What it's about:
Group work in its many and varied forms has become an integral part of university life. However, it is often met with little enthusiasm from students. First of all, though, one thing is clear: there are two sides to every story, and depending on your perspective – whether from a student’s or a lecturer’s point of view – group work has different advantages and disadvantages.
In this article, we’ll show why group work can be worthwhile during your studies and how to achieve effective teamwork.
✨ When we refer to ‘group work’ below, this could mean a brief informal discussion, a joint exercise during a lecture, or even an entire group module spanning several weeks.
From the teachers’ point of view, group work has many advantages:
Of course, there are also drawbacks from the teachers’ point of view:
The announcement of a group project often doesn’t exactly spark enthusiasm – but why?
In many cases, it’s probably down to autonomy, which can be doubly restricted in group work – on the one hand, you might have preferred to work on the task alone; on the other, you have to coordinate with the group and make compromises. Added to this is the fear of being ‘held back’ by others.
Perhaps it’s also the feeling of having to step ‘out of your comfort zone’ when you’ve already made yourself comfortable at your desk in the seminar room with your coffee mug, laptop and rucksack: Then you have to get up, join others – perhaps fellow students you don’t know – coordinate with them and agree on the content together. That’s hard work!
What students value about group work as a learning method: As well as the need for competence and autonomy, people (according to Deci & Ryan) have a fundamental need for social connection and a sense of belonging. It can therefore certainly be a positive experience to interact with others in group work, to get to know – and perhaps even come to appreciate – fellow students, or to be able to learn from them.
Carol Dweck has conducted research into different mindsets and identified two types: the so-called ‘growth mindset’ and the ‘fixed mindset’.
With a growth mindset (illustrated for children as a ‘bubblegum brain’), you assume that learning is possible and that hard work pays off. If there’s something you can’t do yet (the emphasis is on ‘yet’), then you put in the effort and practise until you can do it.
With a fixed mindset, however (illustrated to children using the metaphor of a ‘brick brain’), you assume that talent is innate and that you either have a knack for something or you don’t. Not good at statistics? Then you don’t even bother trying in the first place; you avoid engaging with the subject and are more likely to blame a poor exam result on the difficult questions or unfair marking.
✨ In group work, your mindset determines how students engage with one another, whether they put in the effort, and whether – or what – they learn from the task. The key assumption behind the growth mindset is this: when things get tough, we’re learning something new! So – don’t give up straight away when you face difficulties; instead, get actively involved!
Even if the tutors make every effort to formulate a task that is as clear as possible (ideally in writing on a slide or in the handouts), it is also important to clarify within the group what each individual understands by it. Does everyone have the same understanding of what needs to be done and what outcome the group is expected to produce? Sometimes it helps to take a photo on your mobile of the PowerPoint presentation containing the assignment, so that no sub-task or instruction is forgotten (e.g. ‘Cite your sources?’ Oops, we just Googled it…).
A useful rule for effective group work is, for longer assignments, to make it clear at the outset who can contribute how much time and when. A commitment voiced aloud is worth more than a good intention kept to oneself. This may also reveal that not everyone is able to contribute the same amount. This requires early discussions to ensure that no one ends up feeling frustrated afterwards.
Even for group work sessions lasting just 15 to 45 minutes, it’s worth taking a moment at the start to allocate roles. In just one minute, you can decide who will be the timekeeper and keep an eye on the clock, who will take notes on ideas and findings and visualise them in diagrams – either digitally or on a flipchart – and whether, if necessary, someone will act as the ‘Advocatus Diaboli’ (literally, ‘Devil’s advocate’) to critically scrutinise and test the results without being destructive.
For longer group sessions, you can make use of creativity techniques such as the ‘Walt Disney Technique’. Here, ideas and concepts are developed and refined using the roles of ‘Dreamer’, ‘Doer/Realist’ and ‘Critic’. According to de Bono, there are six coloured ‘thinking hats’ that represent different qualities (e.g. structured, analytical, emotional, critical, optimistic and creative thinking).
✨ Of course, there are also scientifically grounded role models for collaboration based on personality differences (e.g. according to Belbin or Riemann-Thomann). Furthermore, when working together on a project over a longer period, it can be useful to discuss different working styles and make targeted use of each individual’s strengths.
Sure, higher education is meant to foster critical thinking. Yet, with our ‘factory-set mindset’ that focuses on the negative, we often get in our own way. It is therefore helpful to consciously focus on strengths: our own strengths, those of others, and what has already been achieved.
The first step is to direct our attention towards the positive in the first place. Because we usually look first at what’s going wrong, we ask ourselves positive questions:
After all, the things that annoy us about others are the very things we notice straight away!
✨The next step would be to actually voice these positive points – informally and on the spur of the moment, or in a suitable setting. After all, we all want to feel valued.
Although feedback is firmly established in agile working, it is often given far too little attention in day-to-day university life. It can be given from time to time during group work (“Oh, good idea!”, “That’s an important question” or “Thanks for pointing out the time”) and, of course, at the end (regarding the outcome and the process).
What is intended in project management, but is unfortunately often sacrificed to the hectic day-to-day routine, is a project wrap-up (just as, ideally, there is a kick-off to mark the start). So, after a group project as part of a five-week block, it can be lovely to organise a joint wrap-up, have lunch together or meet up again in the evening once the module is complete.
This provides an opportunity to recognise positive aspects and achievements, and to thank people for their individual contributions. For example, in the form of a brief ‘spotlight’ or a ‘strengths shower’: Here, each person takes it in turns to briefly tell everyone involved what was helpful, what their fellow student is good at, or what they enjoyed about working together.
Finally, there’s also space to provide constructive feedback on anything that might have been challenging during the collaboration. This naturally involves being open yourself and actively seeking feedback from others so that you can learn from it – both in terms of what you’re already good at and what, in the eyes of your group members, you could still work on.
Even though you might not have chosen the group work itself or the other members of the group, just bear in mind that it could turn out really well.
Your mindset and your contributions can play a key role in the group’s success. And even if the group doesn’t perform brilliantly, you’re sure to learn something from the group work and take it with you.
