Student life has many frightening aspects, like exams, big essays, and important oral presentations. However, one of the things that students dread the most are group projects. These kinds of assignments can inspire many feelings in students: some feel happy to work with their friends, others are relieved because they have more people to share the burden with, and others, like myself, absolutely despise them. As grumpy as that can sound, this non-acceptance of group projects can be justified; some people are shy, others are just socially awkward and perform better on their own, and others just prefer to do it alone because some people tend to be very irresponsible. These and many other reasons sustain this argument, but regardless of how much we dislike them, sometimes we just can’t refuse, and here are a few tips to help you deal with group projects or make you a better study partner.
1. Communication
Effective and positive communication is a key element to successful group projects. It is important that the members of the group communicate with each other in order to get things done right and understand what each is doing so they can all do a good job. Old feuds and arguments can stay outside the classroom. If you don’t get along well with your partner(s) because of a problem you had in the past, you should put it aside and approach the person with professionalism and maturity. If the problem was very serious and it’s impossible to work with them, you should talk to the professor and explain the situation to them, but never attempt to do the work separately without discussing anything.
Every good group project needs:
2. Teamwork
Without teamwork, group projects are just impossible. They are called group projects precisely because people must work as a group so they’re able to achieve satisfactory results. Communication is what makes teamwork possible, and without teamwork, the work will be inefficient and poorly done. Everyone needs to work together as a team, and one of the group members should assemble the others, which leads me to:
3. Leadership
Leaders are needed wherever a group of people is assembled to do something. There always needs to be a competent figure guiding the others and helping them, clearing up doubts and assigning tasks to the other members. However, the group leader should be fair, understanding, and capable of the task of leading others and assuming most of the responsibility. They should listen to and consider everyone’s ideas and they should make sure that everything is getting done properly and organized, and speaking of organized:
4. Organization
As the leader gives out tasks to the others, they should make sure that everything is organized. Not only should they make sure of this but everyone in the group should as well. When the work is divided, each person should do their part in an organized manner so when they put all the pieces together, the work is all polished and efficient. Quality is very important in group projects, especially in college, and without organization, good, quality work is hard to achieve. For organized and favorable results, there is one, possibly the most important thing to keep in mind:
5. Cooperation
The lack of cooperation from their group partners is, most times, what makes some people loath group projects. There is nothing more unmotivating than having lazy, inconsiderate, and uncooperative partners. What used to be a group project turns into more work for that person (or people) who just want to do a good job so they can get a good grade. Having uncooperative partners is one of the main reasons why some people fail group project assignments. Since there is lack of cooperation, no matter how much the leader or the other group members try to reason with the uncooperative person, there will only be two possible outcomes: they will all fail due to the irresponsibility of that one person (or several people) who didn’t bother to try, or they will have to do everything on their own in order to get a good grade, and neither of those alternatives is convenient or fair.
While a lot of people enjoy group projects because they see it as an opportunity to socialize, most of us dislike them, and it is often because of the people we get paired up with. It is really unfair to leave all the work to one person or a few people when group projects are supposed to be an equal amount of work for everyone in the group. If you’re having problems with lazy partners, try to talk it over with them and do your best to get that grade that you aspire to receive. If you are that lazy student, it is time you realize that what you’re doing will not only have bad consequences for yourself but for the other people in the group as well. Be considerate enough to do your part and learn it (if you need to present it), and for that person who is desperately trying to do their part and the others’ who haven’t done anything, keep doing your best, it will be worth it.