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Group Work: The Importance of a Great Team

  Reading time 4 minutes

Cycling Team Time TrialFor the first time in my working life, I am going to be out of the office for three consecutive weeks. Planning for this time away has not only forced me to be as efficient as possible in the time leading up to my vacation, but also has gotten me thinking about the importance of a great team.

Bear with me a minute for a quick sports analogy. In professional cycling, there’s an event called the team time trial where an entire team (in this year’s Tour de France, 8 riders) works together by “drafting” in the aerodynamic slipstream of the riders in front of them, each rider taking a turn at the front and then rotating out of the line. If the team works well together and has a plan, it’s a beautiful event to watch. The first rider in the line does the hard work while the riders behind are able to save a ton of energy, and the team is able to go much faster than any individual rider could go on his or her own.

Right now, I feel like I am at the front of the paceline, working like crazy, but I know that in a couple of weeks, when I pull off the front, I’ll be able to sit in the slipstream and rely on my coworkers, trusting that everything is moving forward.

We know that most students hate group work (see 12 Reasons Why I Hate Group Projects or 23 Reasons Why Group Projects Should Be Wiped off the Face of the Earth) . However, most of them will also go on to work as part of a team, and being able to work effectively in a team is a soft skill that employers value. Research also shows that “educational experiences that are active, social, contextual, engaging, and student-owned lead to deeper learning” (Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation).

So, how to design group work that is both effective and engaging? I know I’m not breaking new ground here, but these are my top five strategies for making group work, well, work:

  1. Introduce the group project early. Give the students clear instructions and require regular updates for long-term projects.
  2. Encourage intra-group communication by having the group draft a contract that not only includes a schedule, goals, and roles/responsibilities, but also a communication plan and ground rules that take into account intercultural or learning differences.
  3. Be respectful of students’ time. If you have face to face class time, give the students some time in class to work on their group projects. If your class is completely asynchronous, consider asking students for their available/preferred work time and assigning groups according to availability, or letting students choose their own groups.
  4. Have the groups share their work with the class. Presenting to the larger group can increase motivation and encourage students to do higher-level work.
  5. Ensure accountability. Have students evaluate their own performance as well as that of the other members of the group.

Finally, be aware that group work is not right for all students. Margaret Finnegan’s “It’s Good Till It’s Not” is an excellent read on the ways that group work can disadvantage neurodivergent students, or students with particular social challenges.

More Resources for Group Work

Photo Credit: Bob Mical

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About Erin Kasprzak

Erin Kasprzak is an Instructional Technology Consultant and also teaches online for DePaul’s School for New Learning. She began working in higher education in 2006, primarily in instructional design and technology positions, and has been at DePaul since 2011. She is also a co-lead of DePaul’s Mobile Learning Initiative. Erin has a B.A. in English and History from Bradley University and an M.A. in Modern East European History from Indiana University, Bloomington. She spends as much time as possible on a bicycle—commuting, on a weekend group ride, or racing.

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