Working together

Encouraging collaborative learning a worthwhile endeavor

You've been assigned a semester-long group project -- a 30-page report to be given in a 40-minute presentation. By the way, it's worth 40 percent of your grade.

Now imagine only a few weeks remain in the semester. Your group members aren't speaking to each other, and collectively, the other four people have written a total of 10 pages.

"Increasing the frequency of successful collaborative learning has been a hot topic at the University this year."

You'd prefer not to fail, so the week before the project is due, you decide to work alone and earn a grade for the whole group.

Sound familiar?

A few fear it, some dread it and many hate it, but the fact is, group work is part of academic life. Whether you enjoy it or not, now is the time to learn how to make those group projects run well.

Fortunately, the Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning has recognized the difficulties in group work and has set out to find ways to make it function smoothly. Its work with instructors and students should create more effective activities and projects.

Most people can recall ineffective group experiences. So, to insure the institute's work is as successful as possible, those researching the topic should be sure to solicit student feedback throughout the process of structuring a course.

Special care needs to be taken in shaping courses that include collaborative learning. A lack of planning could cause projects to go astray and the goals of collaborative learning may not be reached.

Properly structured groups allow members to work together as they should, and that successful experience can enhance a number of skills. People learn how to communicate within a group and articulate those ideas for a larger audience. They learn how to cooperate within that group and share the knowledge each of them brings to the project.

Your future employers seek these skills. If your job demands group work, which it probably will, there's no better time than now to learn those skills.

The Schreyer Institute's research is an important step in making the process an easier and more effective experience.