Using Group Projects Effectively
Teamwork and collaboration are increasingly important skills in the work world, yet many instructors struggle to incorporate group work meaningfully into their courses. This section will provide advice for faculty employing group projects by examining the following topics:
As with all instructional strategies, group projects are most effective when they serve
instructional objectives.
It is important to clearly articulate the objectives of the assignment, explicitly define the task,
clarify your expectations, model high-quality work, and communicate performance criteria.
Decisions about group composition should be shaped by the objectives of the assignment. All decisions about composing groups will have consequences that are important for the instructor
to consider.
It is important to anticipate and prepare for potential problems and put policies and mechanisms
in place to deal with them if they arise.
All of the basic principles of assessment that apply to individual work apply to group work as well. Assessing group work has added wrinkles, however.
Sources:
Barkley, E.F, Cross, K.P. & Major, C.H. 2005)
Collaborative learning techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bosworth, K. (1994)
Developing collaborative skills in college students. In K. Bosworth & S.J. Hamilton (Eds), Collaborative learning: Underlying processes and effective techniques. New Directions in Teaching and Learning. No. 59. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T. & Smith, K.A. (1991)
Cooperative learning: Increasing college faculty instructional productivity. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports. No. 4. Washington, DC: George Washington University.
