For Staff

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Most university and college students participate in group assignments throughout their course of study. Such assignments can be very rewarding. However, they can also be very challenging at times. One option is to let students discover this out for themselves. Another is to help them prepare for what might lie ahead. This guide and accompanying workbook take the latter approach. They work on the assumption that it is better to be honest and realistic about the situations students might find themselves in; not to worry them, but to better prepare them for group assignments. 

After reading the guide commencing students should have a better understanding of group assignments. They should have a better understanding of their purpose and their internal dynamics. Students will also be introduced to the bigger picture of group work in higher education and have a better understanding how they can prepare for their upcoming group assignments. After completing the accompanying workbook, students will have given deeper consideration to the topics and issues presented in the guide. Reading about the challenges and opportunities associated with group work is one thing. Giving targeted thought to them is the next level.

Ideally, students should read the guide and complete the workbook before commencing their studies. Following this, they should then be given the opportunity to discuss their upcoming group assignments and workbook answers with other commencing students and institutional staff. The guide and workbook give commencing students important preparatory information to consider. It is crucial they are given the chance to raise any issues or concerns they have about group assignments and feel supported. These discussions might take place in an orientation session or in a first-year class. 

A workbook completed to a satisfactory level provides evidence that a student has given consideration to the issues associated with their upcoming group assignments. Such considerations also serve as a record of the student’s thoughts and level of preparedness at the commencement of their studies. It makes an excellent early artifact that students can use in later years to reflect back upon (e.g., to look back on their identified collaborative strengths and weaknesses). Completed workbook entries could be also used as an early submission in a student’s e-portfolio.