Photo by: Nick Thornton
Hate it or love it, you definitely can’t escape it! Why is group work so popular among your profs? The short answer is that group work can be a great tool for learning. And, what you learn from participating in group work will serve you well in school, work and in life. In general, group work helps us to develop skills in the following areas:
- Communication
- Conflict resolution
- Project management
- Collaboration (teamwork)
- Planning
- Personal resource development (flexibility, organization, time management, commitment)
Think about the last job interview you had. Chances are you were asked at least one question related to the skills above. Group work can be equally painful and rewarding but it will definitely prepare you for the challenges of life.
Surviving Group Work Online
These tips have been adapted from UBC’s Groupwork Wiki . If you have your own tips or resources to share, please contribute to the wiki!
The skills that you need for group work in general are the same as those you need for group work online. There are a couple of key differences which you can address with some careful planning:
- It takes more time an effort to build trust online (the first online meeting is key)
- Your work will be supported by a variety of technologies to enable communication, writing and any multimedia components.
One of the misconceptions about group work is that it is less work. While group work and group assignments are great tools for learning, they can also be challenging, and evolve into total chaos if students aren’t clear about how they should function as a group. Effective group work takes practice, so be patient in the process!
The graphic below illustrates various strategies and resources that are all part of the puzzle in support of effective group work. Click on a topic to get started. You may want to start in the centre with group process and work your way out from there.
If you prefer, you can access the group work topics via the links below:
I believe that working in a team environment teaches you some invaluable things, most importantly it teaches you about yourself, it also teaches you to understand others e.g. personality, tolerance, patience and it teaches you to listen.
I am a mature aged student and I can say without doubt, that team work is the only way to success. The ability to work with others can be invaluable. It is important to be able to put your opinions out there, but success comes only when you can listen to others as well.
Thanks for your words of wisdom, Lesley.