GILBERTO TEIXEIRA(D.B.A.)
General Guidelines
- Successful group assignments are fundamentally different than those designed to be completed by one person. Time constraints, increased task complexity and dispersing resources among group members are all ways to generate interdependent behavior within groups.
- The majority of group assignment work must be done in class. It is unreasonable to assume that students can and will find a time in their full schedules in which they can meet outside of class. Unless there are regular points at which they must turn something in, they will most likely wait until the deadline is looming, and then have a negative group experience. Furthermore, working together in class gives groups a chance to consult the teacher when they are confused, rather than risk reinforcing their own misperceptions.
- If groups are to complete several assignments together, they must be given the opportunity to reflect upon the quality of their interaction as a group. Though group-skills are among the most-demanded attributes of a college graduate today, students receive very little training in how to participate in a group. Self-evaluation, peer-evaluation and immediate evaluation of group outputs are all methods of providing feedback about group performance. For advice on how to successfully implement peer-evaluation, see LIZARD #48.
- Groups should be strategically-organized and assigned by the teacher. When groups are allowed to choose their own members, friends choose each other and usually form destabilizing subgroups (coalitions) within their larger group. This guarantees a difficult experience for the group. Furthermore, there is almost always a group of "leftovers" that no other group "wanted." This is a terrible social experience for anyone, and the group of "leftovers" frequently underperform and have poor dynamics within their group.
- Consider using permanent groups. Groups develop through distinct phases, the first of which is very awkward and generally demands a great deal of attention to social concerns. As a result, continually mixed-and-matched groups spend most of their working through this social awkwardness. If your goal is for everyone in a smallish class to get to know one another, then this might be appropriate. However, the output from these groups will not be as strong as if each collection of people were allowed to develop norms of comfort through repeated interaction over time. (Furthermore, "real-world" office groups rarely get to mix and match.)
Criteria for Effective Group Assignments
(Thanks to Larry Michaelsen for his permission to distribute these criteria.)
IMPORTANT:
The form in which individual and groups choices are represented largely determine the dynamics of class discussions that follow. Both individual reports to groups and group reports to the class should be as absolutely succinct as possible. One word reports are the very best (e.g., yes/no, best/worst, up/down/no change, name the leader, etc.) because they invariably stimulate a discussion of why one choice is better than another.
Prior to Group Discussion:
Are group members required to use newly acquired concepts to make a specific choice, individually and in writing? (Note: This individual accountability is especially important in newly-formed groups.)
During Discussions within Groups:
- Are groups required to share members' individual choices and agree (i.e,. reach a group consensus) on a specific choice?
- Will the discussion focus on "Why" (and/or "How?")
- Will the groups' choice(s) be represented in a form that enables immediate and direct comparison with other groups?
During Discussion between Groups?
- Are group decisions reported simultaneously?
- Do group "reports" focus attention on the absolutely key issues?
- Are groups given the opportunity to digest and reflect on the entire set of "reports" before being asked to engage in a total class discussion?
- Will the discussion focus on "Why?" (and/or "How?")
Team Learning
Team Learning: Using small groups to improve the quality of learning in Higher Education
Larry Michaelsen, University of Oklahoma, teaches classes with 200+ students, but only lectures about 20% of the time. He accomplishes this with a system called Team Learning, which he has been developing for over 28 years.
For general guidelines and concrete advice on how to design high-quality, application-oriented group assignments, visit TEP's page on Creating Successful Group Assignments.
Definition of Terms
Strategically-organized groups
Groups can be organized in a variety of ways. For the purposes of team learning it is recommended that groups be organized based on criteria which will facilitate productive and supportive group dynamics. Certain factors may be important to consider distributing among groups such as students with expertise, skills and background in the subject, international students and nontraditional students. It may also be important to keep gender balance in groups and distribute freshmen, sophmores, juniors and seniors. Balancing other kinds of strengths and weaknesses may help insure that groups function well and do not have distinct advantages over one another.
Team Learning groups stay together over the course of an academic term. Research shows that the amount of time spent working together is directly related to how well the group functions. Consistent groups are able to move through initial stages of distance and caution with each other to developing trust, more open communication and an investment in individual and group success.
Readiness Assurance Process
This process consists of five steps:
1. Reading assignment. Students are exposed to concepts primarily through assigned readings.
2. Individual test. Students take a well-written multiple choice quiz of 10-20 questions over the assigned reading. This provides individual accountability and helps reinforce the student's memory of what they learned in their readings.
3. Group test. By taking the same quiz with their assigned group, students orally elaborate the reasons for their answer choices. Lively discussions ensue as students towards consensus on each quiz answer.
4. Appeals. Students get a chance to submit written appeals as a group and challenge "incorrect" answers. Appeals which are granted restore credit for the questions missed. As a result, students are highly motivated to engaged in a focused restudy fo the readings which often clarifieds their understanding of particularly troublesome concepts.
5. Instructor feedback. Based on the individual and group tests, instructors are aware of the students' level of concept understanding. At this point the instructor is able to provide feedback which specifically addresses any remaining misunderstandings and confusion.
Immediate feedback
Students need to know how well they performed on individual and group quizzes as soon as possible - preferably shortly after the quiz is given. Readiness Assessment Process quizzes are not meant to be lengthy. They are designed to target key terms, ideas and concepts and get a reading on how well students are understanding their reading assignments. Quizzes are often 10-20 multiple choice questions which can be completed in 10-15 minutes.
Depending on the size of the class, individual quizzes can often be graded during the time groups are completing the quiz together. In very large classes, Michaelson uses a portable scantron machine and is able to give immediate feedback to groups and individuals. Group quizzes could be traded and graded by other teams or teams could do their own grading if this was an appropriate option. Groups could also be asked to fill out two answer sheets, turn one in (as insurance against cheating) and then the other could be scored in class.
The immediate feedback is critical to being able to move forward with the appeal process.
Appeal Process
After the group quizzes have been completed and graded, teams are allowed to appeal any answer they missed. This option to appeal is only available to groups, not individuals. In order to appeal groups must submit an appeal form which identifies the group,the quiz number, and the question in dispute. Then, using material from their reading (properly sited), they must build a case for why the answer they chose is correct. The appeal is then submitted and it is up to the instructor to grant or deny it. If granted the team receives credit for that question added to their team score.
This process can generate some wonderful learning for both the teacher and the students. Teachers are made aware of questions which were ambiguously written or confusing. They are also made aware of other interpretations which could be valid. Through this process the instructor becomes more skilled at creating a good multiple-choice test. Students feel empowered in that they can argue for their way of thinking as long as they ground their arguments in the assigned readings. In order to make a case for their answer, they often read and reread the material very carefully, analyze terms and definitions and employ the kind of critical thinking skills we so wish them to develop in the course.
Application-oriented group assignments
Many group assignments fail because they are not designed to create a positive group dynamic. When a group assignment is designed so that one member can take over and do it independently, there is little incentive for the group to work well together. Effective group assignments require the effort of each group member.