Date: Mon, 02 Dec 1996 15:11:50 GMT Server: NCSA/1.4.2 Content-type: text/html
In your first group meeting you should spend some time talking about how you are going to work. You should start by assigning a group coordinator. This position can rotate among the group members if you like, but there needs to be one person who takes the lead scheduling meetings and deciding on how the group should proceed. This person is not the boss, but tries to form group consensus and makes sure that what needs to get done gets done. At least once every week you should set goals and expectations for the group for the next week and discuss how each person will contribute. You should also take time to review how the group is working and decide on changes. Groups that don't work well together usually don't because there are conflicting expectations within the group. You need to talk these out. By the way, although email can be very useful for communicating, it cannot replace group meetings. You must meet at least once a week, and probably more.
When the group hands in a homework or project assignment, put the names of everyone who contributed to that assignment along with the amount contributed by each member. Normally credit would be spread out evenly. But if the group feels that one or two people have done more than their share, then they should indicate this. I will not pay great attention to this unless the amounts are way out of balance. I may use this in the end to nudge certain grades up a notch.
I know that many students resist the idea of working in groups. Here are some arguments often raised and my answer to them:
Learning is not a competitive sport. Grades are not curved in this course. Helping someone else to do better will not lower your grade. On the contrary, you will find that you will really understand whatever you teach to someone else. Studies (and there are lots of them) show that students in classes with collaborative learning score much higher on the same tests as students in traditional classes.
Almost any job you take, outside of forest ranger, will require you to work with others whether you like them or not. Knowing how to work with others is a very important skill.
It will take time at first to adjust to the group dynamics. You should spend some time at first deciding how you are going to work together and what role each person is going to have. Take the attitude that you have a job to get done and ask what needs to happen to get it done.
If a team member consistently lets down the rest of the group, then their name should not appear on the assignment. If there are problems getting a group going, please come talk to me about it. There is even the possibility of firing a group member.