Online Groups and Gripes

Assigning group projects is one of the many classic teaching methods teachers use to assess grades and increase class engagement. According to an article by Carnegie Mellon University, when done properly, group projects can teach students necessary skills in life such as time management, communication skills, and the ability to share and understand various perspectives. When the groups are randomly formed by the teacher in charge, students are also trained to work with drastically different people and to improvise when needed.

Nonetheless, group projects can easily turn disastrous when not handled with care. One of the most relevant problems that arises from group projects, especially when students cannot pick their own teammates, is the imbalance of work done. Higher-achieving students are often taken advantage of by teammates who do not typically spend as much effort in schoolwork. Another problem that often occurs is the contest for dominance. When there are strong conflicting opinions within a team, it can be a struggle to find a middle ground. Even if the group does finally go with a conclusion, opposing minds will typically work reluctantly and resentfully.

“In my opinion, group projects are only bearable if we can choose our own teammates,” expressed Ciana Aretha, a grade 12 student. “Otherwise, it’s likely that one member will take charge and do the work alone. This is especially unfair if the project has a big contribution in the students’ final grades.”

Given these problems, the most effective key for group projects is communication. Maintaining efficient communication would ensure that all team members are on the same page. It is good to figure out an agreement prior to starting the project so that everyone can work towards the same goal. However, while those remedies might work in a physical setting, our current state of online learning acts as a huge obstacle.

Communication barriers come in numerous ways. For example, not all the team members are able to be online and work together at the same time due to personal responsibilities. In addition to that, it might be difficult to share the same vision when discussing through text, leading to creative differences. “With school being online, it’s harder to explain an idea to teammates through long-distance communication,” claimed Ciana. “Especially when you’re not that close to them, asking them to continuously redo things because they did something wrong feels a bit annoying.”

But as flawed as the online group work system is, it seems that there is no closer way to replicate the same effect that physical group projects have. Collaborative work is essential in the field of education as it prepares students for the working world in their later days. “With this online learning situation, we as teachers certainly understand that discussions will not be as smooth as when having offline learning.” said Mr. Febrian Ralahalu, the Food and Nutrition teacher. “But students still need to practice their communication skills and learn many other things like how to see, tolerate, and accommodate their group mates’ ideas, opinions, perspectives, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.”

While maintaining communication can be a bit messy, there are still some ways to maximize productivity within the team. Start early, don’t wait. Assign roles as soon as possible and make sure they stick. Most projects fail because students underestimate the time and effort needed to produce the outcome that they had aimed for. Second, if possible, call, instead of text. According to a 2017 research from Stanford University, talking verbally is approximately three times faster than typing. Voice calling would not only get more work done faster, but it would also be easier to focus and retain important information because listening to speech is much more personal than reading text messages.

However, in a school setting, it is the teacher’s responsibility as much as the student’s to ensure everyone works well and projects run smoothly. Teachers should assign projects with adaptions to distant learning, whether it be by extending deadlines, constantly checking up on progress, or messaging students who are not doing their work. Furthermore, teachers should also make sure that no step in the project will possibly involve physically meeting up to respect social distancing protocols. It is important for teachers to work with students to figure out the best way to carry out projects in both perspectives.

The frustration of teammates leaving messages on read and the like may be upsetting, but remember that the values learned from group projects will continue to be relevant in any stage of life. If any concerns from group projects arise, contacting the supervising instructor is always a valid option.