How can I get all students to contribute to group work?

Dear Aggie,

In a group project, how can we get the student who isn't contributing or communicating with the group to become engaged and lift their share of the load?

~Ghosted in Group Work

Dear Ghosted,

This is a great question that addresses a common concern of faculty and students. Working effectively in groups is such a critical aspect of so many professions, that we almost certainly “owe” our students the ability to develop this important skill. In this short post, I will share some tips and tricks for your initial consideration, and then provide some resources so that you can take a deeper dive.

One key part of the answer to your question is for us (instructors) to put in up-front planning work, and for us to allow our students time to set the parameters of their group work. This will reduce (but not eliminate) the chance that students will ghost their groups later in the semester.

1. In the context of a semester-long group project, make the project appropriately challenging and meaningful

Making the project challenging makes it more likely that students will need to rely on their group, as the work cannot be successfully completed by a single individual. And making the project meaningful (e.g., a service-learning project) makes it more likely that students will "buy-in" to the project, and not abandon it, and their colleagues.

2. Start early and break the project into parts that have intermediate due dates

For large, semester-long projects, describe the project in the syllabus and introduce it early in the semester. Think about how the project can be broken down into smaller parts — e.g., a hypothesis, an experimental design, data analysis — and have groups complete those parts by scheduled times during the semester. This can help minimize procrastination, but also gives the groups time to develop and refine their group work strategies.

3. Assembling Groups

Team-based learning argues that creating heterogenous teams is more effective than allowing students to self-sort into groups. If you choose to create heterogenous groups, and if you have a very small number of students from a specific underrepresented group in your class, try to keep them together in a group. This reduces isolation.

On the other hand, it may also make sense to allow students to sort themselves into groups based on their interest in a specific topic or a specific expertise (that will define the project). For example, in an education class, elementary in-service teachers may want to form a group distinct from the high school in-service teachers.

4. Allow time for students to meet their groupmates and establish group norms

Introductions are key to setting up a collegial and effective working group, so allow in-class (or in-Zoom) time for students to get to know the other students in their group.

By giving groups the opportunity to set their ground rules, you are giving them the chance to discuss possible challenges and workarounds. You may wish to give them sample checklists with suggested responsibilities as a starting place (see https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/students-riding-coattails-group-work-five-simple-ideas-try/). These checklists and ground rules can become the basis for regular check-ins by you and by group members, as well as reminders of commitments should students not be meeting the agreed-upon expectations.

Consider scheduling regular class (or Zoom) time for regular group check ins. This could be the first 10 minutes of each class meeting, in which groups can convene in breakout rooms (or the physical classroom) to touch base.

5. Work in an individual (and graded) component, such as reflection

By asking students to think about the group work, and their role in it, you can help them address their own concerns and consider how they can maximize the benefits of the group work. Linda Hodges (https://www.ideaedu.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/IDEA%20Papers/IDEA%20Papers/PaperIDEA_65.pdf) has several suggestions for these reflections, from scoring checklists to keeping learning journals to keeping a portfolio of their individual and group work.

Finally, once students successfully complete a group project, you may want to consider encouraging them to include it on their résumé, as suggested by Cathy Davidson and Christina Katopodis on Inside Higher Ed in 2020 (https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/10/28/advice-how-successfully-guide-students-group-work-online-opinion). After all, we started by noting that group work is a critical skill, so why wouldn't our students share it with potential employers?

I hope that this gives you some initial ideas, and that the resources below will help you as you move forward with group work in your classes.

~Aggie

 

Resources

Team Based Learning (a collaborative teaching model in which students work in permanent teams)
http://www.teambasedlearning.org/definition/

Faculty Focus for students “riding on coattails”
https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/students-riding-coattails-group-work-five-simple-ideas-try/

Group Work from the Derek Bok Center, Harvard University
https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/group-work

Chang and Brickman (2018) When Group Work Doesn't Work: Insights from Students. CBE-LSE https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.17-09-0199
https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.17-09-0199

Hodges (2017) Ten Research-Based Steps for Effective Group Work. IDEA Paper #65
https://www.ideaedu.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/IDEA%20Papers/IDEA%20Papers/PaperIDEA_65.pdf