THE GROUP PROJECT FROM HELL

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Let’s say you have followed–or tried to follow–the tips for managing a good group project. And it hasn’t worked. It’s close to presentation time. It is clear to you that an embarrassingly inadequate project is going to be handed in or presented. You’ve more than done your part. You’ve cajoled your teammates and offered to help them with their parts, in short, gone the extra mile and beyond.

To no avail. Now what? I’m assuming that it is impossible at this point for you to pull everyone else’s fat out of the fire. The big question is what damage control is left for you? You can’t save the group; what can you do to save at least part of your grade for the project?

You are likely considering approaching the instructor. You probably don’t want to do this, because (a) you don’t want to be a whiner, a suck, (b) you don’t feel the instructor will want to consider your position, (c) you don’t know how to go about discussing this with the instructor, (d) you are afraid of the disapproval of other group members, and (e) you are afraid of harassment in person or on social media.

Throw out the first two concerns. You will not be considered a whiner or a suck if you go in with concern about a project, conduct yourself in a professional manner, and have solid documentation. Most instructors do want to help students do well and do want to see fair play and fair grading.

Presenting Your Case

How you go about discussing this is to clearly have in mind your objective, which is to see that you receive as fair a grade as possible:

  • You are not going in to complain about your team members. You might acknowledge that it is possible that they will surprise you and pull off miracles in the next few days, but you are concerned that this does not look likely to you.
  • You outline, in a calm, matter-of-fact voice, the project timeline, including tasks assigned, task assignments not met, and task assignments met.
  • A printout with names in different colours is a strong visual support, is easy to follow, and is a physical argument in itself. Be aware that this visual may be shared with others in the department and with your teammates.
  • You have a list of your dated emails, meeting notes and dates, followed by printouts.
  • You practice your presentation with all of your material in hand so that you are not fumbling and stumbling and taking longer than necessary when meeting with the instructor.
  • You close by saying that you don’t know what the solution is in a case like this, and ask for their advice.
  • If they ask you what you have in mind, you can suggest (a) separate grading, (b) being allowed an extra project and a time extension to get the extra project done, or (c) anything else that they might suggest.

Thank them for their time and suggestions, and follow up with an email thank you.

Considering Your Teammates’ Disapproval

Of course, your team teammates are not going to love you for exposing their shortcomings, especially if you get a better grade than they do. Be prepared for accusations of being a crybaby, a whiner. Be prepared to be shunned by them and their friends in class and on campus. 

At the core, is their approval worth failing a project and having the academic reputation hit that a garbage presentatio will cost you? 

Here is where your own friends, some in the current course, some in other courses, can provide a degree of validation. The strongest validation, however, is knowing that you are doing the right thing.

You may fear retaliation from reputation smear, harassment, or social media trashing. Have backups of your documentation, and either on your own or with your friends, get the word out–being careful of actionable libel. You might even be proactive and start expressing your concern about unnamed slackers with friends and social media before you see the instructor. Check in with student services if there is any chance of physical or material retaliation–again, in a professional, matter-of-fact manner. 

I wish I didn’t feel I had to write that last paragraph. Fear should not keep you from going for what is rightfully yours. It is unlikely that you will face extreme retaliation. It is even less likely if you are prepared and if potential perps know you have left their names. And the instructor knows who is in your group. Even if you get your car keyed, in the very short term their rep will be trash, and yours won’t.

You are worth this. Connect with me if you want to strategize: [email protected] 

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS PLEASE DIAL 911.