# Welcome to SMIRK Unit
1 - Group work

- Group work
- Ground rules
- Challenges
- Presentations
- The information you present
- Managing conflict
- And finally ...
- Back to main index

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SMIRK - Groupwork by Trans:it, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk/transit/students/6-group-work/. .

# Group work

At GCU we expect you to work with other students in small groups. Group work can be an interesting and enjoyable experience. However, to make it positive, 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. LearnHigher give the following examples:

- Group presentation: Prepare a presentation on a specified topic with a group of your peers. The aim 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 asked to complete a peer assessment (of other members of your group) or a self assessment (of your own performance).
  Skills developed: presentation, communication, negotiation, decision-making, leadership, listening and interpersonal skills.
- Group exercise: 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 developed: problem solving, negotiation, lateral thinking, communication, organisation, listening and leadership.
- Group essay: Prepare a written piece of academic work in a group. This is a challenging task and it may be tempting for one person to write individually. However, 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 developed: research, communication, organisation, listening and academic writing.
- Group project: 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 them. 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 developed: problem solving, planning, decision making, communication, organisation, listening and leadership
- Group meeting: 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 developed: problem solving, planning, presenting a case, communication, negotiation, listening and leadership.
- Team building activity: 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 is to get a group of people from one place to another with a set of constraints.

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SMIRK - Groupwork by Trans:it, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk/transit/students/6-group-work/

# Ground rules

Most students have had experience of being a member of a group before they come to university, including family, employment and social groups.
Every group of people will begin to form its own ground rules and ways of working together. The roles of people in these groups can be formal and made explicit - complete with titles, like ‘team leader’; or the roles that people play may be informal and accepted as ‘natural’. For example, the role of an older family member may be implicitly acknowledged and accepted by others without question – because that’s the way it is!
So group work at university will bring with it a mixture of the unfamiliar with the familiar; familiar, in that it is yet another social situation to be negotiated and navigated. But unfamiliar too, in that the 'rules of the game' are unknown, and that the student's previous education experience may not have included much opportunity to work closely with a group of culturally diverse strangers - for assessment purposes.

Group work presents an opportunity to:

- Share your ideas and find solutions to problems
- Work closely with students from a range of different cultural and social backgrounds
- Develop important career skills, such as team working and time management: essential for most jobs today
- Discover your specific strengths in group or team working
- Learn how to deal with challenge and conflict
- Gain new, additional, and even creative perspectives on study topics
- Get to know socially a small group of students
- Make new friends
- Develop your communication skills

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SMIRK - Groupwork by Trans:it, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk/transit/students/6-group-work/

# Challenges

However, group work - particularly when assessment is involved - also presents a challenge. It can be a very new experience for many students, so they may not know what is expected of them and so do not gain from the group, or contribute to it, as much as they could.

Exercise:
Imagine you have joined a group of relative strangers to work on a collaborative project that will be judged and assessed by others. There are ten of you. From the start things go badly wrong - and get worse! Group members fail to get on with each other and fail to work together successfully on the project. So, what would cause this to happen?
Try and separate out the reasons into two types:

1. Process related reasons (the procedures for running the group don’t work). An example: There are no ‘ground rules’ agreed, on, for example, when, where and how often the group will meet
2. People related reasons (there are problems among the group members themselves). An example: One or two people try to dominate the others

Think of as many reasons as you can.

Key points Assessed group work contributes to your overall course marks. It is a good way of meeting other people from different social and cultural backgrounds. It can be a challenging experience, but it helps to know in advance what problems might occur so you can be ready to deal with them.

Many problems in groups stem from the individual members themselves. Specific problems, particularly talking too much – or not at all - often arise from anxiety and misunderstanding. But we all have strengths to contribute to the success of any group – and weaknesses that we need to be aware of.

It may help to consider the personality types of the group members. A useful guide to the Myers-Briggs personality test is available in Unit 2 of the TransIT site. You can use it for self assessment and reflection.

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SMIRK - Groupwork by Trans:it, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk/transit/students/6-group-work/

# Presentations

An important part of group work is giving a group presentation of project findings. Your group is likely to be given a task to carry out research, and then to give a presentation of your findings.

This might be a presentation to fellow students, or to a small group of assessors, usually tutors. As the presentation is assigned a mark by tutors, it goes towards the overall marks of individual students – an individual is part of a group; and the group marks affect the individual.

Although you are part of a group, you will have an individual role to play in the presentation, and you would normally negotiate this role with other group members in advance.

So this section is about what makes an effective presentation. This knowledge can help you in other spheres of life - making a speech at a wedding, or other occasion, so read on…

Good and Bad Presentations
Think about presentations you have seen or heard in the past. What were the elements of both good and poor presentations? Think about this, perhaps discuss it with a group.

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SMIRK - Groupwork by Trans:it, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk/transit/students/6-group-work/

# The information you
present

For assessment purposes, a group presentation will involve all the group, with someone introducing and concluding the presentation, and individual members each presenting a part of it. You can present information in a variety of ways, but the most popular and effective tend to be by using:

- a flip-chart
- a poster
- PowerPoint presentation

Whichever medium for presentation you use:

- Keep your words and images clear and simple.
- Don’t crowd each sheet or slide with detail - just stick to three or four points per sheet (people tend to remember ideas that are presented in clusters of three).
- Make sure that all the people in all parts of the room can read what you have written.
- Use bullet points, rather than large blocks of text in sentences.
- Make sure you present your ideas in a clear sequence.
- Don’t be afraid to attempt a drawing - you don’t have to be a great artist, and you can make a joke of your efforts. Drawings, can often convey an idea better than words.
- Put complicated figures and diagrams on to a handout - don’t attempt to put these on to visual aids.

The Communicating Information module has more detailed hints and tips on presentations and how to manage your nerves.

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SMIRK - Groupwork by Trans:it, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk/transit/students/6-group-work/

# Managing conflict

We have already considered what conflicts can arise in a group. We will now look at ways of identifying and managing group conflicts.

To make this as realistic as possible, you need to look at a video made by the Universities of Bradford, Brunel and Leeds for the LearnHigher HE network. The film shows a group of students who have never worked together before as a group who are asked to prepare a presentation based on the following question:

“What are the barriers to effective learning, and how can they be overcome?”

The assessment for the presentation is based on how well they can give a presentation that addresses this question. Individual group members are also asked for a self-assessment of how well they thought they contributed to the outcome, as well as their assessment on the contributions made by other team members.

Before you watch the film:

- Find out about the students in the film - click The Students.
- Then click Presentation Brief. This will tell you more about the task this group has been given.
- When you have read more about the students and their presentation brief, you can start to watch the film. You don’t need to watch it all in one session, but it is a good idea to work sequentially through the episodes, starting with episode 1.

Each episode is in stages:

- The filmed episode - which usually includes some typical problems.
- A filmed analysis - where an analysis, or individual student perspective on what happened, is given
- Audio tutor commentary and supporting notes.
- There are also hints and tips, plus links to additional resources with each episode

When you have watched the film, it can be helpful to review some of the key points from it, by answering the following questions:

What examples do you remember of?

- Effective and supportive communication
- Poor and negative communication

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SMIRK - Groupwork by Trans:it, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk/transit/students/6-group-work/

# And finally ...

Here are some pointers from the EBE Learning Development Centre which neatly sum up the issues involved in groupwork.

- Establish clear aims: Are you preparing a seminar, sharing the background reading for a topic, or revising together? What exactly is the group trying to achieve? .
- Talk: Let each other know what you are doing, remember you are part of a group; not a superhero or a martyr - never say ‘’ll just do everything myself!’ There is no such thing as a group of one!
- Decide on the division of tasks: Who is going to look for sources and where? It is a waste of time if everyone searches the internet or looks for the same books and journals.
- Accept that people are different: Remember not everyone works at the same pace; you may be a ‘speedy Gonzales’ but others in the group may not have the time or energy to work at the same pace!
- Look at the strengths in the group: People have different learning styles and study in different ways. Some are good at searching out references, others at note taking, writing up the project or keeping the group on track. You may be a natural leader, but remember leadership should be democratic.
- Decide on a timetable: Accept that people have a life outside the university. Group members may be working, or have family commitments. It is no help if there are too many meetings but no time for the collection of information.
- Keep the meetings short and purposeful: Do not become side-tracked. This is not the time for everyone to moan, or blame one another. You have a job to do. Agree on an agenda, then you will know what you have achieved and what still needs to be done.

Now, just do it! But remember:

- to listen to each other. You can constructively criticise the material but not the person.
- the final product should clearly indicate which section is your work. Just because you have studied together does not mean that you should be submitting the same work or someone else’s work under your name. This could lead to plagiarism!
- if you are still having problems, make an appointment with your Learning Development Centre, either on your own or as a group.

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SMIRK - Groupwork by Trans:it, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.transitwestyorkshire.ac.uk/transit/students/6-group-work/