Finished my "group" project today - as usual, without the damn group

[skygazer]

God, I hate group projects. :banghead:

I have had one instructor who has the sense to construct group projects that involve the group sharing the research and presentation but handing in their own assignments and so getting graded individually. It tends to make people more keen to contribute.

I always end up playing referee, trying to get people to do SOMETHING and ending up doing it all myself because I don't want a lousy grade. And I think that's often why people choose to join a group with me. When I know some people in a class, it's usually easier to find group members who will actually work - no such luck this time.

I'm ratting them out on this one - I'm sick of pulling in A's for slackers. :grr:

[Coyote_Bandit]

1. I've seen the time I would have been happy to be grouped with

slackers. Organizational management first semester of my MBA program. Group consisted of myself, three guys who were already somewhat acquainted and a very religious foreign student who worked for a Christian school. The assignment was to survey workers at a corporation and prepare an organizational analysis. Minimum requirement of 10 pages of analysis. One of the guys took it upon himself to be the project leader and to do an analysis of the company where he was employed. Turned out the only person he surveyed was himself - at least once in every job capacity he had held. I was the only person who had any concern regarding the ethics of that. I insisted that the paper include a stated assumption that each survey represented the view of a unique employee. Asshat included the assumption apparently without realizing that doing so was an admission that liberties had been taken with the research.

[BlueIris]

2. Group projects are the providence of lazy teachers. I get so angry

whenever I see any student forced to participate in a "group" project, because it is as you say, something that forces the A student to do the work of the slackers who really shouldn't be in the class or the educational environment at all.

[2Design]

3. they tell you it is prepare for the real world - I hate them too BUT

this semester in one class wanted to do that just to hide from the instructor - he is abusive and can not be avoided - but the team mate bailed at the last minute and it was too late to take the ones I had turned down - so I am on my own - I am a worker but the instructor is not liked by most but some have found a way to understand what he wants - myself - it is impossible - he writes horrible things to people

[skygazer]

11. Yeah, I've heard that lame explanation too

Difference is, of course, in the real world, people tend to feel more incentive to get something done in order to keep their job than they do in a class. Also, if someone isn't pulling their weight in the group at work, you can usually replace them. And usually when you're working in a group at work, you're doing it AT WORK, not trying to find time between work and school and other activities that you can all meet and do the damn thing. x(

[Arctic Dave]

4. My wife had that same problem in her class last semester.

I thought she was going to blow a gasket and start popping people from the clock tower.

[DarkTirade]

5. I got lucky with the one group project I had.

We managed to actually get people who cared in our group. Granted, some didn't care about the project, they just cared about the grade... but still. :) There was effort put in by everyone.

[Fox Mulder]

6. I'm glad you're ratting them out.

I'd do the same thing. Why should they get good grades for the work you did?

[LibDemAlways]

7. I detest, despise, and out and out hate group projects.

My daughter is only a high school freshman, but learned all about the inanity and unfairness of group projects this year.

Geography class group project - something called Geofest. The topic was East Asia. My daughter was "working" with two girls who did nothing. Meanwhile, my daughter researched and put together a 40 slide narrated powerpoint on the culture of the region, made two trips to LA's Chinatown in search of "souvenirs" to share with the class, compiled an extensive bibliography, wrote the names of all students in the class in Chinese characters on parchment, and presented the whole goddamned thing. The other girls showed up in Japanese/Korean dress that day. That was their entire contribution, but they shared in the "A." My daughter was pissed, but when it became evident that the others weren't going to pull their weight, she did what she had to do.

English class group project (final) - Form groups of 3-5. Rewrite an act of Romeo and Juliet and videotape yourselves acting it out. Project to be graded on creativity, props, scenery, and technical aspects (sound, editing, picture quality). More than a bit over the top to begin with.
Anyhow, my daughter got stuck with one girl who had no time to devote to the project - busy every night and weekend, and another who was extremely bossy and wanted to just get it done quick and dirty in her living room just reading lines into the camera. When my daughter tried to reason with them that their grades were on the line and she wasn't going to be a party to anything less than a top notch effort, they threw her out of the group. I had to get involved, and ultimately, she was allowed to do an independent project - a 10 minute powerpoint covering details of Shakespeare's life, the Globe Theatre, and the historical background of the play. She's still working on it, and the other two apparently finished their effort in one afternoon. Yet another fiasco.

I'm with you. Group projects are the worst and teachers who assign them have screws loose.

[greenbriar]

8. when I assign group projects, part of the grade is rating each other

and holding each member accountable


they have an evaluation to fill out for each group member

grades depend on this

usually works to help get equal participation

[orleans]

9. i hate them as well. i remember doing all the fucking work in various

group projects in school.
the last couple of times i absolutely told the teacher about the lack of help/input/participation, and asked if there was going to be a next time could i please be my own group.
from what i recall, we didn't do them again. (social psychology! maybe i was just being anti-social???)

[distantearlywarning]

10. Nothing I hate more than group projects.

I promised myself that I would never do that to my own students once I started teaching, and I have stuck to that promise so far.