Group Work and the Instructor

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Last week I talked about different situations where it would be a good idea to meet with your instructor, and suggested how to approach some of those meetings. One category of instructor meeting I left on the table was meeting with the instructor about group projects. 

Let’s look at that category now. There are three key stages where checking in with the professor increases the probability that the project will be on target and on time. Those three stages are (a) at the outset, (b) as issues arise, and (c) before the final draft. 

Taking up these stages one at a time:

At the Outset of the Project

  1. If your group is having difficulty choosing the topic or is unclear about the project requirements, jot down the questions group members have. Email them to the prof.
  2. Once your group has chosen a topic, outline the approach, the theme, potential research, and the presentation form you are considering.
  3. Email your draft project outline to the prof and ask for a meeting.
  4. Two of you can go to that meeting, or the whole group can ZOOM. Discuss your suggested outline. Ask questions. Take notes on the instructor’s recommendations.

Checking in as Issues Arise

  1. If your project snarls because of events outside group control, such as illness, accident, untimely shortage of resources or access to research, email the instructor immediately. Let them know what your group is doing to resolve the issues, and ask for their advice.
  2. If your project snarls because more than one group member is not meeting their commitments, your choices are to
    1. Pick up all of the slack yourself.
    2. Collaborate with the stronger members of the group to pick up the slack.
    3. Complain to the instructor about the poor-performing group members–this is rarely  a good idea! 

Elsewhere in these blogs I have emphasized the importance of emailing everyone on everything. If, for example, your group simply will not get together within a couple of weeks, you may need to ask to be assigned to another group. You will need to have documented your requests for group meetings to make your point.

  1. If your group cannot effectively self-monitor racist, sexist, anti-gender behaviour, know campus policy. Have documented occurrences of the behaviour before you communicate with appropriate parties. 
  2. If your project snarls because of group conflict that you cannot resolve, ask for a meeting for resources to help your group resolve differences. Ideally, you will not have to do this and can implement the conflict resolution tools I’ve recommended in other blogs. There may, however, be times where the tsunami meets the earthquake and the project ends up in the middle.
  3. If your project is moving along well, checking in at the midpoint to report progress will help avoid the embarrassment of having your blind spots pointed out during the final presentation.

Before the Final Draft

  1. You may wish to update the instructor on the project before completing your final draft, especially if you have had no meetings since the outset.
  2. Have this last meeting early enough that your group will have time to revise before the submission deadline.

The key points for any of these meetings are

  • Go in prepared.
  • Go in with at least two group members.
  • Present every group member’s perspective and questions.
  • Go in sooner, not later, especially when the project seems to be heading off the rails.
  • Send a thank-you note.

Two or three connections with the instructor, at the minimum, will save you and your group time and potentially lost grade points.

I’ve blogged extensively on group projects earlier (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly)–this blog is just on how to best make use of your instructor as a resource for achieving your goal grades in project work. Let me know how the term is going, how your group work is coming along

And have a good, good Thanksgiving this weekend! [email protected]