group assignment expectations

Tips and Strategies for Successful Group Work

• Cultivate course community
• Give clear instructions
• Form groups thoughtfully
• Help groups get established

Set clear expectations

• Support group progress

Planning an assignment or project to be completed by a group of students can raise lots of questions and concerns for an instructor: How should I form the groups? Do I let them choose or assign them? How do I make my expectations, and group member expectations, clear and understood? How do I support team functioning? What if conflicts arise? How do I assess students? While the last question is thoroughly covered in the article Assessing and Evaluating Group Work in Moodle , this article provides tips, strategies, and some tools that can make group work go smoothly.

Cultivate your course community early on

If you are planning to assign group work, consider being very intentional and proactive about establishing a classroom community at the very start of the semester. If students have not interacted at all in your course prior to the group work assignment, they may lack a foundation of knowledge and trust about their peers. Taking steps to create community also communicates that you value having students learn from each other. Some ideas for establishing a sense of social presence and trust in your community include

• Allowing students to introduce themselves at the beginning of the semester to start making connections with classmates
• Using Yellowdig in your course to provide a space for students to start and participate in conversation around course topics. (See the article “Get Your Students Talking with Yellowdig” )
• Assigning lower stakes group work before a larger team project to begin creating a collaborative atmosphere.

Give explicit instruction on and support for teamwork

Short term, lower-stakes assignments (a small activity or a discussion, perhaps like the case study example in the introduction to group work article ), may not require a fully-functioning team. But if you have a larger project planned, students might need support and guidance to develop teamwork skills. This is especially relevant to students if professions in your discipline require a lot of teamwork, and is critical if you intend to assess specific team working skills. In these cases, including these skills in your learning objectives ensures alignment of your objectives and activities. Some ideas include

• Recognizing and reminding students that conflict is a natural part of teamwork (Brigden, 2024)
• York University’s Student Guide to Group Work
• York University’s Student Project Toolkit
• University of Minnesota’s student tutorial for group projects
• Rutgers University’s Guide to Working in Groups
• Encouraging use of project management software and tools like Monday.com, which offers free accounts for students and can help them organize their work. Learn more: Project Management, A Quick Tutorial from Monday.com (video)

Form the groups thoughtfully

• A formal groups, used for assignments lasting from one session to a few weeks
• An informal, ad hoc group used for quick, intermittent assignments such as discussions
• And ongoing group that might last a whole semester and include a commitment to each other’s academic and social well-being
• Let students pick the topic of their project to give them a sense of agency and be grouped with peers who have similar interests. A useful tool for this method of group formation is Moodle’s Group choice activity .
• If you choose to create groups manually, Try to ensure there is at least one strong leader and avoid creating a group composed only of students who are more introverted (Smith Budhai, 2016).
• Diversify groups to expand learners’ knowledge and maximize alternative and forward-thinking solutions to problems and tasks.
• A Google Form survey for group creation , tailored to the skills and knowledge applicable to your assignment
• A True Colors Personality Quiz or Communication Style survey , which can not only help you group students but can give them insight into themselves and their group members to improve understanding and communication
• A Clifton Strengths Assessment or skills inventory with relevant skills listed, to help balance out group skills and abilities
• Keep groups small (3 or 5 members) to avoid scheduling challenges for synchronous meetings, if applicable, and to make sure everyone participates (Smith Budhai, 2016).
• Use odd-numbered group sizes so groups cannot be evenly split on any decision (Smith Budhai, 2016).

Help groups establish themselves

Groups, especially formal and ongoing groups, may need assistance building high levels of trust between group members (Poole & Zhang, 2005; Jarvenpaa et al., 1998, 1999). Online groups need to develop bonds and relationships with each other. Some ways that you can help students develop these bonds include

• Assigning low-stakes, fun activities like selecting team names and mascots
• Assigning relationship-building exercises including ice-breaker and virtual getting-to-know-you activities
• Assigning initial “low-stakes” group activities so students get to know each other and can work better in group assignments

To be successful on any assignment, students need to understand what you expect from them. When they work in groups, it is also important that their expectations of each other are reasonable, clear, and inline with your expectations. Some ways to help ensure well-communicated and agreed-upon expectations include:

• Recording a screen capture of you talking through how to use any new technologies that are required for the group assignment. This helps students see and hear exactly how to approach group work and helps decrease confusion if they are new to the particular learning tool.
• Knowing your group work “why” and communicating it with students to maximize buy-in.
• For more complex or ongoing group projects, having teams create and/or complete a group contract in which students have agreed-upon expectations, roles and responsibilities (De Meyst and Grenier, 2023).
• If appropriate for the project, letting students take on a particular role on the team. See “ Possible Roles on teams ” for ideas 
• Reminding students that they are expected to work out their problems, about positive teaming behaviors, a team-first attitude and perhaps grade interdependence (Dool, 2007)
• Outlining the steps you expect students to take for resolving conflict (Online Learning Insights, 2016)
• Setting benchmarks or milestones that allow for natural times for feedback (Online Learning Insights, 2016)
• Setting clear expectations for any group projects and communicating them to students. In particular, ensuring students understand how they will be evaluated and graded. (See Assessing and Evaluating Group Work in Moodle )

Monitor/support group work processes once they begin

Identify and communicate how you will give feedback to the teams on their work and progress. Maintain a presence to let students know that you are aware of their activity, but don’t be overly active, as this can limit students’ active participation (Pearson, 1999; Rovai, 2007). Consider whether you want their communication and project-tracking to be via a medium that you can see (Moodle Forum, Google file comments, tools like Monday.com to which you are invited), or if you’ll rely on periodic check-ins with group members for reports on team functioning through surveys, team logs, etc.

If conflict arises, go over the contract again, keep everyone on the same page; offer advice and food for thought; mediate, but don’t solve the problem for them and if needed, speak directly with a student (Dool, 2007).

Companion Articles

For more help with group work, see these companion articles:

• Group Work in Moodle – Introduction
• Assessing and Evaluating Group Work in Moodle
• Tools and Technologies That Can Support Online Group Work
• Using Google Apps for Group Work

References / Further Reading

• Brigden, B. (March 5, 2024). The 5 stages of team development. Teamwork.com
• De Meyst, K. and Grenier, J. (May 17, 2023). Assigning Roles to Increase the Effectiveness of Group Work .The Scholarly Teacher.
• Dool, R. (2007, February). Mitigating conflict in online student teams. eLearn Magazine
• Huang, L. (September 20, 2018). Students Riding on Coattails during Group Work? Five Simple Strategies to Try. Faculty Focus.
• Jarvenpaa, S. L. & Leidner, D. E. (1999). Communication and trust in global virtual teams. Organizational Science, 10, 791-815.
• Johnson, D. W. & Johnson, R. T. (2005). Learning groups. In The handbook of group research and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 441-462.
• Online Learning Insights (March 25, 2016). Five Essential Skills Instructors Need to Facilitate Online Group Work & Collaboration
• Pearson, J. (1999). Electronic networking in initial teacher education: Is a virtual faculty of education possible? Computer & Education, 32(3), 221-238.
• Poole, M. S. & Zhang, H. (2005). Virtual teams. In The handbook of group research and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 363-384.
• Rovai, A. P. (2007). Facilitating online discussions effectively. Internet and Higher Education, 10(1), 77-88.
• Smith Budhai, S. (January 29, 2016). Designing Effective Team Projects in Online Courses. Faculty Focus.

7 Strategies for Taking Group Projects by Storm

It’s day one of the new semester, and you see it…staring ominously from the syllabus, it lurks in eager waiting…haunting unlit corners of your lecture hall, the beast inches closer every class until one day, it strikes — sinking its teeth in. No silver tokens or wooden stakes will save you now. It’s time for mandatory group projects.

For even the most scholarly students, the mere suggestion of a group project can send shivers down the spine. These projects plague the mind with many questions. What if I get stuck with someone who does nothing? Will communication break down into a chaotic mess of emojis? And, sometimes, above all else, why do I have to do this?

So, fellow Purple Knights, let’s turn that stress into success — equip yourself with these 7 strategies to help you make the most of group assignments.

1. Acknowledge your anxiety and self-assess

Let’s take a moment to commemorate the ghosts of group projects past. Remember that paper from history class? The one on the American Revolution? Your whole team was supposed to write it, yet your group dedicated more time to scrolling through TikTok than typing. Oh, and how about that PowerPoint presentation for your accounting class? You know, the one nobody pulled their weight on, shaving a few precious points off your final grade?

Although you should never begin a group project with the attitude that failure is inevitable, being honest with yourself about any anxiety you feel helps repurpose the stress of past projects into lessons with future applicability.

So, when you see a group assignment on your syllabus, don’t panic. Instead, ask yourself a few questions, such as:

• What were some issues I encountered during previous group projects?
• How could these issues have been avoided or addressed?
• Did I give the project my all and contribute to the best of my ability?
• What did I learn about the subject I was studying?
• What did I learn about working with a group?
• More specifically, what did I learn about how I work with others?

If this self-assessment only serves to raise more questions, consider talking to your instructor or visiting the Academic Success Center . Expressing your concern about group work, and consulting with supportive and experienced professionals, can help you kickstart your collaboration with confidence.

2. Assemble your A-Team

Now that your head is in the game, it’s time to assemble the A-Team! Whether your group is self-selected or pre-assigned, first things first — for a cohesive collaboration, every teammate must cooperate.

Think of it like building a boat. Each crewmate takes on a different, albeit pivotal, role to ensure the ship will stay afloat. While some people lay floor plans and foundations, others gather materials, create sails, or complete safety assessments. Although every team member has their own purview, everyone must cooperate to achieve a common goal. If one person drops the ball, the vessel might not be seaworthy. The same goes for your group project — without joint effort, your crew may flounder in the face of challenges.

To take the helm, create team roles with the project’s guidelines in mind. Weigh the academic expectations with the skills and strengths of your teammates. Does one partner have a head for facts and figures? Group Researcher , reporting for duty! How about the group member with an eye for design? PowerPoint Coordinator may be the perfect fit!

Scenario snapshot

You and your best friend want to be in the same group for an English presentation. They’re a stand-up pal and astute problem-solver, but they often slack off on assignments. Let’s turn procrastination into collaboration. How can you help establish a healthy group dynamic without boxing out your bestie? 

3. Planning is power

Collaborating on an assignment isn’t as simple as casting roles for each group member. You will also need a plan of attack outlining what must be done (and when).

During your initial group meeting, roll up your sleeves to brainstorm ideas and generate timelines for the different components of your project. To keep all the most vital information in an accessible location, utilize project management tools like Google Docs or Trello — providing a clear, shared resource teammates can refer to when working independently.

What would you do?

It’s been two weeks, and one of your group mates still hasn’t opened the shared document outlining their role and the project schedule. They were attentive when your team first met to discuss the presentation, but you’re concerned the assignment has fallen from their radar. How can you address your concerns?

At University of Bridgeport, your personal and professional success is our priority. Learn more about our comprehensive support services today!  

4. keep up communication.

Determining guidelines for group check-ins is essential to success. Whether you’re meeting in person or virtually, it’s critical to establish when, where, and how your team will update one another.

You may even consider setting parameters for your group pow-wows. How long should each check-in last? Should one teammate have the floor during each meeting, or will everyone provide updates? Agreeing on these expectations can facilitate smooth sailing ahead.

Your four-person biology group includes a pair of close friends. Each time your team meets to discuss the project, the duo brings little to the table, filling most of the hour with fits of giggly gossip.

The last group check-in was the biggest bust yet — extending an hour longer than the agreed-upon time due to constant distractions and derailments. The following afternoon, your third partner privately messaged you, expressing the same frustrations you’re feeling. How can you and your partner constructively address this issue with your other teammates?

5. Be fair and flexible…

When collaborating with classmates, it’s crucial to remember that   is difficult. With academic, personal, and professional demands competing for space, everybody has more than one ball in the air. If someone on your team needs an extension for their part of an assignment, show grace and understanding — most people are doing their best to meet all the expectations tossed their way, and a little leniency can go a long way.

6. …but remember to set boundaries

Flexibility may be paramount, but have you ever flexed too far? If you’re always happy to go with the flow, your willingness to bend could cause your group to break. If you and your teammates are always cleaning up after one partner, burnout will ensue — potentially leading to an underwhelming final project.

If you have a teammate who isn’t pulling their weight, it’s time to set boundaries and reiterate your group’s agreed-upon expectations. If you’re uncomfortable breaching the topic, consult with your professor. Even if they expect you to start the conversation on your own, they can offer support and strategies for addressing conflicts in your group. Moreover, communicating these concerns keeps your instructor in the loop about your team’s progress.

Last month, you were randomly assigned to group for your nursing project. You were pleasantly surprised by how well it was going — at least, at first. Over the past few weeks, one of your partners has missed every meeting due to a personal problem. While they didn’t disclose the specifics, they’ve missed three deadlines and have been completely incommunicado.

With the deadline quickly approaching, you and your other teammates are starting to sweat. What could you do to help your team overcome this challenge?

7. Celebrate success

Group projects are full of peaks and valleys alike. When you hit “submit” and the game is over, take some time to acknowledge your dedicated team. Collaborative assignments can present an invaluable opportunity to connect with classmates, learn from each other, and create something truly impressive.

While the anxiety of an impending group project can be overwhelming, don’t let it overshadow the fact that these ventures can be rewarding and, dare we say, enjoyable experiences. Furthermore, in our increasingly interconnected world, nurturing your collaborative aptitude provides you with a career-ready skill — sought after by employers across all industries.

At University of Bridgeport, #UBelong. Begin your UB journey today — learn more about becoming a Purple Knight !

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Many students have had little experience working in groups in an academic setting. While there are many excellent books and articles describing group processes, this guide is intended to be short and simply written for students who are working in groups, but who may not be very interested in too much detail. It also provides teachers (and students) with tips on assigning group projects, ways to organize groups, and what to do when the process goes awry.

Some reasons to ask students to work in groups

Asking students to work in small groups allows students to learn interactively. Small groups are good for:

• generating a broad array of possible alternative points of view or solutions to a problem
• giving students a chance to work on a project that is too large or complex for an individual
• allowing students with different backgrounds to bring their special knowledge, experience, or skills to a project, and to explain their orientation to others
• giving students a chance to teach each other
• giving students a structured experience so they can practice skills applicable to professional situations

Some benefits of working in groups (even for short periods of time in class)

• Students who have difficulty talking in class may speak in a small group.
• More students, overall, have a chance to participate in class.
• Talking in groups can help overcome the anonymity and passivity of a large class or a class meeting in a poorly designed room.
• Students who expect to participate actively prepare better for class.

Caveat: If you ask students to work in groups, be clear about your purpose, and communicate it to them. Students who fear that group work is a potential waste of valuable time may benefit from considering the reasons and benefits above.

Large projects over a period of time

Faculty asking students to work in groups over a long period of time can do a few things to make it easy for the students to work:

• The biggest student complaint about group work is that it takes a lot of time and planning. Let students know about the project at the beginning of the term, so they can plan their time.
• At the outset, provide group guidelines and your expectations.
• Monitor the groups periodically to make sure they are functioning effectively.
• If the project is to be completed outside of class, it can be difficult to find common times to meet and to find a room. Some faculty members provide in-class time for groups to meet. Others help students find rooms to meet in.

Forming the group

• Forming the group. Should students form their own groups or should they be assigned? Most people prefer to choose whom they work with. However, many students say they welcome both kinds of group experiences, appreciating the value of hearing the perspective of another discipline, or another background.
• Size. Appropriate group size depends on the nature of the project.  If the group is small and one person drops out, can the remaining people do the work? If the group is large, will more time be spent on organizing themselves and trying to make decisions than on productive work?
• Resources for students. Provide a complete class list, with current email addresses. (Students like having this anyway so they can work together even if group projects are not assigned.)
• Students that don't fit. You might anticipate your response to the one or two exceptions of a person who really has difficulty in the group. After trying various remedies, is there an out—can this person join another group? work on an independent project?

Organizing the work

Unless part of the goal is to give people experience in the process of goal-setting, assigning tasks, and so forth, the group will be able to work more efficiently if they are provided with some of the following:

• Clear goals. Why are they working together? What are they expected to accomplish?
• Ways to break down the task into smaller units
• Ways to allocate responsibility for different aspects of the work
• Ways to allocate organizational responsibility
• A sample time line with suggested check points for stages of work to be completed

Caveat: Setting up effective small group assignments can take a lot of faculty time and organization.

Getting Started

• Groups work best if people know each others' names and a bit of their background and experience, especially those parts that are related to the task at hand. Take time to introduce yourselves.
• Be sure to include everyone when considering ideas about how to proceed as a group. Some may never have participated in a small group in an academic setting. Others may have ideas about what works well. Allow time for people to express their inexperience and hesitations as well as their experience with group projects.
• Most groups select a leader early on, especially if the work is a long-term project. Other options for leadership in long-term projects include taking turns for different works or different phases of the work.
• Everyone needs to discuss and clarify the goals of the group's work. Go around the group and hear everyone's ideas (before discussing them) or encourage divergent thinking by brainstorming. If you miss this step, trouble may develop part way through the project. Even though time is scarce and you may have a big project ahead of you, groups may take some time to settle in to work. If you anticipate this, you may not be too impatient with the time it takes to get started.

Organizing the Work

• Break up big jobs into smaller pieces. Allocate responsibility for different parts of the group project to different individuals or teams. Do not forget to account for assembling pieces into final form.
• Develop a timeline, including who will do what, in what format, by when. Include time at the end for assembling pieces into final form. (This may take longer than you anticipate.) At the end of each meeting, individuals should review what work they expect to complete by the following session.

Understanding and Managing Group Processes

• Groups work best if everyone has a chance to make strong contributions to the discussion at meetings and to the work of the group project.
• At the beginning of each meeting, decide what you expect to have accomplished by the end of the meeting.
• Someone (probably not the leader) should write all ideas, as they are suggested, on the board, a collaborative document, or on large sheets of paper. Designate a recorder of the group's decisions. Allocate responsibility for group process (especially if you do not have a fixed leader) such as a time manager for meetings and someone who periodically says that it is time to see how things are going (see below).
• What leadership structure does the group want? One designated leader? rotating leaders? separately assigned roles?
• Are any more ground rules needed, such as starting meetings on time, kinds of interruptions allowed, and so forth?
• Is everyone contributing to discussions? Can discussions be managed differently so all can participate? Are people listening to each other and allowing for different kinds of contributions?
• Are all members accomplishing the work expected of them? Is there anything group members can do to help those experiencing difficulty?
• Are there disagreements or difficulties within the group that need to be addressed? (Is someone dominating? Is someone left out?)
• Is outside help needed to solve any problems?
• Is everyone enjoying the work?

Including Everyone and Their Ideas

Groups work best if everyone is included and everyone has a chance to contribute ideas. The group's task may seem overwhelming to some people, and they may have no idea how to go about accomplishing it. To others, the direction the project should take may seem obvious. The job of the group is to break down the work into chunks, and to allow everyone to contribute. The direction that seems obvious to some may turn out not to be so obvious after all. In any event, it will surely be improved as a result of some creative modification.

Encouraging Ideas

The goal is to produce as many ideas as possible in a short time without evaluating them. All ideas are carefully listened to but not commented on and are usually written on the board or large sheets of paper so everyone can see them, and so they don't get forgotten or lost. Take turns by going around the group—hear from everyone, one by one.

One specific method is to generate ideas through brainstorming. People mention ideas in any order (without others' commenting, disagreeing or asking too many questions). The advantage of brainstorming is that ideas do not become closely associated with the individuals who suggested them. This process encourages creative thinking, if it is not rushed and if all ideas are written down (and therefore, for the time-being, accepted). A disadvantage: when ideas are suggested quickly, it is more difficult for shy participants or for those who are not speaking their native language. One approach is to begin by brainstorming and then go around the group in a more structured way asking each person to add to the list.

Examples of what to say:

• Why don't we take a minute or two for each of us to present our views?
• Let's get all our ideas out before evaluating them. We'll clarify them before we organize or evaluate them.
• We'll discuss all these ideas after we hear what everyone thinks.
• You don't have to agree with her, but let her finish.
• Let's spend a few more minutes to see if there are any possibilities we haven't thought of, no matter how unlikely they seem.

Group Leadership

• The leader is responsible for seeing that the work is organized so that it will get done. The leader is also responsible for understanding and managing group interactions so that the atmosphere is positive.
• The leader must encourage everyone's contributions with an eye to accomplishing the work. To do this, the leader must observe how the group's process is working. (Is the group moving too quickly, leaving some people behind? Is it time to shift the focus to another aspect of the task?)
• The leader must encourage group interactions and maintain a positive atmosphere. To do this the leader must observe the way people are participating as well as be aware of feelings communicated non-verbally. (Are individuals' contributions listened to and appreciated by others? Are people arguing with other people, rather than disagreeing with their ideas? Are some people withdrawn or annoyed?)
• The leader must anticipate what information, materials or other resources the group needs as it works.
• The leader is responsible for beginning and ending on time. The leader must also organize practical support, such as the room, chalk, markers, food, breaks.

(Note: In addition to all this, the leader must take part in thc discussion and participate otherwise as a group member. At these times, the leader must be careful to step aside from the role of leader and signal participation as an equal, not a dominant voice.)

Concerns of Individuals That May Affect Their Participation

• How do I fit in? Will others listen to me? Am I the only one who doesn't know everyone else? How can I work with people with such different backgrounds and expericnce?
• Who will make the decisions? How much influence can I have?
• What do I have to offer to the group? Does everyone know more than I do? Does anyone know anything, or will I have to do most of the work myself?

Characteristics of a Group that is Performing Effectively

• All members have a chance to express themselves and to influence the group's decisions. All contributions are listened to carefully, and strong points acknowledged. Everyone realizes that the job could not be done without the cooperation and contribution of everyone else.
• Differences are dealt with directly with the person or people involved. The group identifies all disagreements, hears everyone's views and tries to come to an agreement that makes sense to everyone. Even when a group decision is not liked by someone, that person will follow through on it with the group.
• The group encourages everyone to take responsibility, and hard work is recognized. When things are not going well, everyone makes an effort to help each other. There is a shared sense of pride and accomplishment.

Focusing on a Direction

After a large number of ideas have been generated and listed (e.g. on the board), the group can categorize and examine them. Then the group should agree on a process for choosing from among the ideas. Advantages and disadvantages of different plans can be listed and then voted on. Some possibilities can be eliminated through a straw vote (each group member could have 2 or 3 votes). Or all group members could vote for their first, second, and third choices. Alternatively, criteria for a successful plan can be listed, and different alternatives can be voted on based on the criteria, one by one.

Categorizing and evaluating ideas

• We have about 20 ideas here. Can we sort them into a few general categories?
• When we evaluate each others' ideas, can we mention some positive aspects before expressing concerns?
• Could you give us an example of what you mean?
• Who has dealt with this kind of problem before?
• What are the pluses of that approach? The minuses?
• We have two basic choices. Let's brainstorm. First let's look at the advantages of the first choice, then the disadvantages.
• Let's try ranking these ideas in priority order. The group should try to come to an agreement that makes sense to everyone.

Making a decision

After everyone's views are heard and all points of agreement and disagreement are identified, the group should try to arrive at an agreement that makes sense to everyone.

• There seems to be some agreement here. Is there anyone who couldn't live with solution #2?
• Are there any objections to going that way?
• You still seem to have worries about this solution. Is there anything that could be added or taken away to make it more acceptable? We're doing fine. We've agreed on a great deal. Let's stay with this and see if we can work this last issue through.
• It looks as if there are still some major points of disagreement. Can we go back and define what those issues are and work on them rather than forcing a decision now.

How People Function in Groups

If a group is functioning well, work is getting done and constructive group processes are creating a positive atmosphere. In good groups the individuals may contribute differently at different times. They cooperate and human relationships are respected. This may happen automatically or individuals, at different times, can make it their job to maintain the atmospbere and human aspects of the group.

Roles That Contribute to the Work

Initiating —taking the initiative, at any time; for example, convening the group, suggesting procedures, changing direction, providing new energy and ideas. (How about if we.... What would happen if... ?)

Seeking information or opinions —requesting facts, preferences, suggestions and ideas. (Could you say a little more about... Would you say this is a more workable idea than that?)

Giving information or opinions —providing facts, data, information from research or experience. (ln my experience I have seen... May I tell you what I found out about...? )

Questioning —stepping back from what is happening and challenging the group or asking other specific questions about the task. (Are we assuming that... ? Would the consequence of this be... ?)

Clarifying —interpreting ideas or suggestions, clearing up confusions, defining terms or asking others to clarify. This role can relate different contributions from different people, and link up ideas that seem unconnected. (lt seems that you are saying... Doesn't this relate to what [name] was saying earlier?)

Summarizing —putting contributions into a pattern, while adding no new information. This role is important if a group gets stuck. Some groups officially appoint a summarizer for this potentially powerful and influential role. (If we take all these pieces and put them together... Here's what I think we have agreed upon so far... Here are our areas of disagreement...)

Roles That Contribute to the Atmosphere

Supporting —remembering others' remarks, being encouraging and responsive to others. Creating a warm, encouraging atmosphere, and making people feel they belong helps the group handle stresses and strains. People can gesture, smile, and make eye-contact without saying a word. Some silence can be supportive for people who are not native speakers of English by allowing them a chance to get into discussion. (I understand what you are getting at...As [name] was just saying...)

Observing —noticing the dynamics of the group and commenting. Asking if others agree or if they see things differently can be an effective way to identify problems as they arise. (We seem to be stuck... Maybe we are done for now, we are all worn out... As I see it, what happened just a minute ago.. Do you agree?)

Mediating —recognizing disagreements and figuring out what is behind the differences. When people focus on real differences, that may lead to striking a balance or devising ways to accommodate different values, views, and approaches. (I think the two of you are coming at this from completely different points of view... Wait a minute. This is how [name/ sees the problem. Can you see why she may see it differently?)

Reconciling —reconciling disagreements. Emphasizing shared views among members can reduce tension. (The goal of these two strategies is the same, only the means are different… Is there anything that these positions have in common?)

Compromising —yielding a position or modifying opinions. This can help move the group forward. (Everyone else seems to agree on this, so I'll go along with... I think if I give in on this, we could reach a decision.)

Making a personal comment —occasional personal comments, especially as they relate to the work. Statements about one's life are often discouraged in professional settings; this may be a mistake since personal comments can strengthen a group by making people feel human with a lot in common.

Humor —funny remarks or good-natured comments. Humor, if it is genuinely good-natured and not cutting, can be very effective in relieving tension or dealing with participants who dominate or put down others. Humor can be used constructively to make the work more acceptable by providing a welcome break from concentration. It may also bring people closer together, and make the work more fun.

All the positive roles turn the group into an energetic, productive enterprise. People who have not reflected on these roles may misunderstand the motives and actions of people working in a group. If someone other than the leader initiates ideas, some may view it as an attempt to take power from the leader. Asking questions may similarly be seen as defying authority or slowing down the work of the group. Personal anecdotes may be thought of as trivializing the discussion. Leaders who understand the importance of these many roles can allow and encourage them as positive contributions to group dynamics. Roles that contribute to the work give the group a sense of direction and achievement. Roles contributing to the human atmosphere give the group a sense of cooperation and goodwill.

Some Common Problems (and Some Solutions)

Floundering —While people are still figuring out the work and their role in the group, the group may experience false starts and circular discussions, and decisions may be postponed.

• Here's my understanding of what we are trying to accomplish... Do we all agree?
• What would help us move forward: data? resources?
• Let's take a few minutes to hear everyone's suggestions about how this process might work better and what we should do next.

Dominating or reluctant participants —Some people might take more than their share of the discussion by talking too often, asserting superiority, telling lengthy stories, or not letting others finish. Sometimes humor can be used to discourage people from dominating. Others may rarely speak because they have difficulty getting in the conversation. Sometimes looking at people who don't speak can be a non-verbal way to include them. Asking quiet participants for their thoughts outside the group may lead to their participation within the group.

• How would we state the general problem? Could we leave out the details for a moment? Could we structure this part of the discussion by taking turns and hearing what everyone has to say?
• Let's check in with each other about how the process is working: Is everyone contributing to discussions? Can discussions be managed differently so we can all participate? Are we all listening to each other?

Digressions and tangents —Too many interesting side stories can be obstacles to group progress. It may be time to take another look at the agenda and assign time estimates to items. Try to summarize where the discussion was before the digression. Or, consider whether there is something making the topic easy to avoid.

• Can we go back to where we were a few minutes ago and see what we were trying to do ?
• Is there something about the topic itself that makes it difficult to stick to?

Getting Stuck —Too little progress can get a group down. It may be time for a short break or a change in focus. However, occasionally when a group feels that it is not making progress, a solution emerges if people simply stay with the issue.

• What are the things that are helping us solve this problem? What's preventing us from solving this problem?
• I understand that some of you doubt whether anything new will happen if we work on this problem. Are we willing to give it a try for the next fifteen minutes?

Rush to work —Usually one person in the group is less patient and more action-oriented than the others. This person may reach a decision more quickly than the others and then pressure the group to move on before others are ready.

• Are we all ready-to make a decision on this?
• What needs to be done before we can move ahead?
• Let's go around and see where everyone stands on this.

Feuds —Occasionally a conflict (having nothing to do with the subject of the group) carries over into the group and impedes its work. It may be that feuding parties will not be able to focus until the viewpoint of each is heard. Then they must be encouraged to lay the issue aside.

• So, what you are saying is... And what you are saying is... How is that related to the work here?
• If we continue too long on this, we won't be able to get our work done. Can we agree on a time limit and then go on?

For more information...

James Lang, " Why Students Hate Group Projects (and How to Change That) ," The Chronicle of Higher Education (17 June 2022).

Hodges, Linda C. " Contemporary Issues in Group Learning in Undergraduate Science Classrooms: A Perspective from Student Engagement ,"  CBE—Life Sciences Education  17.2 (2018): es3.

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• Group work: Goals, roles, and ground rules

Group work: Goals, roles, & ground rules

You've been given your assignment and have your group members in place. Your next step is to set up your group's goals, roles, and ground rules to make the most of your time working together. Taking a few minutes at the start of your assignment to cover this will often proactively address any issues that may arise during group projects. 

Let's look into each of these a bit more:

Ground Rules

Use our downloadable Group Work Roadmap [ .doc / .pdf ]  to take the guesswork out of this process.

Group Goals

In this first step, you are ensuring everyone is on the same page regarding what mark you want for your project, what date you will submit your project, and determining your specific project topic or focus if given choice in your assignment.

Know from day one if your group is aiming for a final grade in the 70s, 80s, or 90s. Also, discuss if this mark is one you can comfortably achieve or if it is one you will strive for. This will help set both the tone for the group and the expectation for submissions.

As a group, collectively decide on a date for final review and submission. As you will have many people working on many parts try to build in time for group reviews of the final draft of a project well ahead of the required due date. This will allow time for additions or upgraded work ahead of the due date.

As a group, discuss the project's outline and be sure to come to a consensus about what is expected. Brainstorm and discuss topics if your professor allows self-selection. This will set your group up for drafting task assignments and ensuring everyone is working toward a common goal.

Group Roles

Now that your group has established the "what" of the project, you need to consider the "who" and the "when".

Each member should have an equal amount of tasks they will carry from the group's workload. This does not necessarily mean an equal number of tasks across all members as some tasks may be very large and others very small. As a group, look at your assignment and begin to break down the project into various tasks.

Once all tasks are written out, have each member indicate if there are any particular tasks they are best equipped for or are interested in doing. For tasks which remain after this initial selection process begin to delegate these out in an equitable fashion. This can be done through another round of self-selection, random draw, or any number of processes. Review again the overall workload being tasked to each member - does the amount of time and effort seem equal? Finally, collectively create a schedule of mini-deadlines each task must be drafted, reviewed, and submitted within the overall timeline of the project. 

Another role to be considered is that of the draft reviewer. Each member's tasks should be shared with another member once a final draft has been created. This review period should allow time for feedback and for the draft creator to be able to implement any changes agreed upon.

Ground rules for groups cover the details which push your progress along and create fair communication & conflict expectations. Again, using our Group Work Roadmap resource will help navigate many of the ground rules needed to be covered. Considerations include meetings, attendance, communication, and conflict.

• Revisit the date chosen for the final draft submission review by the group and set a tentative date to all meet and discuss.
• Reviewing the mini-deadlines, or your own class schedules, establish meeting dates throughout the project's timeline to meet together as a group. This could be weekly, biweekly, or staggered dates throughout.
• Determine how long these meetings will be scheduled to last.
• Determine where meetings will take place; it doesn't have to be the same place every time.  If meeting online, determine what tool you will use and try to pick one that everyone is comfortable with using.
• Determine the proper process for notifying the group if you will miss a meeting.
• Determine the plan of action if there is a member who continues to miss or be late for meetings.
• Determine how an emergency meeting will be requested/announced.
• Communication
• What will be the primary platform for asynchronous group communication? (e.g. email? an instant messaging system?)
• What will be the primary platform for asynchronous individual communication (e.g. sending drafts or reviews of drafts)?
• Review and agree to use  healthy communication dynamics .
• Determine how information from meetings will be shared with members who were unavoidably absent.
• Discuss how the group will provide constructive feedback to members for absent, subpar, or low-effort submissions.
• Discuss the escalation process that will be followed in determining when to alert your instructor of a failing group member.
• Discuss how the group will respectfully get back on task when a group member(s) are off-topic, coopting too much time/energy of a meeting, or have become too fixated on an individual issue that is not impacting the group.

"Setting Expectations & Ground Rules" [Algonquin College Library; YouTube]

Whether big or small, using our Group Work Roadmap  can help give a physical space for your group to document many of the choices made concerning goals, roles, and ground rules. Taking a couple of minutes to complete this at the start of your project will give everyone a clear path to navigate and clear expectations of them by the group. The more transparent these factors are, the less likely you are to encounter misunderstanding-based conflicts.

Algonquin College of Applied Arts & Technologies. (2021, June 3). Essential study skills: Group work . Algonquin College of Applied Arts & Technologies: Student Support Services. https://algonquincollege.libguides.com/studyskills/group-work

Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). Sample group project tools: team contract template . Carnegie Mellon University: Eberly Center. Retrieved March 9, 2022 from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/tools/TeamContracts/teamcontracttemplate.docx

Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). What are the challenges of group work and how can I address them ? Carnegie Mellon University: Eberly Center. Retrieved March 9, 2022 from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/challenges.html

Indeed Editorial Team. (2021, June 9). Four common types of team conflict and how to resolve them . Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-team-conflict

La Trobe University. (2020, September 18). Common types of group conflicts and how to resolve them . La Trobe University. https://www.latrobe.edu.au/mylatrobe/common-types-of-group-conflicts-and-how-to-resolve-them/

Levin, P., and Kent, I. (2001). Draft manual on teamwork tutoring: 28 questions and answers for academics on teamwork in universities .

Oregon State University. (n.d.). Team work makes the dream work: make your group project awesome like a blessing of unicorns. Oregon State University: Academic Success Center. Retrieved March 9, 2022 from https://success.oregonstate.edu/sites/success.oregonstate.edu/files/LearningCorner/Tools/4-page_twdw_-_fill_-_20.pdf

University of British Columbia. (n.d.). Resolving conflict. University of British Columbia: Chapman Learning Commons. Retrieved March 11, 2022 from https://learningcommons.ubc.ca/student-toolkits/working-in-groups/resolving-conflict/.

University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Teamwork skills: Being an effective group member . University of Waterloo: Centre for Teaching Excellence. Retrieved March 9, 2022 from https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/tips-students/being-part-team/teamwork-skills-being-effective-group-member

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Guidelines for Using Groups Effectively

Compiled by Chad Hershock and adapted by Stiliana Milkova, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching

Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the processing of information.  One way to involve students in active learning is to have them learn from each other in small groups or teams. Research shows that students working in small groups tend to learn more of what is taught, retain it longer than when the same content is presented in other instructional formats, and appear more satisfied with their classes (Davis 1993, Barkley, 2005). But not any group activity or task would promote learning. In order to be productive, a group assignment needs to be designed so that it leads to collaborative learning (Michaelson et al, 1997). Groups function most successfully when mechanisms for individual and group accountability inform group interactions. Effective management of group activity before, during, and after further maximizes student learning. Below are strategies for creating and managing group activities or assignments.

Strategies for Designing Effective Group Activities and Assignments

Choose tasks that are appropriate for groups..

Assignments should include work that is best done in groups : brainstorming, problem solving, making a specific choice, planning and designing, forming strategies, or debating an issue.  Avoid activities that can be accomplished individually or subdivided and parceled out to individuals.  In particular, avoid writing assignments because writing is an inherently individual activity and this skill is also best developed individually.  However, groups may be effective for brainstorming writing topics or peer-reviewing drafts of student writing.

Align activities with learning goals.

First, clearly identify your learning goals (See outline learning objectives in Strategies for Effective Lesson Planning . ). Next, ask yourself, “What does this activity ask learners to do?” Then, decide whether completing the activity will result in the achievement of the learning goals. For example, if your goal is to foster critical thinking skills, select an activity that cognitively requires application of concepts to unfamiliar situations, analysis, problem-solving, synthesis, evaluation, or questioning the premise of the problem itself, rather than an activity that only requires recall or comprehension of facts.

Phrase assignments to promote higher-order cognitive skills.

The best questions for engaging groups are open-ended and have no single correct answer, or are controversial and have a variety of perspectives/viewpoints. To promote higher-level thinking, challenge students to engage in analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and/or questioning the problem’s premise or assumptions. For example, ask students to make or defend a specific choice.  Closed-ended problems with one correct answer should be difficult enough that individuals cannot solve them easily and should require learners to identify and apply relevant concepts.

Successful group activities have a highly structured task.

Provide written instructions to your students that list (1) the task (i.e., brainstorming, strategies, choosing, solving); (2) the expected product (i.e., reporting back to the class on ideas, handing in a worksheet, presenting a solution to the class); and (3) the method of “debriefing” or “reporting out” (i.e., sharing group results, sharing pros/cons, discussing group ideas, noting consensus and diversity of ideas). Communicate milestones so groups can monitor and reflect on their progress and performance. Always set a time a limit for the activity and periodically inform students about how much time remains. 

Promote group cohesiveness.

Choose tasks that foster the positive interdependence of group members. Select tasks that encourage discussion and maximize student interactions. Activities should require input from all group members and group agreement. Encourage team-building activities to foster social cohesiveness such as icebreakers (so students know each other), choosing a group name, or periodic group- or peer-evaluations. Provide students with immediate and unambiguous feedback on their group products and process. Logistics can be an impediment to group learning that occurs outside of class. Consider setting aside class time for group work, team building, and feedback from the instructor.

Have students do individual work before entering their group.

Require students to work individually first (i.e., have them complete a worksheet or assignment, answer questions, or make a choice) so that each member has something to contribute to the group. An individual assignment/assessment completed before class could be used as each student’s pre-requisite “ticket” into the group activity.

Ensure both individual and group accountability.

A variety of teaching strategies can provide both individual and group accountability, whether or not group work is graded. If you decide to grade group work, a grading system should include (1) individual performance/products; (2) group performance/products; and (3) each member’s contribution to team success (e.g., peer evaluation). Be sure to plan in advance how you will evaluate each of these three aspects and how you will communicate your expectations and/or grading criteria to students. One way to ensure accountability without grading is to call randomly on selected students to present their group’s progress or final product. It is best to establish and explain the procedure at the beginning of class to set the tone and expectations for group work.

Select a debriefing mechanism that promotes high-energy class discussions and reflections.

Minimize the lecture mode of group sharing (i.e., a series of group presentations). Keep the groups’ output for class discussion simple and focused on essential data. Select a mechanism whereby groups share their essential results simultaneously in a highly visible way. Then, provide time for groups to digest, process, compare and contrast, and evaluate the output of other groups prior to the whole class discussion.

Effective group activities are interesting and relevant.

Aim to create a problem that is engaging, complex, realistic, relevant, and builds on prior knowledge. Problems should be impossible to complete without understanding the basic course concepts, otherwise the activity may be perceived as irrelevant.

Checklist for Managing Group Work Effectively

What to do before the activity/assignment:.

• Set guidelines for student-student and student-instructor interactions during group work and associated class discussions. Provide guidelines and solicit student feedback and suggestions for additional guidelines.
• Provide written and verbal instructions, including time limits and deadlines. Check for understanding of instructions and clarify confusion before starting the activity.  Clearly set expectations for individual and group preparation, attendance, products and deliverables, and performance (including grading criteria, if applicable).
• Explain the motivation and learning goals for the activity.  Explain why it is important to spend time in on this group activity.  Provide a meaningful context for the activity with respect to course content or real-world applications or relevance.
• Establish accountability for both individual and groups.
• Provide students with the necessary resources to succeed. Teach any new content or skills that are required to complete the activity and provide any resources (e.g., readings, video clips, lab equipment) needed to prepare for the activity.

What to do during the assignment/activity:

• Actively engage and monitor groups. Check for understanding frequently and clarify instructions or confusion.  Visit all groups regularly.  Facilitate, assist, mediate, intervene, and redirect groups as needed.
• Frequently provide feedback to groups and individuals.

What to do after the assignment/activity:

• Debrief the activity with the entire class. Revisit the learning goals.  Summarize and synthesize the main lessons.  Connect the learning to previous knowledge, real-world applications or motivational contexts. 
• Assess student learning informally or formally. Use non-graded classroom assessment techniques (e.g., minute paper/muddiest point) or graded group or individual products to assess student learning.
• Provide feedback to individuals and groups regarding both group process and products.
• Provide students with opportunities to reflect on their learning as well as teamwork.

Allen, D., Duch, B., & Groh, S. (1996). The power of problem-based learning in teaching introductory science courses. In L. Wilkerson and W. Gijselaers (eds.), Bringing Problem-Based Learning to Higher Education: Theory and Practice . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Barkley, E., Cross, P., & Major, C. (2005). Collaborative Learning Techniques . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No.1. Washington, DC: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.

Davis, B. (1993). Tools for teaching . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Heller, P. & Hollabaugh, H. (1992). Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 2: Designing problems and structuring groups. American Journal of Physics . 60(7), 637-644

Michaelson, L.K. & Black, R.H. (1994). Building learning teams: The key to harnessing the power of small groups in higher education. In Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education , Vol. 2, pp. 65-81. State College, PA: National Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.

Michaelsen, L. K., Fink, L. D. & Knight, A. (1997). Designing effective group activities: Lessons for classroom teaching and faculty development. In D. DeZure (Ed.), To improve the academy: Resources for faculty, instructional, and organizational development (Vol. 16, pp. 373-397). Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.

Oakley, B, Felder, R.M, Brent, R., & Elhajj, E. (2004). Turning student groups into effective teams.  Journal of Student Centered Learning , Vol. 2, No.1, pp. 9-34.

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How Do I Facilitate Effective Group Work?

Successful group work is characterized by trust, psychological safety, clarity of expectations, and good communication; being in the same location while working is not essential to group effectiveness (Duhigg, 2016; Kelly, 2008; Salmons, 2019). Below we offer strategies and examples that work for short-term collaborative group work (e.g., discussions in an online, hybrid/flexible, or in-person class) and long-term collaborative assignments (e.g., group projects), ending with additional considerations for long-term collaborative work.

STRATEGIES & EXAMPLES

Provide opportunities to develop connection and trust.

Engage students with community building activities.  Groups work best when students feel connected and trust each other. Brief  icebreaker activities  are fun and allow students to get to know each other before delving into group work. If using a video conferencing platform such as Zoom or Echo360, ask students to type a word or emoji about how they are doing into the chat, or during in-person classes students can share this orally or via an audience response system. Let students practice group work in Canvas with some low-stakes group assignments.

Create group norms.  In the first few weeks of class,   create participation norms   that all students agree upon as a class or within their small groups. Discuss with students how certain social identities (e.g., women in STEM, transgender students) can be unintentionally marginalized during group work as a justification for creating norms around respectful and inclusive communication (Oakley, Felder, Brent, & Elhajj, 2004). Vary the groupings of students so that students can meet other students and hear different perspectives, particularly in the first weeks of class. Refer back to the agreed-upon norms when conflict arises.

Proactively check in with groups.  It’s important to pay attention to both process and the accomplished task. As you drop into groups during class time or consult with groups in office hours, note who does and does not speak; consider asking questions about process such as who is generating ideas and how they know everyone is on board with these ideas. Check in individually with quieter students. Remember, how you address group functioning models how they should interact with each other (Kelly, 2008).

(Over)communicate and Reinforce Expectations

Communicate the purpose.  Communicate in writing and orally the skills students will develop by the end of their group work experience and why this is a valuable task or project to do in groups (as opposed to individually). You might ask students to connect skills they will learn to their personal goals and describe how they will know if they’ve developed these skills apart from your feedback.

Describe the tasks.  In writing, describe the tasks in detail, including steps in the process with due dates/deadlines, resources needed, technology for communication, and expectations for group work. This means giving students clear topics, questions, deliverables, or goals for group work. Consider assigning rotating task roles such as discussion director, connector, summarizer, recorder, and reporter (Kennedy & Nilson, 2008). Create a space online for students to submit questions which are publicly answered for all to see; this can become an  FAQ forum . At the end of group work, have groups submit something that demonstrates their engagement with the task for a small amount of points, such as group decisions, remaining questions, or discussion notes.

Clarify the criteria.  Communicate specific details about how student work generated in groups will be assessed (i.e., rubrics, exemplars, grading scheme). Use positive, “do this” language rather than negative, “don’t do this” language when possible. Show examples that typify important or challenging aspects of the work with narrations (i.e., on video or in a commented document) of what makes the work exemplar.

Additional Tips for Long-term Collaborative Projects

Be sure students have a communication plan.  This can be specified as part of their group norms and processes at the beginning of the project. In addition, be clear how and when groups should communicate with you, where and in what format they should submit materials, and what to do if they encounter a problem.

Break apart the project into phases or milestones with clear deliverables at each stage.  Clearly specify how and where students should turn in work (i.e., online or in person), and use this format consistently for all deliverables.

Have students periodically check in about their group process and report back on their process.  At the beginning of the project, ask students to identify how they want to work together, what their expectations are for each other, and what collaborative tools the group wants to use. Have them post their group norms in an online forum. Include a requirement for a  "team effectiveness discussion"  or evaluation (self or peer) after students have some time to work together (e.g., 2nd milestone; See  Oakley et al. 2004  for a “Crisis Clinic” guide). Allow them to adjust norms and set goals for the next phase of group work.

Clearly connect homework, lectures, or other learning activities to the group project.  For example, after learning new concepts, students might be asked to turn in a brief “Application memo” which connects course content to their group project. An online session might end with an “Integrate it” discussion among group members to integrate new learning into their project. Homework might be called “Project Prep.” Name activities by their purpose so that students see the relevance and utility of each activity more easily.

Foster cross-group peer review.  Students will appreciate hearing what other groups are doing and can get ideas for their own projects. For example, have students share their milestones or group work with another group and have them record questions and feedback in a collaborative document. Review that document to provide feedback to the entire class, saving you from giving feedback to each group. Peer review can also be done as a workshop or group assignment activity in the LMS. 

Duhigg, C. (2016, February 25).  What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team . The New York Times.

Kelly, R. (2008, August 11).  Creating trust in online education ,  Faculty Focus.

Kennedy, F. A., and Nilson, L. B. (2008).  Successful strategies for teams. Team Member Handbook .  Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, Clemson University.

Oakley, B., Felder, R. M., Brent, R., & Elhajj, I. (2004).  Turning student groups into effective teams .  Journal of Student Centered Learning, 2 (1), pp. 9-34.

Salmons, J. (2019).  Learning to collaborate, collaborating to learn: Engaging students in the classroom and online . Sterling, VA: Stylus.

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Designing Successful Group Assignments

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Introduction

Group assignments can help build relationships with peers and bring diverse skills to the task at hand. However, students may have concerns about group assignments such as grading method, scheduling times to meet or completing tasks fairly. In this post, are easy-to-use strategies and tools for designing successful group assignments that will help your groups function as teams.

Group Formation

Research by Hackman and Vidmar (1970) found that the optimal group size is close to five. An odd number such as five allows for majority rules decision making. Above five increases group management problems by raising the amount of social and logistical interactions. This doesn’t mean that every group has to have precisely five members. There are other factors to consider such as the size of the project and amount of tasks to complete. For example, a group of three could be appropriate for a medium-sized assignment such as a case study.

Instructors have multiple options for forming groups. One simple method is to randomly enroll students or ask them to self-enroll; however, this method may not result in the best learning experience. Instead, you may like to form groups using criteria such as expertise, leadership preferences, schedule, software skills, writing skills…Students could use the class discussion board for choosing team members followed by a team sign-up form or the instructor could collect information in a survey and then place students in groups.

Having students set ground rules through a contract or charter helps promote better collaboration. A charter prompts group members to set goals and agree on how they will work together. Charters may include:

• Contact information
• Meeting time availability and time zone
• Assignment goals
• Timelines and deliverables
• Strengths and weaknesses of the members
• Roles e.g. devil’s advocate, facilitator, leader, researcher, synthesizer…
• Ground rules
• How disputes will be handled
• How feedback will be handled

Using a charter should reduce your need to intervene and empower students to be in charge of their own learning.

Whether to grade as a whole or individually is complicated ( example Grading Methods for Group Work ). Assigning a single grade to a group of students could result in rewarding underachieving students or disadvantaging stronger ones who tried their best throughout the process, but the final product did not meet expectations. Depending on the objectives of your assignment, both process and product can be assessed if they are important to you e.g. ability to collaborate, solve problems…One option is to ask students to assess their own contributions and their peers’ contributions from a process and product perspective ( example Group and Self-assessment Instrument ). Your grading criteria for the group assignment is best communicated to students in a rubric from the onset of the course and a reminder midway so that expectations are clear.

The simplest way to increase group interaction is to set up collaborative tools such as discussion forums. For example, each group might have a general discussion forum for the overall project. You could also encourage the use of synchronous tools such as Zoom as an easy way for students to meet online and share information. For group presentations, consider using VoiceThread as it is built into Blackboard and designed for ease of collaboration. OneDrive allows students to work collaboratively on documents such as Excel, PowerPoint and Word; the versioning history is also helpful for getting a sense of participation. In addition, OneDrive is a way for you to easily provide feedback via commenting in the formative stages of the project.

Hackman, J. R., & Vidmar, N. (1970). Effects of size and task type on group performance and member reactions. Sociometry, 33(1), 37-54. Retrieved from  http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2786271

Additional resources

The guidelines below were put together by our Teaching Assistant, Lisa Kramarchyk, based on input from the Psyc 220 class in October 2003. Before reading them, you might want to consider the distinction between group process and group outcome . Our Psyc 220 text makes a distinction between process research and outcome research. Clinical psychologists as well as research psychologists make this distinction. Studies of group interaction show that many (perhaps most) group members are outcome oriented and focus on the goal the group is attempting to reach. Other group members are process oriented attend more to the group interaction process. It is healthy to have group members of each kind. You might want to think about this in your group, and from time to time pause as a group to discuss your group process. Are you satisfied with it? Are there ways it can be improved?

As psychology students, you should think about your group process as well as your group product. One possibility is to take some time in your group and go through the guidelines below.

Guidelines for groups:

Have respect for each other. - Respect each other’s ideas - Respect the other group members - Don’t interrupt each other - Everyone’s opinion should count - Be honest with each other

All group members should do an equal amount of work. - Everyone should share the responsibility of the tasks - Don’t take over and don’t let others take over

Your group should have a common understanding of goals that need to be achieved. - Help each other to understand all concepts

Be open to compromise . - Be willing to cooperate with others on their ideas - Keep an open mind - Vote on disagreements

Effective communication. - Make sure everyone is able to be vocal about their ideas and problems - Give ideas no matter how “off” you may think they are - Listen effectively - Don’t be critical

Time management . - Attend and arrive on time to all group meetings - Be flexible about meeting times - Keep on task (limit talk about non-related events)

Be happy in the group you are in.

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CSUN Teaching Strategies

Before you assign another group project . . . . six keys to creating effective group assignments and team projects (2011).

Wendy Yost, Lecturer Department of Recreation & Tourism Management California State University, Northridge [email protected]

Note: documents on this page can be viewed online using free software: Adobe Acrobat Reader (for .pdf files) and Microsoft Word Viewer (for .doc files).

When I first started teaching Recreation & Tourism Management 302 - Dynamics of Leadership in Recreation & Human Services, I knew that in order to meet the Learning Outcomes for the course it would be important to include a group project among the class assignments.

Yet I also knew, that as a student, I hated group projects. I typically did more than my share of the work to achieve a desirable grade, it was difficult to find time outside of class to meet with my classmates and professors weren't always clear about their expectations for group assignments.

It turns out, two decades later, these concerns persist as a recent study conducted on campus confirmed.

Recently 136 students at California State University, Northridge completed a survey having to do with Navigating Conflict in Student Teams. The students identified five contributing factors to experiencing conflict in student teams: Schedule/Distance differences, Quality/Personal Standards differences, Style/Personality differences, Group Size/Roles and Accountability. More specifically, of the students who responded indicated the following:

• 14% of students felt group work was negative because of: Communication Problems
• 39% of students felt group work was negative because of: Timing, Scheduling Issues
• 47% of students felt group work was negative because of: Personality Clash, Conflicting Ideas, Disagreements
• 73% of students felt group work was negative because of: Lack of Participation, Slackers, Flakes, Unequal Work

[Scott, W., Taylor, A., Lemus, D., and Oh, J. (2008, April). Navigating Conflict in Student Teams . Symposium conducted at Faculty Development Series, California State University Northridge, California.]

So as I thought through how to build a more effective, engaging and enjoyable group project, I realized I needed to approach the assignment differently than I had seen it approached in the past.

Below you will find detailed information about a group project that I have administered for the last six semesters along with the various tools that I designed to support the students with the assignment.

To provide further context, I use this assignment in a 300 level required student leadership course that typically includes 35 - 40 (but has included as many as 50) students, all pursuing their degrees in Recreation & Tourism Management.

Each semester, this assignment has been well received by students as a critical learning experience as well as an unexpectedly fun opportunity to get to know themselves and their classmates as leaders.

I routinely receive feedback from students about this group project being the first group project that they ever enjoyed participating in. I don't think their feedback has much to do with the assignment itself, but rather the context created for the assignment and the tools and support offered throughout it.

There are six keys that come to mind when I think of this assignment and what has contributes to its success:

Create a Conducive Environment that Encourages Positive Participation

Group projects always make me nervous. My social skills are not all there, I guess. Although, since starting this semester, getting into groups and participating in activities has been fun and great for networking. I don’t feel as uncomfortable as I have felt in the past with previous classes. –Thomas

This starts with the very first day of class when I review a section in the course syllabus entitled: Appropriate Classroom Etiquette . In it I explain...

Every person in the class deserves your respect. We are all here to learn. Including me. As we move through the semester, you may not always agree with what is being shared. In such cases, please make a point of disagreeing with what is being said without attacking the person who said it. Learning how to give and receive constructive feedback is a cornerstone of leadership. It is also a skill that takes practice. So as necessary, I will ask you to rephrase your opinion or observation in a more constructive way.

There are also several things that I have been told by students that I do that help them want to participate in class: I learn each student's name by the third week of class (including in the class of 50*), I welcome and encourage differing points of view as long as they are communicated respectfully, and I encourage students to share things about themselves with the class in low risk ways. For example, when I am returning papers, I ask that the students to share their favorite ice cream flavor, favorite movie, favorite place to eat and so on. I ask the class to pay attention to what is being shared as they might find someone in class that they have a lot in common with.

*A small side bar on learning names quickly: I tell the students that it is important that they be known by me and known by each other in this class. I ask about correct pronunciation of any names I have difficulty with again and again. I have the students state their name before talking for the first few weeks. I take notes on my role sheet to help remember key traits. I allow myself to make a lot of mistakes the first few weeks, and restate my commitment to learning their names. The students seem to cut me some slack when I mess up given they see that I am trying. I often use appropriate humor to smooth over my mistakes, especially when they occur half way through the semester.

There are several systems for remembering names that you can find online. If this is something you would like to work on, I recommend conducting a brief online search and then selecting a process that will work best for you.

A playful facet of creating a conducive environment emerged organically one semester and has stuck ever since. It is my invoking my Best Audience Ever clause. I explain to the students that they are all going to be speaking in front of the class over the course of the semester and therefore they will want to provide a comfortable atmosphere for public speaking.

I then write on the board that a positive atmosphere includes students who are Attentive, Supportive and Smiling. I write the words on the board in such a way that the first letter stands out and then suggest that doing anything other than being Attentive, Supportive and Smiling would leave them being what the initials spell out. It usually gets a laugh and they usually get the point.

Acknowledge the Realities of Our Students

We know that most of the students in our classes work part time, full time or more not to mention other responsibilities they have on their plates. If you have any doubts about this, ask the students in your class. I was surprised to learn how many students were juggling multiple jobs in addition to school to be able to help their family with expenses. I also found that many students have significant responsibilities when it comes to helping to raise younger brothers or sisters or helping with aging parents or grandparents. All of which take time and energy.

By building in class time for the groups to meet, it reduces one of the biggest concerns students have about group assignments and it allows you to observe the groups in action to assess what additional support and/or direction might be needed.

There are a couple of things I would like to point out about the Sample Group Project Worksheet. I wait until after the last day to add/drop to assign groups. I found that this minimizes frustration of groups gaining or loosing members. Students can still add/drop after this date, but more signatures are required to do so and it is therefore less common. If a group looses a student after they have started their planning process, I meet with them to discuss how to best adjust their project plan. I also adjust my expectations for how long their presentation needs to be and consider the impact of having lost a member mid-project when calculating their grades.

On the days that they gather in their work groups, I take role and then ask them to get into their groups. I bring various resources that can assist them in the their planning process and I serve as a willing resource until the last group leaves the room. Students are able to use this time to work in our classroom, go to the library, go to a computer lab or go elsewhere on campus that might support their planning process.

Sample Group Project Worksheet (DOC, 35 KB) / Sample Group Project Worksheet (PDF, 18 KB)

Clearly Communicate Expectations

At the start of the semester, I let the students know that there will be a group project, and that I am committed to having it be unlike any group project they have experienced before. We talk about what they dislike about group projects and then I provide information about how this group project will be different and ask that they please set aside past experiences and be open to a more positive experience this semester.

More specifically, the students know upon reading the syllabus for class at the start of the semester that I am committed to their experience working on a group project being a positive one, that they will have time in class to meet, that they will have access to me if any questions or concerns arise during their planning process, and that they will have a supportive audience when they do their group presentations.

Group Project Assignment Excerpts from Course Syllabus (DOC, 45 KB) / Group Project Assignment Excerpts from Course Syllabus (PDF, 17 KB)

Consider Grading Individually for Group Projects

I reserve the right to grade individually. This lessens some of the concerns students have about mismatched standards of quality or having to do more than their fair share of the work. It does mean that mechanisms need to be created to assess individual grades (i.e. Peer Reviews, Journal Entries, or the like). Yet it provides freedom in being able to assign grades that are appropriate for the level of work contributed. This method also allows students to gain important skills related to giving and receiving feedback.

A few words on the samples provided in this section. Each student in class completes a Peer Review Form. I draw names for which students will conduct the peer reviews for which groups the day of each presentation. This process keeps the students engaged in the classes being taught by their peers.

If a student feels that there were group members who did not effectively contribute to the planning or execution of their group's project, then they are encouraged to speak up about it in their Student Report (a journal entry) and to submit a Collaborative Learning Form.

If I elect to provide different grades for members of a group, that decision is based on corroborating data from the following: Students expressing concern to me, what multiple group members communicated in their Student Reports, any Collaborative Learning Forms received and what was readily apparent to me and to the peer reviewers while watching the group's presentation.

In some cases, I think the sheer possibility of individual grades has encouraged students who might otherwise slack off, to instead step up, knowing that they will not be carried by their group mates.

Sample Peer Review Form (PDF, 19 KB)

Sample Student Report (PDF, 61 KB)

Sample Collaborative Learning Form (PDF, 17 KB)

Provide Appropriate Tools, Resources, and Support

The ice-breaker was a great way to get acquainted and find out how to best interact with group members – while having fun! –Katie

I found it critically important to hold lectures and discussions on typical issues related to group dynamics before putting students into groups. And provide avenues for the students to express concerns with how their group's progress is unfolding.

The activity that launches the group project is a simple one, and yet it is an activity that come the end of the semester, many students still reference. It is based on Bruce Tuckman's Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing model of group development.

After conducting a lottery to put students into groups, I have them do a small ice breaker (favorite movie or the like) as they add their names, phone numbers and email addresses to the Group Project Worksheets.

I then have them refer to the Tuckman's Forming Storming Norming Performing Overview in their class reader and assign each group one of the stages of group development: Forming, Storming, Norming or Performing. As a group they get to choose how to best teach their assigned stage of development to the class via three of the following possible methods: Singing a Song, Reenacting a TV Scene, Reenacting a Movie Scene, Reenacting a Historical Reference or via an Interpretive Dance. I remind them of the Best Audience Ever Clause: Attentive, Smiling and Supportive and I give them 15 minutes to prepare.

When it is time to perform, I have each group come to the front of the room one at a time, stand in front of their peers, take a breath and look to their peer audience. I have the group members announce which chapter they will be teaching the class for their group project, and have each group member share their name. I have the class clap for them before they actually present their way of teaching Forming, Storming, Norming or Performing.

After each group has presented their material, we discuss both the group development model and what the experience was like for them. I drive home that all groups storm and that it is a natural part of a group's development and therefore to acknowledge it when it happens. I also share that they have now all been in front of the class, spoke in front of their peers (some even sang or danced!) and they lived through it. So by the end of the semester, their group project should be a piece of cake!

The Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing activity was a blast! It brought our group closer together and allowed us to work together and amalgamate our ideas. Our topic was Performing. We took too much time discussing our ideas so when our time was up we didn’t have much of a plan. I do believe that given the time we have to work on the group project we will work together really well. –Emily

Above is just one example with one ice-breaker, lists of ice-breakers can be easily located via a simple online search. You can also visit the Dick Scott Memorial Leadership Library located in the Matador Involvement Center on campus (1st Floor, University Student Union Sol Center) where you can check out books that list thousands of ice-breakers and team builders and how to facilitate them. Some favorites from the Leadership Library include:

• Bianchi, S., Butler, J., Richey, D., (1990). Warm-ups for Meeting Leaders . San Diego: University Associates/Pfeiffer & Company. (BINDER)
• Bendaly, L., (1996). Games Teams Play: Dynamic Activities for Tapping Work Team Potential . Whitby: McGraw-Hill Ryerson limited. (BINDER)
• Forbess-Greene, S., (1983). The encyclopedia of icebreakers: structured activities that warm-up, motivate, challenge, acquaint and energize . San Francisco: Pfeiffer & Company An imprint of Jossey-Bass, Inc., Publishers.
• Newstrom, J.W., Scannel, E., The Complete Games Trainers Play . Volume I (BINDER)
• Newstrom, J.W., Scannel, E., The Complete Games Trainers Play . Volume II (BINDER)
• Pfeiffer, J.W. (1989). The encyclopedia of group activities: 150 practical designs for successful facilitating . San Francisco: Pfeiffer & Company: an imprint of Jossey-Bass, Inc., Publishers.
• Ukens, L.L. (1997). Getting together: icebreakers and group energizers . San Francisco: Pfeiffer, an imprint of Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers.

Sample Group Project Worksheet (PDF, 18 KB)

Tuckman's Forming Storming Norming Performing Overview (PDF, 45 KB)

Include Opportunities for Reflection Throughout the Experience

I have found that it is important to provide multiple avenues for students to share their experience functioning as part of a group. Some ideas:

• Routinely ask how things are going with their groups
• If the course includes a journaling experience, have the students submit a journal entry on how progress with their group is unfolding halfway through the planning process
• Remind students of your office hours and encourage them to talk with you if they or their group is struggling
• Have students write a reflective paper after they completed the assignment

If a student or students come to me before or after class or during office hours with concerns about their group, I take time during the next class session to ask how all of the groups are doing, what has been working and what has presented different challenges. Students can learn from other groups as to how to function more effectively and if most of the groups are struggling you might find aspects of the assignment that you might consider re-tooling in the future.

Create an evaluation or simply have a discussion that allows students to provide you with feedback on what they learned from the assignment, what could have made the assignment more relevant/applicable and what additional support from the professor might have be helpful.

In closing, at the end of each semester, we spend an entire class revisiting what we learned during our past 15 weeks together. Time and again students reference the group project. They speak to what they learned as a presenter, as a group member, as a peer reviewer and as a learner receiving chapter content from their peers. While there are a lot of steps involved in the process outlined, they have shown to make a positive difference in how students experience group projects. I think one particularly shy student summed it up well...

I just want to thank you for giving me and my classmates the opportunity and the encouragement to know one another so when that time comes to speak in front of the class, I will feel comfortable and ready to demonstrate leadership. –Deon

Related Recommended Readings (PDF, 36 KB)

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Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation, what are the challenges of group work and how can i address them.

Unfortunately, groups can easily end up being less, rather than more, than the sum of their parts. Why is this?

In this section, we consider the hazards of group projects and strategies instructors can use to avoid or mitigate them. Find other strategies and examples here or contact the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence for help.

For students, common challenges of group work include:

• Coordination costs
• Motivation costs
• Intellectual costs

For instructors, common challenges involve:

• Allocating time
• Teaching process skills
• Assessing process as well as product
• Assessing individual as well as group learning

Challenges for students

Coordination costs represent time and energy that group work consumes that individual work does not, including the time it takes to coordinate schedules, arrange meetings, meet, correspond, make decisions collectively, integrate the contributions of group members, etc. The time spent on each of these tasks may not be great, but together they are significant.

Coordination costs can’t be eliminated, nor should they be: after all, coordinating the efforts of multiple team members is an important skill. However, if coordination costs are excessive or are not factored into the structure of group assignments, groups tend to miss deadlines, their work is poorly integrated, motivation suffers, and creativity declines.

Instructors should note that coordination costs increase with:

• Group size: The more people in the group, the more schedules to accommodate, parts to delegate, opinions to consider, pieces to integrate, etc. Smaller groups have lower coordination costs.
• Task interdependence: Tasks in which group members are highly reliant on one another at all stages tend to have higher coordination costs than tasks that allow students to “divide and conquer”, though they may not satisfy the same collaborative goals.
• Heterogeneity: Heterogeneity of group members tends to raises coordination costs, especially if there are language issues to contend with, cultural differences to bridge, and disparate skills to integrate. However, since diversity of perspectives is one of the principle advantages of groups, this should not necessarily be avoided.

Strategies: To help reduce or mitigate coordination costs:

• Keep groups small.
• Designate some class time for group meetings.
• Use group resumes or skills inventories to help teams delegate subtasks.
• Assign roles (e.g., group leader, scheduler) or encourage students to do so.
• Point students to digital tools that facilitate remote and/or asynchronous meetings.
• Warn students about time-consuming stages and tasks.
• Actively build communication and conflict resolution skills.
• Designate time in the project schedule for the group to integrate parts.

Motivation costs refers to the adverse effect on student motivation of working in groups, which often involves one or more of these phenomena:

• Free riding occurs when one or more group members leave most or all of the work to a few, more diligent, members. Free riding – if not addressed proactively – tends to erode the long-term motivation of hard-working students.
• Social loafing describes the tendency of group members to exert less effort than they can or should because of the reduced sense of accountability (think of how many people don’t bother to vote, figuring that someone else will do it.) Social loafing lowers group productivity.
• Conflict within groups can erode morale and cause members to withdraw. It can be subtle or pronounced, and can (but isn’t always) the cause and result of free riding. Conflict – if not effectively addressed – can leave group members with a deeply jaundiced view of teams.

Strategies: To address both preexisting and potential motivation problems:

• Explain why working in groups is worth the frustration.
• Establish clear expectations for group members, by setting ground rules and/or using team contracts.
• Increase individual accountability by combining group assessments with individual assessments. 
• Teach conflict-resolution skills and reinforce them by role-playing responses to hypothetical team conflict scenarios. 
• Assess group processes via periodic process reports, self-evaluations, and peer evaluations.

Intellectual costs refer to characteristics of group behavior that can reduce creativity and productivity. These include:

• Groupthink : the tendency of groups to conform to a perceived majority view. 
• Escalation of commitment : the tendency of groups to become more committed to their plans and strategies – even ineffective ones – over time. 
• Transparency illusion : the tendency of group members to believe their thoughts, attitudes and reasons are more obvious to others than is actually the case.
• Common information effect : the tendency of groups to focus on information all members share and ignore unique information, however relevant.

Strategies: To reduce intellectual costs and increase the creativity and productivity of groups:

• Precede group brainstorming with a period of individual brainstorming (sometimes called “nominal group technique”). This forestalls groupthink and helps the group generate and consider more different ideas.
• Encourage group members to reflect on and highlight their contributions in periodic self-evaluations. 
• Create structured opportunities at the halfway point of projects to allow students to reevaluate and revise their strategies and approaches.
• Assign roles to group members that reduce conformity and push the group intellectually (devil’s advocate, doubter, the Fool).

Challenges for instructors

While group assignments have benefits for instructors , they also have complexities that instructors should consider carefully, for example in these areas:

Allocating time: While group assignments may save instructors time in some areas (e.g., grading final projects), they may add time in other areas (e.g., time needed up front to identify appropriate project topics, contact external clients, compose student groups; time during the semester to meet with and monitor student groups; time at the end of the semester to ascertain the contributions of individual team members.)

Teaching process skills: Functioning effectively in teams requires students to develop strong communication, coordination, and conflict resolution skills, which not all instructors feel qualified to teach. Many instructors are also reluctant to devote class time to reinforcing these skills and may be uncomfortable dealing with the interpersonal issues that can arise in groups. In other words, dealing proactively with team dynamics may push some instructors out of their comfort zone.

Assessing process as well as product: Assessing teamwork skills and group dynamics (i.e., process) can be far trickier than assessing a team’s work (i.e., product). Effective evaluation of process requires thoughtful consideration of learning objectives and a combination of assessment approaches. This creates layers of complexity that instructors may not anticipate.

Assessing individual as well as group learning: Group grades can hide significant differences in learning, yet teasing out which team members did and did not contribute to the group or learn the lessons of the assignment can be difficult. Once again, this adds complexity to group projects that instructors often underestimate. 

Find effective strategies to help faculty address these issues in the design of effective group projects .

• Effective Teaching Strategies

10 Recommendations for Improving Group Work

• September 12, 2014
• Maryellen Weimer, PhD

Many faculty now have students do some graded work in groups. The task may be, for example, preparation of a paper or report, collection and analysis of data, a presentation supported with visuals, or creation of a website. Faculty make these assignments with high expectations. They want the groups to produce quality work—better than what the students could do individually—and they want the students to learn how to work productively with others. Sometimes those expectations are realized, but most of the time there is room for improvement—sometimes lots of it. To that end, below is a set of suggestions for improving group projects. A list in the article referenced below provided a starting place for these recommendations.

• Emphasize the importance of teamwork— Before the groups are formed and the task is set out, teachers should make clear why this particular assignment is being done in groups. Students are still regularly reporting in survey data that teachers use groups so they don’t have to teach or have as much work to grade. Most of us are using groups because employers in many fields want employees who can work with others they don’t know, may not like, who hold different views, and possess different skills and capabilities.
• Teach teamwork skills— Most students don’t come to group work knowing how to function effectively in groups. Whether in handouts, online resources, or discussions in class, teachers need to talk about the responsibilities members have to the group (such as how sometimes individual goals and priorities must be relinquished in favor of group goals) and about what members have the right to expect from their groups. Students need strategies for dealing with members who are not doing their fair share. They need ideas about constructively resolving disagreement. They need advice on time management.
• Use team-building exercises to build cohesive groups— Members need the chance to get to know each other, and they should be encouraged to talk about how they’d like to work together. Sometimes a discussion of worst group experiences makes clear to everyone that there are behaviors to avoid. This might be followed with a discussion of what individual members need from the group in order to do their best work. Things like picking a group name and creating a logo also help create a sense of identity for the group, which in turn fosters the commitment groups need from their members in order to succeed.
• Thoughtfully consider group formation— Most students prefer forming their own groups, and in some studies these groups are more productive. In other research, students in these groups “enjoy” the experience of working together, but they don’t always get a lot done. In most professional contexts, people don’t get to choose their project partners. If the goal is for students to learn how to work with others whom they don’t know, then the teacher should form the groups. There are many ways groups can be formed and many criteria that can be used to assemble groups. Groups should be formed in a way that furthers the learning goals of the group activity.
• Make the workload reasonable and the goals clear— Yes, the task can be larger than what one individual can complete. But students without a lot of group work experience may struggle with large, complex tasks. Whatever the task, the teacher’s goals and objectives should be clear. Students shouldn’t have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what they are supposed to be doing.
• Consider roles for group members— Not all the literature recommends assigning roles, although some does. Roles can emerge on their own as members see what functions the group needs and step up to fill those roles. However, this doesn’t always happen when students are new to group work. The teacher can decide on the necessary roles and suggest them to a group with the group deciding who does what. The teacher can assign the roles, but should realize that assigning roles doesn’t guarantee that students will assume those roles. Assigned roles can stay the same or they can rotate. However they’re implemented, roles are taken more seriously if groups are required to report who filled what role in the group.
• Provide some class time for meetings— It is very hard for students to orchestrate their schedules. Part of what they need to be taught about group work is the importance of coming to meetings with an agenda—some expectation about what needs to get done. They also need to know that significant amounts of work can be done in short periods of time, provided the group knows what needs to be done next. Working online is also increasingly an option, but being able to convene even briefly in class gives groups the chance to touch base and get organized for the next steps.
• Request interim reports and group process feedback— One of the group’s first tasks ought to be the creation of a time line—what they expect to have done by when. That time line should guide instructor requests for progress reports from the group, and the reports should be supported with evidence. It’s not good enough for the group to say it’s collecting references. A list of references collected should be submitted with the report. Students should report individually on how well the group is working together, including their contributions to the group. Ask students what else could they contribute that would make the group function even more effectively.
• Require individual members to keep track of their contributions— The final project should include a report from every member identifying their contribution to the project. If two members report contributing the same thing, the teacher defers to the student who has evidence that supports what the student claims to have done.
• Include peer assessment in the evaluation process— What a student claims to have contributed to the group and its final product can also be verified with a peer assessment in which members rate or rank (or both) the contributions of others. A formative peer assessment early in the process can help members redress what the group might identify as problems they are experiencing at this stage.

Students, like the rest of us, aren’t born knowing how to work well in a group. Fortunately, it’s a skill that can be taught and learned. Teacher design and management of group work on projects can do much to ensure that the lessons students learn about working with others are the ones that will serve them well the next time they work in groups.

Reference: Hansen, R.S. (2006). Benefits and problems with student teams: Suggestions for improving team projects. Journal of Education for Business, September/October, 11-19.

Reprinted from Improving Group Projects. The Teaching Professor, 27.6 (2013): 4-5. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved.

This Post Has 7 Comments

Maryellen, I don't know how you continue to "hit it out of the park" — everything you share is right on! Thanks for your dedication to helping us teach better!

Thanks. Very helpful!

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Center for Teaching Innovation

How to evaluate group work.

Students working in small groups often learn more and demonstrate better retention than students taught in other instructional formats. When instructors incorporate group assignments and activities into their courses, they must make thoughtful decisions regarding how to organize the group, how to facilitate it, and how to evaluate the completed work.

Instructor Evaluations

• Create a rubric to set evaluation standards and share with students to communicate expectations.
• Assess the performance of the group and its individual members.
• Give regular feedback so group members can gauge their progress both as a group and individually.
• Decide what criteria to base final evaluations upon. For example, you might weigh the finished product, teamwork, and individual contributions differently.
• Consider adjusting grades based on peer evaluations.

Peer Evaluations

Consider providing a rubric to foster consistent peer evaluations of participation, quality, and quantity of work.

• This may reveal participation issues that the instructor might not otherwise know about.
• Students who know that their peers will evaluate them may contribute more to the group and have a greater stake in the project.
• Completing evaluations early in the project allows groups to assess how they can improve.

General Strategies for Evaluation

• Groups need to know who may be struggling to complete assignments, and members need to know they cannot sit back and let others do all the work. You can assess individual student progress by giving spot quizzes and evaluate group progress by setting up meetings with each group to review the project status.
• Once or twice during the group task, ask group members to fill out a group and/or peer evaluation to assess team effectiveness. Consider asking “What action has each member taken that was helpful for the group? What action could each member take to make the group more effective?”
• Help students reflect on what they have learned and how they have learned it. Consider asking students to complete a short survey that focuses on their individual contributions to the group, how the group interacted together, and what the individual student learned from the project in relation to the rest of the course.
• Explain your grading system to students before they begin their work. The system should encourage teamwork, positive interdependence, and individual accountability. If you are going to consider the group’s evaluation of each member’s work, it is best to have students evaluate each other independently and confidentially.

Example Group Work Assessment Rubric

Here is an example of a group work assessment rubric. Filling out a rubric for each member of the group can help instructors assess individual contributions to the group and the individual’s role as a team player.

This rubric can also be used by group members as a tool to guide a mid-semester or mid-project discussion on how each individual is contributing to the group.

Total Points ______

Notes and Comments:

Gueldenzoph, L. E., & May, G. L. (2002). Collaborative peer evaluation: Best practices for group member assessments.  Business Communication Quarterly, 65 (1), 9-20.

Johnston, L., & Miles, L. (2004). Assessing contributions to group assignments.  Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 29 (6), 751-768.

Oakley, B., Felder, F. M., Brent, R., & Elhajj, I, (2004). Turning student groups into effective teams.  Journal of Student Centered Learning, 2 (1) 9-34.

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People Management

Essential group norms to build a strong, high-performing team.

Sudarshan Somanathan

Head of Content

November 7, 2024

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Your team is involved in discussing launching a new product.

Some members talk about the go-to-market (GTM) strategy, while the engineering team focuses on modifying product features. This mix-up leads to scattered discussions and confusion about the meeting’s main goal. 

You establish a group norm for holding separate meetings for marketing and technical discussions and assigning a meeting lead to ensure discussions don’t go overboard.

The impact? Reduced confusion and better decision-making. This is how powerful group norms can be.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss how you can establish group norms to improve team performance and transform your team into a cohesive unit .

What Are Group Norms?

Why are group norms important for team success, types of group norms, examples of group norms for high-performing teams, how to create effective group norms, how to reinforce group norms, how to address violations of group norms, build stronger group norms with clickup.

Group norms are informal rules and expectations set by a team that guides how team members interact and collaborate.

Norms act as a playbook for your team to function effectively, setting clear standards for decision-making, resolving conflicts, managing tasks, and giving feedback. 

Clear norms ensure everyone is aligned and encourage team members to take accountability. This reduces confusion, helps avoid difficult conversations , promotes mutual discussion, and improves team productivity.

🌈 A brilliant example of group norms is Amazon’s ‘Two-Pizza Rule,’ which states all internal and external teams should be small enough that two pizzas can feed all team members. The idea is to create small teams to improve work efficiency.

Here’s why establishing team norms matters:

🎯 Clear expectations: When everyone knows what’s expected of them, there’s less confusion, more productivity, and positive intent

🎯 Improved communication: Strong norms promote open and honest communication among team members, leading to better collaboration and problem-solving  

🎯 Increased trust: When team members feel they can rely on each other, it builds team cohesion and strengthens relationships

🎯 Enhanced teamwork: Group norms create a sense of belonging and shared purpose, making it easier for team members to work together toward common goals  

🎯 Better decision-making: When everyone’s on the same page, it’s easy to make informed and effective decisions

Let’s see the different types of group norms you can establish for team development :

Communication norms  

These norms govern how team members communicate with each other. For example, should updates be shared through email , a messaging app, or during a daily stand-up meeting? 

Decision-making norms 

They define how your team makes critical decisions— will decisions be made by consensus , majority vote, or leadership? 

Accountability norms 

These norms define clear responsibilities and methods to track progress. Teams that set explicit rules and expectations are more efficient and experience fewer bottlenecks.

Performance norms  

These relate to how the team works together to achieve goals. For example, “ All team members should ensure that the work meets quality standards and aligns with the company’s values and objectives .”

Also, group norms can evolve as the team grows to adapt to team dynamics and business needs. 

Let’s see some common yet effective group norms that can boost team collaboration and overall performance.

Keep team members and stakeholders informed

One of the common challenges teams face, especially while handling complex projects, is defining clear roles. Without it, team members may spend a lot of time wondering who is responsible for a particular task, whom to approach for decision-making, etc. 

This is where you need a RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) chart to sort out team dynamics , especially for cross-functional teams . It defines:

• Responsible: Who will complete which task
• Accountable: Who has the final authority to ensure task completion
• Consulted: Who will provide input or expertise for a task
• Informed: Who needs to be updated about task outcomes or blockers

💡Pro Tip: You can use ClickUp’s RACI Planning Template to create a RACI chart for your team and work efficiently. The template helps define clear roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders, reduces miscommunication and confusion among team members, and improves collaboration and accountability. 

Communicate effectively

Effective communication is the lifeblood of any high-performing team. Clear communication norms, such as weekly or bi-weekly check-ins to discuss project updates, ensuring inclusive communication, and using a single communication platform, help build a positive work culture and enhance team collaboration.

If you are looking for ways to bridge the communication gap within your team, ClickUp Chat can help.

It brings all work and communication in one place so team members can  interact, share project updates, turn messages into tasks, or even link messages to specific tasks  without ever losing context.  By integrating instant messaging into your project management, ClickUp Chat takes away the siloes and the toggle tax!

Manage conflicts

Conflicts are inevitable in any team. However, team leaders should set conflict resolution norms to strengthen team collaboration and drive innovation.

Strategic conflict management ensures differences are addressed constructively and fairly, focusing on problem-solving rather than shifting the blame.

⚡️Template Archive: ClickUp’s Emotions Wheel Icebreaker Template is the ideal solution for building team rapport and avoiding conflicts. The template helps team members provide their introductions and understand the challenges faced by others, promoting empathy and better collaboration.

Make decisions faster

Faster decision-making is the key to adapting to changes, capitalizing on opportunities, and keeping projects on track. It also prevents bottlenecks and delays, ensuring the team can move forward without hesitation.

Some of the most effective group norms for making quick decisions are:

• Aim for 40% consensus and not 100%
• Adopt an Agile mindset
• Make decisions based on data over intuition
• Limit analysis of any situation to three outcomes

You can use ClickUp’s Decision-Making Framework Template to streamline the decision-making process in your organization by establishing a standard structure. It helps you gather all relevant information, weigh options, reduce bias, and make decisions efficiently.

Set clear meeting agendas

The secret to conducting productive meetings is following a well-structured agenda. Group norms with clear meeting agendas ensure that meetings have a specific purpose, actionable items, and defined goals. This reduces wasted time, keeps discussions on track, and confirms all participants are prepared.

ClickUp’s Meeting Agenda Template makes it easy to implement this group norm. The template helps teams organize their meetings by outlining topics for discussion, assigning action items, and tracking decisions made.

Block time for innovation and productivity 

🌈 According to Google’s ‘20% Rule ,’ all its employees must set aside 20% of their time per week to work on side projects and focus on innovation.

By incorporating time blocking into group norms, you can enhance your team’s time management, minimize distractions, and create more structured workflows.

Group norms around time blocking establish a consistent structure for how team members organize their workday . This helps prevent multitasking, which often leads to reduced efficiency and burnout. ClickUp’s Time Blocking Template comes to your rescue here.

It provides a framework for organizing daily tasks into dedicated blocks of time . With this template, you can plan out the entire workday by assigning blocks of time to specific tasks or projects. It also helps increase focus by designating uninterrupted periods to work on high-priority tasks.

Provide regular project status updates

Regular project status updates are essential for maintaining team transparency, accountability, and alignment. When updates are a part of group norms, they ensure that all group members and stakeholders are informed about progress, potential roadblocks, and next steps.

ClickUp offers two key templates to help teams simplify this process:

ClickUp Weekly Status Report Template

ClickUp Weekly Status Report Template helps you share task progress with stakeholders, track tasks, and mark completed tasks to maintain transparency.

ClickUp Project Status Report Template 

You can use the ClickUp Project Status Report Template  to document key achievements and create reports to ensure that goals are met on schedule. The status updates help highlight issues early on, giving the team time to address them before they derail the project.

Establishing effective group norms is essential for promoting team collaboration, trust, and accountability. Whether your team is in-office, hybrid, or fully remote, clear group norms create a shared understanding of how everyone works together.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create team norms:

Step 1: Involve the team in the process

Create group norms by seeking input from the entire team. It ensures that everyone feels heard, increasing the possibility of adhering to the agreed-upon standards.

Use tools like ClickUp Chat to enable real-time discussions and brainstorming around what norms best support team collaboration .

Step 2: Document the norms

Once your team has aligned on the norms, document them in a place accessible to everyone. ClickUp Docs is a great tool for this. You can use it to write down the finalized group norms, ensuring they are easily available for future reference. 

Having norms in a shared document makes it easy to update them as the team evolves or faces new challenges. Simply add nested pages and styling elements to organize information and call out critical details.

ClickUp Docs allows you to edit documents in real time with your team while providing features for commenting, assigning tasks, and tracking progress.

Step 3: Set clear goals for the team

Clear norms pave the way for success, whether it’s meeting deadlines or improving communication. You can use ClickUp Goals to align your team’s objectives with the group norms . It’ll allow you to stay on track with clear timelines, measurable targets, and automated progress tracking.

You can also explore ClickUp’s SMART Goals Template to ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This template can help you set better goals for your team.

This template helps you:

• Track goal progress and measure success
• Stay focused on long-term goals
• Identify and address potential roadblocks

Step 4: Periodically review the norms

As the team grows and projects change, group norms might need to be adjusted. Periodic reviews ensure that the norms stay relevant and helpful.

Using ClickUp Forms , you can gather anonymous feedback from team members on which norms need to be replaced or modified. Constructive feedback like this can improve your team dynamics.

Group norms for remote teams

Working remotely adds another layer to effective group norms because of communication gaps and work flexibility. Here are some virtual team norms to consider:

📌 Time zone awareness : Virtual teams working across different time zones should establish norms around scheduling meetings and setting deadlines that respect everyone’s time zone differences. Use ClickUp’s Calendar View to keep track of availability and schedules across regions

📌 Virtual meeting etiquette : Remote teams should establish clear guidelines for virtual meetings, such as using video, muting when not speaking, and staying focused during calls

📌 Work hours and availability : Set expectations around work hours and availability, especially if the team spans multiple time zones. Defining when all team members should be online for collaboration or urgent communication helps avoid confusion

📌 Communication expectations : Agree on how and when to use different communication tools. For example, when to use email versus instant messaging for updates or when to schedule a meeting for complex discussions

Also, ClickUp’s Team Management Plan Template helps manage your remote team effortlessly from anywhere.

With this template, you can:

• View your teammates’ roles, responsibilities, and workflows, ensuring everyone knows their tasks and how they contribute to the bigger picture
• Assign tasks based on team members’ strengths and availability
• Align team members to avoid miscommunication and increase efficiency

Establishing norms for the team is just the first step. The real challenge is ensuring all team members follow the norms consistently. Here are some ways to reinforce group norms effectively:

Evenly distribute the team workload

One of the best ways to reinforce group norms is to ensure fair workload distribution among team members because it improves collaboration, reduces conflict, and makes it easier for everyone to follow the norms.

You can use ClickUp’s Workload View to monitor each team member’s workload and adjust it according to the their capacity . If a team member is consistently overworked, it might be time to adjust the group norms regarding task delegation and work-life balance.

Track time to understand delays

You can reinforce norms around task deadlines with ClickUp’s Time-tracking feature. This tool allows you to monitor how long tasks are taking and identify any patterns of lateness that may need addressing. 

It also helps teams stay accountable for the time spent on each project, encouraging better time management practices.

Communicate norms effectively

Norms should not gather dust in a document. Regular communication is vital to reinforcing group norms. Use ClickUp’s Assigned Comments and Mentions to provide feedback, clarify tasks, or remind team members of specific norms.

Whether calling out a great example of team collaboration or addressing an area where improvement is needed, this feature helps keep everyone on the same page.

These quick interactions help ensure that work norms are at the top of people’s minds and that potential issues are addressed before they escalate.

Best practices for reinforcing group norms

Consistency is key when reinforcing group norms. Here are some effective strategies to keep them top of mind and ensure they become an integral part of your team’s culture:

Set recurring reminders

To prevent work norms from fading into the background, use recurring reminders to reinforce them regularly. Whether it’s a weekly prompt about virtual meeting etiquette or monthly reminders on team communication expectations, consistent nudges ensure team members adhere to the norms.

ClickUp Reminders allows you to set automated reminders for group norms. You can create reminders from a comment, the My Work tab, or the Quick Action menu in the toolbar. 

Simply name the reminder as a group norm, add team members as assignees, attach important files, and you’re good to go! 

Use dashboards to drive accountability

Successfully enforcing group norms is all about fostering team accountability. When team members take ownership of their tasks, they are more likely to follow the rules and contribute to the team’s success. 

ClickUp Dashboards can help your team track their goal progress and measure productivity. It also helps you understand who is meeting their responsibilities and who might need support.

By visualizing performance and workload distribution, teams can more easily adhere to norms around accountability and transparency. Regularly reviewing the dashboard as a team helps reinforce collective ownership of tasks and outcomes.

Track progress with goals

Set specific, measurable objectives   with ClickUp Goals, which makes it easy to track progress and see where norms are followed or where improvement is needed. When team members see how their adherence to norms contributes to larger goals, they’re more likely to remain committed.

Recognize and reward team members

Recognizing and rewarding team members who consistently adhere to group norms is a powerful way to encourage ongoing compliance. Whether public acknowledgment in team meetings or more formal rewards, positive reinforcement goes a long way. 

Here are some ways to implement a system of rewards or recognition for motivating team members:

🙌🏽 Give shout-outs in meetings to team members who sincerely follow group norms

🙌🏽 Create a peer recognition program where team members can nominate their colleagues for adhering to the group norms

🙌🏽 Offer incentives like gift cards or extra time off to members following group norms

Even the best teams can experience occasional missteps. When a team member violates a group norm, address the issue promptly and constructively. 

Here’s how you address violations of group norms firmly:

✅ Address the violation privately with individual team members. Avoid discussing mistakes in the presence of other team members, as it can negatively impact team relationships and morale

✅ Focus on the problematic behavior , rather than attacking the individual’s character, while discussing the violation

✅ Give team members breaking the norms a chance to explain their perspectives . Listen carefully and try to understand their reasons for violating the norm

✅ Reiterate the violated group norm and explain why it’s important for the team’s success

✅ Work with the individual to develop an action plan for addressing the violation

✅ Check-in with the team members regularly to monitor their progress, seek feedback on group norms, and resolve any challenges they might be facing in following the norms

Building a high-performing team requires careful planning, attention to detail, and a commitment to excellence. Group norms are the glue that holds everything together, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working toward a common goal.

The key is to not just create these norms but actively reinforce and adjust them as the team evolves. Leveraging tools like ClickUp makes this process seamless, whether you’re setting up meeting agendas, tracking project updates, or ensuring accountability with goal tracking.

Ready to transform your team? Sign up for ClickUp for free today and start building a culture of collaboration, accountability, and high performance.

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News & Insights

Group 1 Shares Rise 6% Since Q3 Earnings Miss Expectations

November 06, 2024 — 08:34 am EST

Written by Zacks Equity Research for Zacks  ->

Shares of Group 1 Automotive GPI gained 6% since it reported third-quarter 2024 results. It reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $9.90, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.93 and fell 18% year over year. The automotive retailer registered net sales of $5.22 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.14 billion. The top line also rose from the year-ago quarter’s $4.71 billion. Stay up-to-date with the quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar .

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Quote

Quarter Highlights

New vehicle retail sales increased 13.4% from the prior-year quarter to $2.57 billion and exceeded our projection of $2.56 billion on the back of higher-than-expected volumes. Total retail new vehicles sold were 53,775 units, which increased 18.6% year over year and surpassed our forecast of 49,104 units. Average selling price per unit was $48,390, down 3.8% year over year. The gross profit from the new vehicle retail unit totaled $183.2 million, down 5.7% year over year. Used-vehicle retail sales rose 6.2% from the year-ago period to $1.66 billion but missed our forecast of $1.68 billion. Total retail used vehicles sold were 55,907 units, up 10.1% year over year, exceeding our expectation of 53,919 units. The average selling price per unit came in at $29,630, down 3.5% year over year. The gross profit from the unit was $88 million, up 8.2% year over year. Used-vehicle wholesale sales rose 7.4% year over year to $123.2 million but missed our expectation of $133.3 million. The unit recorded a gross profit of $0.4 million against the gross loss of $2.3 million in the year-ago period. In the Parts and Service business, the top line rose 16.4% from the year-ago quarter to $660 million and gross profit increased 17% year over year to $367 million. Revenues from the Finance and Insurance business came in at $214.1 million, up 7.4% from the year-ago period’s level.

Segments in Detail

In the reported quarter, revenues from the U.S. business segment rose 1.8% year over year to $3.97 billion but missed our forecast of $4.3 billion. The segment’s gross profit declined 0.7% to $678.1 million and fell short of our prediction of $705.2 million. During the reported quarter, retail new-vehicle, retail used-vehicle and wholesale used-vehicle units sold were 39,700, 38,775 and 9,577, respectively. In the third quarter, revenues jumped 55.2% year over year to $1.25 billion for the U.K. business segment, beating our estimate of $893.1 million due to robust sales of new vehicles. Gross profit was $174.5 million, which surged 68.6% from the year-ago quarter and topped our projection of $108.1 million. During the reported quarter, the retail new-vehicle, retail used-vehicle and wholesale used-vehicle units sold were 14,075, 17,132 and 4,643, respectively.

Financial Position

Selling, general and administrative expenses were up 19.1% year over year to $591.6 million. Group 1 had cash and cash equivalents of $58.7 million as of Sept. 30, 2024, up from $57.2 million as of 2023-end. Total debt was $2.89 billion as of Sept. 30, 2024, up from $2.1 billion as of Dec. 31, 2023. During the quarter under discussion, GPI repurchased 85,245 shares at an average price of $349.55 per common share for a total of $29.8 million. The company currently has $174.8 million remaining on its authorized stock buyback program.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

GPI currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the auto space are Toyota Motor Corporation TM , Standard Motor Products, Inc. SMP and BYD Company Limited BYDDY , each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TM’s fiscal 2025 sales suggests year-over-year growth of 3.67%. EPS estimates for fiscal 2025 have improved 56 cents in the past 60 days. EPS estimates for fiscal 2026 have improved 20 cents in the past seven days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SMP’s 2024 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 4.3% and 3.77%, respectively. EPS estimates for 2024 have improved by 2 cents in the past seven days. EPS estimates for 2025 have improved by 2 cents in the past 90 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BYDDY’s 2024 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 20.91% and 23.63%, respectively. EPS estimates for 2024 and 2025 have improved by 12 cents and 13 cents, respectively, in the past seven days.

Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock

It's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom.

With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 5 Stocks Set to Double. Click to get this free report

Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Standard Motor Products, Inc. (SMP) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (GPI) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Byd Co., Ltd. (BYDDY) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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