Group work

This guide will help you think about group work and how you might design, facilitate and mark it more effectively.

Getting the basics right

Implementing group work assignments can be a valuable way to promote student learning, encourage teamwork and collaboration, and develop essential skills such as communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking. However, it can also present challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the success of the group work assignments. Here is some guidance on the best way to implement group work assignments for university students, highlighting the positive benefits and the issues involved:

Set clear goals and expectations: Before assigning a group work project, ensure that the goals, objectives, and expectations are well-defined and communicated clearly to the students. This will help to ensure that all group members are on the same page and working towards a common goal
Establish roles and responsibilities: It is essential to establish clear roles and responsibilities for each group member to ensure that everyone knows what they need to do and when. This can also help to prevent conflicts and ensure that the workload is evenly distributed
Provide guidance and support: Academic tutors should be available to provide guidance and support to the groups throughout the project. This can include providing feedback on their progress, answering questions, and addressing any issues that arise
Encourage communication: Communication is key in group work assignments. Encourage students to communicate openly and frequently with each other to ensure that they are working effectively as a team
Address group dynamics: Group work assignments can be challenging, particularly when working with students with different personalities, skill sets, and work styles. It is important to address any conflicts or issues that arise promptly to ensure that the group can continue to work effectively
Evaluate individual contributions: While the group works as a team, it is important to evaluate individual contributions to ensure that each group member has contributed to the project. This can be achieved through peer evaluation, self-evaluation, or a combination of both

Designing group work across the programme

In designing group work assessments, it is important to recognise the interplay between the process and the product. The focus on the process of working effectively in a group during the early years of a program or course helps students develop essential collaborative skills, such as communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork. By assessing and providing feedback on these process skills, students gain a foundation for producing more effective and high-quality group work products in later levels.

As students' progress through their program, the emphasis can shift towards evaluating the outcomes or products of group work. With a solid foundation in group process skills, students are better equipped to contribute their individual expertise and effectively collaborate to achieve the desired outcomes. Assessments at these later levels can thus emphasize the quality, innovation, and creativity of the group work products, while still recognizing the importance of effective group dynamics and process in achieving these outcomes.

By nurturing and assessing the process skills in the earlier years and gradually transitioning to product-focused assessments, students develop a holistic set of skills that enable them to excel in group work. Recognising the significance of both the process and the product empowers students to understand the integral relationship between effective collaboration and the production of high-quality outcomes, fostering their growth as collaborative contributors in academic and professional contexts.

Group allocation

How to create groups

The dominant group allocation is for student to be self-selecting (friendship grouping). It is crucial for staff to consider the potential drawbacks of forming groups based on student friendships. While it may seem comfortable and convenient, it can inadvertently perpetuate echo chambers, hindering diverse perspectives, inhibiting meaningful collaboration as well as leaving those with fewer friends in a group by themselves. Random allocation or purposeful selection, on the other hand, promotes inclusivity, enables the formation of diverse teams, and encourages students to engage with different viewpoints, fostering valuable learning experiences and enhancing interpersonal skills necessary for professional environments. ‘Pair friends’ approach has some merits, this is where students select a preferred friend, and these are combined to form larger groups. A ‘scientific process’ appears to be favourable to students, this is where a tutor lead criteria or rules-based process allocates students to groups (Kelly, 2008).

But students want to be with their friends

To help students recognise the benefits of not being grouped with friends, it is important to emphasize the potential for personal and academic growth through diverse collaborations. Educators can encourage students by highlighting the opportunity to broaden their perspectives, gain exposure to different ideas, and develop crucial teamwork and communication skills that will be valuable in their future professional endeavours. By fostering an inclusive and diverse learning environment, students can learn to appreciate the value of working with individuals from various backgrounds, enhancing their overall educational experience.

Groups need time to form regardless of the allocation method

A recommended approach for tutors to help groups form and work effectively is to provide structured guidance and support throughout the process. This can include facilitating an initial team-building session where members get to know each other, establishing clear group goals and roles, and encouraging open communication channels. Tutors can also offer regular check-ins or progress meetings to address any issues or conflicts that may arise and provide resources or tools to enhance collaboration, such as project management frameworks or communication platforms. By actively facilitating group dynamics, tutors can promote a positive and productive teamwork experience for all students involved.

Recommended marking group work practice

It is essential to avoid the practice of giving all group members the same mark, as it can undermine the fairness and accuracy of assessing individual contributions and demotivate the students to collaborate. Here are three reasons why this approach is problematic:

Inequitable distribution of effort: Assigning the same mark to all group members disregards variations in effort and individual contributions. It fails to recognize and reward students who actively engage, demonstrate critical thinking, or take on leadership roles within the group
Lack of accountability: By providing a uniform mark, students may feel less motivated to invest time and effort in the project, knowing that their grade will not be affected by the performance of their peers. This can result in free-riding behaviours, reduced accountability, and diminished learning outcomes
Inaccurate assessment of skills: Each student possesses a unique set of skills, knowledge, and abilities. By attributing the same mark to all group members, tutors overlook the opportunity to assess and provide feedback on individual strengths and areas for improvement, hindering the development of important competencies

To improve the assessment of group work, tutors can consider employing alternative methods, such as:

Peer evaluations: Implementing a structured peer evaluation process allows group members to assess the contributions of their peers, providing valuable insights on individual performance and promoting accountability within the group. See Buddycheck
Individual reflections or reports: Requesting individual reflections or reports alongside the group project allows students to articulate their specific contributions, challenges faced, and lessons learned. This approach enables a more comprehensive assessment of individual effort and growth
Establish clear expectations: Communicate the importance of tracking individual contributions from the beginning of the project. Explain to students that accurate records will help assess their individual performance and ensure fairness in grading
Provide guidance on record-keeping: Educate students on effective methods of documenting contributions, such as maintaining a shared document or using task management tools. Encourage them to track specific tasks, ideas generated, decisions made, and any challenges encountered during the group work process
Regular progress check-ins: Schedule periodic check-ins to review the records and discuss each student's documented contributions. These meetings provide an opportunity for students to reflect on their own involvement and contribute to the evaluation process
Consider records as evidence: Utilize the documented records as tangible evidence during the assessment process. Review the contributions documented by each student and evaluate their level of engagement, critical thinking, and active participation within the group

By adopting these alternative approaches, tutors can accurately assess individual contributions, foster a sense of responsibility, and provide students with personalised feedback to enhance their learning experience.