Group projects are the bane of the educational system. Sure, in theory, they are supposed to teach collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills, but in practice, that rarely happens. Without fail, someone always slacks off, and the others are left to cover for them. Not only is it unfair, but it also shows students that they can get away with being lazy and sometimes even be awarded with a good grade for it — the complete opposite of what group projects are trying to achieve.
A similar thing almost happened to this student (now an adult), whose teammates expected him to do all the work alone because he cared too much about his grades. But instead of complying with them, he outsmarted them, which they very much didn’t appreciate.
Group projects rarely achieve what they're supposed to
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These students even refused to do the work and left it for one of their teammates to do alone, with which he maliciously complied
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What should be a collaborative effort commonly ends up being an unfair freeloading exercise
Image credits: Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
In theory, group work in school sounds nice, but we all know that reality often doesn’t match the theory. What should be a collaborative effort commonly ends up being an unfair freeloading exercise. In 2024, a study done by the National Library of Medicine found that group projects might not work for everyone due to a few reasons:
- Problems with group formation or interpersonal conflicts within a team.
- Different levels of engagement from team members.
- The notable unfairness of a student's reliance on another individual for their grade.
But educators still feel it’s important to have a project that allows collaboration in the classroom.
“I think this is a learning opportunity for students to prepare for their ‘real world’ careers outside of academia,” Stephanie Gomez, an associate professor of critical media studies at Western. “It’s going to happen everywhere they go, so it’s important to learn how to deal with it in the classroom where, frankly, the stakes are lower.”
“The cooperation and ability to put together a diverse set of ideas into an end product is very meaningful and really important,” agreed Rory Peterson, a Western alumnus with a degree in recreation management leadership. That said, “Professors really have to determine whether or not it makes sense in their courses,” Peterson added.
Educators and students might benefit from some tips on how to make joint projects less of a hassle
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It seems that group work isn’t going anywhere any time soon, so educators as well as students might benefit from some tips on how to make joint projects less of a hassle. We understand that in already high-stress environments that are educational institutions, team projects can significantly add to it, so learning how to navigate them can be really useful. If you can’t beat them, join them, am I right?
The first thing to do when a team receives a joint project is to carefully read through it and analyze it. Then try to divide it into tasks that should be assigned to everyone, taking into account their qualities and strengths. The roles should be very clear so that every teammate knows their responsibilities. Putting a deadline on every task that should be completed can also be a useful guideline that each member can follow.
During this process, the team should have mandatory group meetings to assess the progress and see if everyone is on the same page. Organizing the shared work on the right software can help to see how everyone is doing. If someone is slacking and refuses to listen, try talking to the teacher about it and documenting everyone’s contribution, which should be put down on the assignment paper.
What professors can do to make students more fond of group projects is to teach them the group work skills, as not everyone is equipped with them. Educators may run through some issues teammates might face while working together and how they can overcome them. They should stress the importance of communication and regular check-ins so the team remains on track.
Lastly, educators might consider having collaborative assignments in class and leaving more individual tasks for homework. This way, students can still have team projects but don’t have to worry about meeting up with teammates after class, which gets harder and harder in higher education.
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