
Unit 1: Group work
During your studies you will be expected to work with other students in small groups. Group work can be an interesting and enjoyable experience for group members. However, to make it a positive experience you need to think about the process in advance.You will be expected to work with other students
on collaborative projects that will be assessed and will contribute to your
overall course marks.
Different types of group activity will require different skills. The LearnHigher’
Group Work learning area
gives the following examples of group work in higher education, click on the headings to see more information on the tasks involved and skills you will develop:
Task:
Prepare a small group presentation on a specified topic with a group of your peers. This is the most common form of group work and is widely used in a range of disciplines.
The purpose of a group presentation is to ensure that you understand certain key concepts and are able to work with others to present a summary of what you collectively understand.
You may be assessed individually or as a group and may be required to complete a peer assessment (of other members of your group) or a self assessment (of your own performance).
Skills you will develop:
presentation, communication, negotiation, decision-making, leadership, listening and interpersonal skills.
Task:
Solve a problem with your group at a particular time. These activities are often used at the start of the course to familiarise students and highlight some of the skills they will use on the course.
There is generally no right answer to the problem set, with the focus being on how the group approaches the problem (though success usually helps the group feel good about the exercise).
A common example is one where you are asked to rank a list of equipment in order of usefulness in a given situation both individually, and then as a group.
The group must agree on the rank order and certain constraints may be applied to the decision making method (such as, no majority vote).
Skills you will develop: problem solving, negotiation, lateral thinking, communication, organisation, listening and leadership.
Task:
Prepare a written piece of academic work in a group. This is a challenging task and the temptation may be for one person to write individually.
However as in most group situations, the value of working as a group is its potential for producing additional ideas, and effective groups are likely to generate a better output than an individual.
Skills you will develop:
research, communication, organisation, listening and academic writing.
Task:
Create an object (like a robot) with a group or create a film.
This type of activity can be a short or long term event. Group projects are a common method of assessing your understanding of concepts and ability to work as a group to apply the concepts.
You may be assessed on the object produced and also the process of achieving it, so be prepared to keep a learning journal of the experience.
Skills you will develop:
problem solving, planning, decision making, communication, organisation, listening and leadership
Task:
Conduct a meeting that will be observed. You may be given a scenario or asked to discuss a scenario relevant to your studies. This is also a common method used in Assessment Centres by employers, who are looking for what you contribute and how you do this, as well as the reaction from others.
Skills you will develop: problem solving, planning, presenting a case, communication, negotiation, listening and leadership.
Task:
Take part in team building activities to help you get acquainted with the group or to demonstrate the kind of skills you will use.
These would not normally be assessed and should help you identify some personality traits of others.
Activities are similar to group exercises but may be more physical in their nature.
A common example of a teambuilding activity is to get a group of people from one place to another with a set of constraints.
SMILE - Groupwork by Trans:it and modified by Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk/transit/students/6-group-work/.