Group projects are one thing that you cannot avoid while pursuing your education in college or university level. There will always be that moment when the lecturer or instructor will choose students randomly and group them into groups where they can work on a single project and be graded. As much as many students enjoy team projects, to others, it is a frustrating moment. But you don’t have to be among those that get frustrated. Below are some of the tips that you can use in your team to make it more successful (the do’s when working on a group project);
Get to know each other.
Most of the time it is the instructors who create these groups leaving no choice to the students but to work with those chosen for them. It, therefore, becomes hard for many students to be able to work together because in the first place they were not friends. In order to solve this problem and the frustration that comes with it is important for the team members to first know each other. The group member needs to schedule a meeting a soon as possible where the members get an opportunity to know each other and share past experience about group work. They may meet in the library, in the field or even in a local coffee shop. This meeting will help to build rapport or connections among the members thus making them to easily work together.
Split responsibilities.
After getting to know each other, the next thing that would follow is splitting responsibilities. Every member needs to be allocated a role to play in the completion of the project. If for example the group is made of five members, then the project needs to be split into five parts and each member to be given a part to complete. This ensures that there are no idlers in the group because some students may end sticking around while doing nothing yet at the end of the semester they will want to be graded for participation in the team project. Also, another important thing to consider when splitting responsibilities is that it would be shrewd to allocate topics to the members based on their strengths.
Create a time schedule and set a deadline.
Now that every member has been allocated responsibilities, the next thing should be to set a deadline when each person is expected to have completed his part of the work. By doing so it will ensure that no member will drag the others down because if one member fails to meet the deadline it will affect the whole group. The deadline should be shorter than that given by the instructor. Also, it is important to create a time schedule when members can be meeting for discussions and updates. It is important that the members meet often and discuss the project together before going to work on their parts.
Allow new ideas by letting every member to be heard.
As soon as the members have started working on the project and meet regularly, there will be a lot of discussions. These discussions are full of arguments and different opinions which is something normal. As much as there is fear that a lot of time may be wasted, there is a need to allow every member to air his view. The group discussions should not be dominated by just a few people. Every person who is part of the team must be heard, because their contribution matters. Allowing people to be heard will ensure that the team gets the best ideas for the projects at the end of the discussion.
Consider using online platforms.
We are in a digital world where we can interact with each other online even if we are not in the same room. There are many apps available that allow people to interact with each other anywhere in the world. When you have been allocated a team project it is important to have an online platform such as WhatsApp or hangouts where members can interact with each other on a daily basis. Communication online platform will complement physical meetings by allowing members to continue their discussion there.
There are however a number of things that every group should avoid in order to be successful. Some of the don’ts to avoid in group projects in colleges and universities include;
- Avoid procrastinating meetings and duties- Every member must adhere to the time schedule set at the beginning of the project to inconveniencing others.
- Avoid personal conflict- Any personal conflicts among the members should be solved outside the group. No personal difference should affect group work.
- Avoid being known it all- There are no better students than others when it comes to group work. Therefore it is important that even those that think that they know everything allow others also to contribute on various discussions about the project assigned.
- Avoid agreeing always- As a group member, you should not just agree to any idea, just because you want to avoid conflict. In case you have a conflicting view it is important to bring it out because it could be the right one.
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