Surviving the Group
Project: Strategies for
Turning Student Groups
into Effective Teams
A MY R UT L EDG E, MB A
SPE CI A L I NST R UCTOR OF MANAG EMENT INFOR MAT ION
S Y ST E MS
S CHO O L O F B US I NES S - OA K L A ND U NIVER SI TY
Surviving the Group Project: Strategies for
Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams
Surviving the Group Project: Strategies for
Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams
Surviving the Group Project: Strategies for
Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams
Surviving the Group Project: Strategies for
Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams
Surviving the Group Project: Strategies for
Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams
Agenda
• The Student Group – perceptions versus reality
• Types of students
• Goals for the Student Group
• MIS 100 - The process and supporting literature
• MIS 100 results
How many of you assign at least one major
group project during the semester?
60%
NACE
Why group work?
What we tell ourselves as instructors:
• “to enhance student learning”
• “to assign more complex, authentic problems*”
• “to best utilize class time” (presentations)
• AND, Let’s be honest: “to lessen the burden of grading”
What we tell the students:
• “To mimic the real world” where students will learn to:
• Break complex tasks into parts and steps
• Plan and manage time
• Refine understanding through discussion and explanation
• Give and receive feedback on performance
• Challenge assumptions
• Develop stronger communication skills
• *https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupproje
cts/benefits.html
80%
Hansen 2006
Does it REALLY mimic the real world?
Challenges for Group Work
Student Groupwork – Perceptions
•
https://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/group-projects-should-be-wiped-off-the-faceo?utm_term=.wc9qO1NZd#.qqNW0Pygv
http://www.ra
ckham.umich.
edu/blog/realworldapplicationwhy-groupprojects-arenecessaryevil
The 5 People You Meet in Group Projects
• The Invisible Student
• The Silent Student
• The Procrastinator
• The Person Who Likes to Over-Promise & Under-Deliver (OPUD)
• The Control Freak (I call this Type “A” – as in 4.0!)
Hoyt - https://www.fastweb.com/student-life/articles/the-5-students-you-meet-in-groupprojects
Basic Challenges – Students
• Coordination costs
• Motivation costs
• Intellectual costs
https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/challenges.
html#challengesforstudents
Basic Challenges - Instructors
• Allocating time
• Teaching process skills
• Assessing process as well as product
• Assessing individual as well as group learning
https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/challenges.
html#challengesforstudents
Teaching about Group Work
• Teams fail because instructors fail to prepare students to work in
teams
• In turn, students are ill-prepared for the workforce
Structure and Organization for
the Group
B E ST PR ACT ICES
Best Practices
• Emphasize the importance of group work
• Teach team work skills
• Conduct team building exercises
• Team formation – determine best method for your project
• Provide reasonable workload and clear goals
• Require assigned team roles
• Provide [some] class time for meeting with the team
• Require personal contribution file
• Use detailed peer evaluations for grading
Technology and Process for MIS 100(0)
The Process Points
End of Semester
Group Feedback
Presentation in front
of class
Presentation File
with Speaker Notes!
Team Research Class
Discussion
Team Research
Document
Team Formation
(Survey)
Group Rules
Document (Instructor
given)
Roles and
Responsibilities
Document
Team
Assignment/Outline
Document
Pre-Presentation
Consultation with
Instructor
Team Formation
• Research shows teams formed by instructor along common lines are
more successful
• Survey the students
• Example Survey – Barb Oakley et al Survey
• Teams consist of 4 members - as best as I can
Group Project Rules
• Explain My Rules and the assignment
• Survivor MIS 100
• No free rides
• Be sure to add rules to syllabus!!
• Ice Breaker assignment
• Give teams time to discuss and chose a topic, exchange contact
information and discuss schedules
• Team roles and responsibilities document/team contract
Team Research
• Google document that every student must contribute to
• Researches the topic and contains links to the sources so students can
access later.
• OK if similar sources are found!
• I explain the Google doc process – time stamps – etc.
• Must be shared with me and post to a group project forum I created
in Moodle
In-Class Discussion of Research
Outline Creation
• Students now have a basic understanding of the topic (or NOT!)
• Students create an outline in Google Docs– who is doing what topic
• This is where things can become an independent project
• I reinforce that the presentation must FLOW!
• There is no excuse for – Dude, what’s my part? questions!
• The Outline link is posted to the Group Forum
Create the Presentation
• Use Google Presentations
• Shared with me
• Students must follow my presentation rules (that’s part of the course)
• Each team member must add speaker notes to his/her slides along
with their sources
• If a student is unable to present, then any other team member can take over the
part and simply read the notes.
• I know who did what and contributed to the presentation – or didn’t
Pre-Presentation Consultation
• Students meet with Instructor one-on-one for a meeting
• Give feedback
• Don’t want them presenting the wrong information to the class!
(Internet of Things!)
• This brings to light any group conflicts PRIOR to presentation day
that I may be able to resolve
• (FIVE Types are rearing their ugly heads now!)
• Sometimes students don’t show for this consultation
• Really bad presentations get a second consultation !
Presentation Day
• Students are given my rubric ahead of time and are aware of what I
will be grading.
• I ask students to attend all presentations. Otherwise I will deduct
points from their presentation. (Yeah, I’m kind of mean like that..)
• Results are posted to Moodle for all team members to see. They are
made aware that the grade MAY change based on group feedback.
Group Feedback
• Group members evaluate each team member
• Use Google Survey
• Students must log in using OU email ONLY – I know that only that
student has done the evaluation
• Likert scale – 1 worst – 5 best
• Places data in spreadsheet so it can be easily sorted
• Review bad evaluations and go back to the documents
• Adjust grades as necessary