Why and when to use group projects
As with all instructional strategies, group projects are most effective when they serve instructional objectives. In particular, group projects can:
- Allow students to tackle more complex problems and projects than they could on their own
- Enrich learning through the sharing of ideas and approaches among peers
- Increase motivation by activating social as well as intellectual goals
- Help students develop teamwork skills relevant to their future lives
- Increase faculty-student interaction in large classes
- Reduce the grading burden for instructors
While these are potential benefits, group projects can backfire if the structure of the assignment does not align with the assignment’s objectives. Therefore, it is important to consider a number of dimensions of group projects and think about how you will organize your project along these dimensions in order to accomplish your goals. These dimensions are represented below as continua.
Independence <–> Interdependence.
On one end of this continuum, students can divide up tasks and work independently of one another, assembling their individual pieces into a final product at the end. At the other end of the spectrum, students must complete every aspect of the project as a group, with no delegation to subgroups or individuals. If your objectives are product-focused, it may be appropriate to let students divide and conquer. If, on the other hand, your objective is for students to work together closely in teams, then you will probably want to structure greater interdependence into the project.
Structure <–> Freedom.
For some projects, a high degree of instructor control makes sense, for example if your goal is for students to work on the same project in order to compare and discuss solutions. However, if the objective of the project is to foster a greater degree of creativity and independence, then it makes sense to give students more freedom in shaping the project as they see fit.
Disciplinary <–> Interdisciplinary.
Some groups are specifically put together for well-defined disciplinary tasks, where homogenous composition becomes important. At the opposite end, some groups might be designed to give students real-world practice, where they will have to work together with others with very different knowledge, skills, and perspectives.
Product <–> Process.
In some situations the final product is all that matters, and that alone is evaluated. In others, fostering awareness of and reflection on internal group process is just as important, which demands a different emphasis in structure as well as evaluation.
Short <–> Long.
Some groups are established for relatively short projects; others are formed in the beginning of the semester and stay together until completion of the project at the end of the semester. If your goal is for students to work, over the course of the semester, with a variety of partners doing a variety of tasks, then assigning more short projects might make sense. If your objective is for students to see a complex project through from beginning to end, then longer assignments are appropriate.
Because of these dimensions of difference, it is difficult to provide simple how-to advice about group work. While there are general principles that research has shown to be effective, the way they are best implemented in particular courses will depend on the course and project goals as well as the skill level of students and the individual style of the instructor. For the purposes of this document, we will focus on projects that are fairly long-term, require interdependence, and emphasize group process.
Feel free to contact the Eberly Center to tailor group work to your particular course and context.
