Group Work

Learn & Reflect

Name
Email
Not necessary but helpful if you want to refer to the form later or discuss it with your advisor or coach.

Think back to your last group assignment. What made it a good learning experience? What interfered with your learning?*

Reflect on your last group project. What did you learn about yourself through the process? Want do you want to improve about your approach to group work?*

Consider a group project that is coming up for you. What do you hope to gain from the project? Why do you think it is important for each member to state their personal goal for the project? *

Think about the first meeting of a group. From what you have learned so far, what do you think should be covered in that first meeting and why?*

Reflecting on these "process" roles, which one do you think would suit you? Why?

Consider your answer to the previous question about first group meetings. Note the items on this list that you also had included and which were missing from your earlier list.

List all of the digital tools and applications you already use that could support collaboration. List others that you have heard about and want to explore.

Identify the three most important things that you could do to contribute to a functional group process.

Which topic do you want to learn more about?*
- Communicating Effectively
- Tools for Collaboration
- Resolving Conflict

Imagine that you are in the middle of a group project and a group member doesn't have her assigned part ready for your meeting. Using the above communication techniques, how would you approach this?
Imagine that you are in the middle of a group project and a group member doesn’t have his assigned part ready for your meeting. The other group members are angry and frustrated because deadlines are looming. Using the above suggestions, what would you do?
Consider that you are working on a group project entirely on-line. What do you need to know before you make a decision about the best tool to use to support your group?

Consider one of the common challenges that you have experienced as a group member. From what you have learned so far, what steps would you take to prevent it from happening in future?

What to Do

Step 1: Review the goals for the toolkit to see if this matches your interests.
Step 2: Enter your name and email if you want to send this to yourself or your advisers for discussion
Step 3: Advance the slides by clicking the next button under the slide and following the question.
Step 4: Reflect and respond to the questions and statements as required if you want to make the most of the toolkit.
Step 5: Click submit when you’ve completed the questions and review your responses.

Review and print the Tips for Group Work Success pdf if you like and be sure to check the Go Further section for some additional resources on the topic!

Please tell us what you think of this toolkit. 4 questions-5 minutes!

Review

Top Five Strategies:

Plan sufficient time for a good first meeting

First meetings are key to setting a
good tone. Plan enough time to:
1. learn people’s goals for the project
2. learn people’s strengths
3. assign roles
4. set up a meeting schedule
5. review tools you will need to set up to
support your work (google docs, wiki
page, etc.)

Be clear about group members’ goals

so that the group has a clear idea of what people expect to get from the group project process. Goals are important to motivation.

Know your strengths

and take time to learn what others can bring to the table. Consider these strengths when assigning roles or project tasks.

Remember that conflict is natural

Conflict is natural and can be necessary to achieve collaboration. Learn to manage it by:
1. developing effective communication
skills.
2. working towards mutual understanding.
3. keeping group interests at forefront.
4. being flexible in looking for solutions.
5. making sure solutions work for
everyone.

Get everyone working

Get everyone working by:
1. assigning tasks that play to their strengths.
2. assigning a progress checker role to follow up on progress and tasks.
3. using meetings to review progress and provide guidance and support where needed.
4. choosing a good online tool to help you collect and respond to each others ideas/ questions between meetings.

Review and print the Tips for Group Work Success pdf