often focus on domain-general process skills such as “the ability to communicate clearly” and “the ability to work with others”. ![]() Often students answer this question with a set of domain-specific skills, such as drafting or computer programming. One instructor asks students to generate a list of skills they believe employers look for. StrategyĮmphasize the practical importance of strong teamwork skills.Įxplain the value of teamwork skills in (and outside) the workplace by offering real-world examples of how teams function and illustrating what can go wrong when teamwork skills are weak. Here are a few things you can do both to help students develop these skills and to see their value in professional life. integrate the contributions of multiple team members.listen to alternative ideas and perspectives.Students also need to know how to handle issues that only arise in groups, for example, to: break the task down into steps or stages.assess the nature and difficulty of a task.To work successfully in groups, students need to learn how to work with others to do things they might only know how to do individually, for example to. By the same token, the teamwork skills they learned in one context (say on a soccer team or in a theatrical production) may not be directly applicable to another (e.g., a design project involving an external client.) The instructor rotates students through these roles, so that they each get practice performing each function.ĭevote time specifically to teamwork skillsĭon’t assume students already know how to work in groups! While most students have worked on group projects before, they still may not have developed effective teamwork skills. In a semester-long research project for a history course, the instructor assigns students distinct roles within their groups: one student is responsible for initiating and sustaining communication with the rest of the group, another with coordinating schedules and organizing meetings, another with recording ideas generated and decisions made at meetings, and a fourth with keeping the group on task and cracking the whip when deadlines are approaching. Because students have limited resources, they cannot divide tasks but must strategize and work together.Īssign roles (.doc) within the group that will help facilitate collaboration. In a short-term project for an architectural design course, the instructor provides student groups with a set of materials (e.g., tape, cardboard, string) and assigns them the task of building a structure that conforms to particular design parameters using only these materials. Limit resources to compel students to share critical information and materials. The fun and intensity of a public competition encourages the team to work closely together to create the best design possible. In one engineering course, teams compete against one another to design a boat (assessed on various dimensions such as stability and speed) by applying engineering principles and working within budgetary and material constraints. To complete the assignment successfully, students from different disciplines must draw on one another’s strengths.Ĭreate shared goals that can only be met through collaboration. In one course on game design, group assignments require students to create playable games that incorporate technical (e.g., programming) and design skills. Here are a few ways to create interdependence: StrategyĮnsure projects are sufficiently complex that students must draw on one another’s knowledge and skills. ![]() If collaboration is your goal, structure the project so that students are dependent on one another. While some instructors don’t mind if students divvy up tasks and work separately, others expect a higher degree of collaboration.
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