Instructor Blog #5: Working in Groups
Submitted by tghering on Sat, 06/14/2008 - 12:50.
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Quite frankly, most instructors (including me) are hesitant to assign group projects to students. We have bad memories from our undergrad days of doing entire group projects by ourselves, and we are skeptical of the ability of students to work together effectively and equally. The challenges of teamwork are only exacerbated by our distance ed course, where group members may never meet face to face. But group work is a reality of the professional workplace, and you will need to be able to work productively in teams to accomplish complex tasks quickly. Often, you will have to work remotely with employees at other sites or companies. In that respect, our class set up is ideal for practicing group work. This project is probably not going to be easy, or especially fun. I anticipate frustrations. But the situation you are placed in here is becoming more and more common in the work world, so you need to be ready to face it.
To lower the frustration of the project, I have put several checks in place. First, I have divided the project into several stages to ensure that work is getting done over these four weeks instead of by one person the day before the project is due. Secondly, I have instituted work blogs that require every group member to report weekly on his or her work. Sure, you can not do any work, irritate your group members, and then lie on the work blogs, but at the end of the semester, every group member will report the accuracy of their team’s work blogs. If you’re not doing any work, I will find out, and I will lower your grade . . . significantly. However, so far everyone has been working hard and getting things done, so I'm not expecting too many problems. On the other hand, if you are worried about doing your team’s entire project, don’t be. In the past, work blogs have been fairly effective in ensuring that work is distributed fairly.
The final check is team activity reports due every week in which the team reports what they have accomplished. Unlike the individual work blogs, which are mostly for this class, activity reports are similar to the reports you will have to give a boss about your group’s progress. Bosses want to keep track of what a team is doing, what problems are arising, how much things are costing, etc, so they often request reports at regular intervals to check in. These activity reports do the same thing for your team. I want to make sure things are going smoothly, and I want to address problems that arise. So make your activity reports specific and detailed so I know how things are going.
I also have a few pieces of advice to help your teamwork. I know people often associate advice on working in teams with doing cheesy activities like trust falls or ropes courses, or with ridiculous metaphors like “Your team is your family!” or “Working in a team is like serving in the Spartan military!” Despite the abundance of cheesy advice, there are some practical strategies that will improve your team work.
Communicate often through reliable channels. Everyone's email address is listed in the Members link in the navigation bar, and I expect that you will contact each other the day that groups are assigned to begin the project. Your group also will have a wiki page (a page that any user can edit) on the course site for communication. As you work, don’t go a week (or a day in some cases) without giving updates. Communicate regularly to keep up on the progress of the project. Many students have used instant messenger in the past as an effective communication tool. Sure, communication is obvious, but it’s also easy to put communication off. Don’t just assign roles and come back together a few days before the due date to polish things up. I can almost guarantee a bad grade with this strategy.
Plan. The project is broken down into steps to help your group organize its work. Still, your group needs a plan to figure out who is doing what when. I have assigned a Gantt chart to help you with this. A Gantt chart is basically a complex graph that maps out your projected process. Take this seriously, and use it to figure out what your group is going to accomplish and when. Plan out all four weeks now, so that you don’t get stuck with too much work at the end of the term. Then stick to the plan. Though you can be willing to adjust your plan if the need arises, you should follow the plan pretty closely.
Delegate Well. One of the hardest things to do in a group is to delegate responsibility. As you delegate, figure out what needs to be done and how to divide up this work fairly. Make sure the work loads are even. Also, delegate to members’ particular skills. If one person is good with Excel or graphic design, put that person on crafting the visuals. If another person is good at copy editing, put that person on polishing your document. Again, this is common sense stuff that is often hard to do in real life situations. Also, as you delegate, figure out when something can be done by individuals and when it must be done by the whole group. Your Gantt chart, for instance, should probably be done as a group effort. Also, your final reports need to be read like they were composed by one author, not 3-4 different people, so figure out how you will unify sections written by different people. That will involve talking about how to do something before you do it, not coming back together afterwards and trying to make everything mesh.
Recognize Member Personalities. By now, all of you pretty much know what role you play in a group project. Maybe you’re the person who doesn’t say much. Maybe you’re the person who takes charge immediately. Maybe you’re the slacker who puts things off. Maybe you’re the person who would rather be working alone. Whoever you are, recognize your personality in relation to everyone else’s. If you are the slacker, don’t get mad when other members get on your case about doing more work. If you’re the perfectionist, realize that you redoing other team members’ work will hurt their feelings. If you’re the natural leader, don’t overwhelm everyone else. There is more about negative group roles you'll want to avoid taking on in this week's reading "Feuds in Student Groups." Be honest with yourself and the rest of the team members. And follow the old advice about walking in someone else’s shoes.
I hope this project is a positive experience, and at the very least, remember that you are gaining skills for the workplace. Unless something drastic comes up, I will not mediate group conflicts. I expect you to do your work. So do everything to resolve problems in your group before you come to me--it is literally the last resort when the group cannot move forward for some reason. Part of group work is developing methods for handling conflict.
Good luck.
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Online Group Project Thoughts
I have to be honest – when I first heard we were doing a group project in an online class, I thought it was a crazy idea. My last memory of a group assignment is one that consisted of a group of ten people attempting to work together and all of the work coming together at the last minute (with much of it falling on just a few of us to get it done). Basically, it was a bad experience and we were all in one location! After reading this blog, I am a little more at ease because of the several checks that have been put in place for the project. I’m still slightly nervous about communication, but I am sure it will be doable and will be a great learning experience for future group work in the business world no matter what.
Response
I think group work is challenging in all situations, especially distance learning. However, the checks that are in place are encouraging. I think that if we're all keeping track of what we're doing and reporting it, it will be easier to tell who's working hard and who isn't. It will be interesting to see if we can communicate effectively without ever meeting face to face. I guess that's what the course is all about--learning to communicate effectively, so this will probably be a great lesson. If our group is close enough, are we allowed to meet up if we desire to do so?
Kevin's Comments about Online Group Project
I have to say in all honesty I was not thrilled to learn that we had to do a group project for this class. I have done one other online class and participated in a group project, which failed terribly. I was the only one who did the work even though I sent numerous e-mails to my other team members. Unfortunately, in that class we all received the same grade - so participation did not matter.
I agree that teamwork and communication are very important in the workplace. In my area of study, Organizational Leadership and Supervision, it will be important for me to feel comfortable working in a team.
I feel good knowing that in this course there will be checks put in place. Thank you for that. I would also like to say that as I have been reading all of the other work of those in this class I feel comfortable in the fact that everyone will want to do their best and be a team player. So I say - bring it on!
Response
You nailed it perfectly in the first paragraph. Group projects are probably one of the most dreaded things that students have to do. I know that I cringe at the sound of group projects and adding the online aspect makes me cringe even more, but after reading this blog, I feel as though this project will be bearable. I believe your checks will make everyone be more accountable for what they do and will motivate everyone to do their part. The most difficult aspect of this project will probably be communication. If the group can communicate well, then I think the project will run smoothly. At the conclusion of this project, I hope it proves to be a real valuable learning experience about working in groups to accomplish a project.
Response
I thought working in groups online was crazy too! I seldom like to work in groups at school, because I sometimes feel like certain members of the group, do not deserve the same grade as others in a group who have put forth overwhelmingly amounts of effort during projects and assignments.
I do feel relieved that there are certain checks going into group work though. I wish our classes at Purdue had more of these, because normally the only check we have are some meaningless group evaluation sheets that most people are too nice to tell the truth on. (I’m guilty on that one!)
Though, in the real world, some of us will be working with numerous people, so we just have to make-do with the situation, and hope for the best!
Instructor Blog #5 Response
I am actually really looking forward to doing this project. We have been working individually for such a long portion of the class; I am excited to start interacting with other individuals. Also, I think this will give us all an idea about how to communicate in the work world. As our world continually keeps growing in technology, we keep learning new ways to communicate with others. It will be beneficial to use these forms of technology to communicate with our group members. A friend of mine recently graduated and now works in Washington D.C. as a data analyst. She told me that a lot of the co-workers that even work within the same building communicate through Windows Messenger to get things accomplished effectively.
In the past, I have had some troubles with working in group projects simply because most of the work had fallen on me and another classmate. However, I did not always mind because I just wanted to ensure a higher grade for our team. After reading through this blog, I feel more assured that this will not be the case. By assigning a Gantt chart, I think that all our time will be allocated efficiently and each task will be completed. I also like the idea of assigning group updates to make sure everyone is pulling their weight. Ultimately, I am looking forward to this project.
Response to Instructor Blog #5
When I found out that we were going to be working in groups, I was very skeptical. Every group experience I have had thus far in college has been different. I expect this service learning project to be very unique in that I have never completed a group project without working in person with my team. I am very interested to see how this project will turn out. Many times in groups, it is easy to tell by body language and other actions who will be the leader, slacker, and the individuals who do only their part, but in this project, we do not have that luxury of meeting in person. The main problem I foresee occurring is communication issues. I know, many times I will work ahead because I have conflicts in my schedule and may not be able to access the internet on a certain day, and I hope issues such as that do not disrupt the flow of the project. I feel that if the group starts of well, and lays out what everyone needs to do right away, then the project should go very well.
comment
Working on an online group project will certainly be an interesting experience, but the blog makes some good points. You said that group projects are common in business and often employees are far away, and in that sense I do agree that this project will serve as good real world experience. I do expect the project to be challenging because everyone has their own schedule since this is an online class. Some people do the work a day ahead some do it a minute before deadline, so it will be interesting to see how the planning turns out. I like the checkpoints, blogs, and charts to ensure work is being completed in a timely manner. Overall, I look forward to learning from this project.
Response
I believe that working in groups can be difficult at times especially if there is a slacker in the group. The only way for project to be divided evenly is for people to be honest about what the others in the group are doing. Sometimes it is hard for us to call out someone who is slacking because we want to avoid confrontation, but if we want the project done correctly then confrontation is inevitable. Since this is an online class it will be easier for us to tell the teacher how the other students are doing because we won’t have to talk to the student face to face.
Thoughts on Group Project
Like most other responses to this blog, I was very uneasy when I first learned we had a group project for this class. I have had a few bad experiences with group projects in the past, and all of the members lived on the same college campus. It was difficult for all of us to find time to meet, and we had difficulty with every person participating equally on the project. However, after reading this blog, my uneasiness has calmed quite a bit. I believe the checks that have been outlined for this project will really aide in the communication and effectiveness of the groups. Honestly, with the way this group project is structured, it might in fact be a little easier than other group projects I have been a part of. I will really take all of these tips provided into account when working on this project.
response
Ashley M. Rooney
The project should be interesting especially since we won't meet together, I wonder if members will be more or less considerate since we never have to see each other and probably won't run into one another at school. I am thrilled our instructor will be keeping tabs on who does what work because that was a big concern of mine. Usually I despise group projects but I think this one won't be as bad. I need to take a look at that Gnatt thing, I really have no idea what it is but I hope it helps delegate activities. I also hope for a group that has the same vision and creative direction because I hate having to go with ideas I really don't care for.
Response to Group Work
Personally, I am not a big fan of group work. My last experience, in OBHR 230, was terrible. One of my group members dropped out in the middle of the project while the other chose to do the bare minimum, leaving me and another to finish and present the project. I think that this project is going to be very challenging, especially because we will never meet with our groups face-to-face, but it is going to teach us some valuable skills. Group work is common in the workplace, so I think it is important to learn how to work with others in an efficient, professional manner.
Bethony Vernaglia
Response
I must say I have to agree with the rest of the class by saying I usually have bad experiences with group projects. It always seems that I am left doing all the work while other group members slack off. That is why I like how you are requiring us to keep blogs of what we are doing. The multiple checkpoints will also help this project run smoother. This will ensure that our group is getting things done on time and we will not have to scramble around the night before the final project is due. Hopefully this group project will be a better experience than the previous ones I have encountered.
Group Project Response
Group projects are my worst memory of college and high school. I always seem to be the person doing all the work with no help or input from other members. I am a little excited to experience doing group work via the internet because I have witnessed multiple instances where this takes place at my current job. I agree that learning to work together is vital for the workplace and these days it is even more important using different communication tools. Taking online summer courses is ambitious so my partners in this situation will have a good work ethic! I am a huge planner, just a heads up to my group members. This planning should help us in the end though!
Response to Instructor Blog # 5
When I first heard that we were going to have a group project in an online class, I didn’t know what to expect. As I have seen in posts by other students, no one looks forward to group work. Personally, I have had both good and bad experiences working in groups. Having several checks throughout the project will defiantly help make sure everyone is doing their part and will stay on time. Communicating with all the members will be extremely important. Not being able to meet in person will make communication amongst the group members harder, but I believe with the technology today (e-mails, AIM, phones, etc.) we will be able to have plenty of contact with each other.
Comment
I really thought the ideas that were given about how to work well in groups were very helpful, there has been many times that I've had to get on someone's case about not getting their work done in a group project, and many times that I wish they would have just excepted the fact that they are a slacker and they just needed to get their stuff together and get their work done. I've always seemed to be the leader of the group, I do like to work by myself but at the same time I like being in a group, and I'm always the one that steps up and sets up the meetings and delegates each part of the project. So I think this project is going to be very interesting.
reply
Ashley M. Rooney
So now instead of speculating we are in the midst of the project! I can say communication was very difficult at first online and I'd like to know how others overcame it. Into week 6 our group has definitley improved communication. You have to pick an avenue of com. and stick with it. For us it was mass group email. Did IM work for you guys? The wiki page was abandoned almost immediatley, I'll look at other groups to see if they utilized it. I don't think this project is horrible or anything, it goes well as long as everyone responds to emails and keeps up with the work. You mentioned being the organizer of groups you are in. I find members MUST be proactive and not wait for someone to tell them what to do.
Reply to Ashley
Ashley,
The avenues of communication that we chose were through email and AIM. We each posted one comment on the WIKI page at the beginning of the project and that was it. Everyone already checks their email on a regular basis, so we figured that would be the best way to contact each other. Also, we sent rough drafts through email and left comments through email about what was done. For the Gantt chart, we used AIM to talk. This was at the beginning of the project, so we also set out goals and who was doing what during this time on AIM. AIM worked well since sometimes it takes time to receive and respond to e-mails. On AIM, we were there to chat and able to accomplish a lot during this time.
response
I have friends who have taken ENGL 420 before but on campus during the regular semesters. I knew that this course involved group work, but I never expected the online version of this course to include a group project. It should be an interesting experience that will teach us how people in the business world have to work. I may have brought this up in another response or blog, but my mom does exactly this type of communication with her team for work every day. She works from home as do her teammates and they have to rely in email and other forms of distant communication to work together.
You had mentioned email and our wiki page being the best sources for collaboration in a previous email, but I am glad you brought up instant messaging in your communication section. IMs will allow us to contact each other and be working with each other in real time (rather than sending emails and waiting for long periods of time for responses). I hope my group will utilize instant messaging to make it easier to actually work with each other.'
You also brought up that this project may not seem fun, but I don't think that is something we should be focusing on. This is supposed to give us a perspective on how things work in the real world, and those things are not always fun. I am looking forward to this project in that it is going to be a challenge but a good overall experience.
response to instructor's blog #5
Honestly I was not thrilled at all to know that we had to do a group project for this class. I am really struggling to keep up with this class due to busy work and other classes’ schedules, and now we’re going to have group work? What kind of mess did I put myself into?! Group work is challenging enough in a real life situation, where everybody met each other and even has the chance to become ‘buddy’ with one another. How can I work with other people that I have never met before? I know that in the work place, we form groups with others who we have never met before. This is part of my job as an IT application support. I have to be able to work together with people that I’ve never seen or talked to before just because we work for the same company and we share the same goal. But this is part of my job, and I got paid to do so. I’m just concern with group work for the class because I haven’t been able to keep up with the class. Just hope that it works out.