Why Use Group Work?
A common misunderstanding about groupwork in the classroom is that it is a lot of effort to design and carry out for very little payoff. Groupwork, however, has a variety of benefits for students, instructors, and society. Research shows, for example, that students learn better in a group-based environment and that employers are actively seeking employees with collaborative and leadership experience. Furthermore, thoughtfully designed groupwork in practice can reduce grading loads, mitigate academic integrity concerns, and encourage authentic collaborative experiences.
Notably, group work is an excellent way to align course outcomes with the Queen’s Learning Outcome Framework, which broadly reflects the “knowledge, skills and habits of mind that are gained through successful completion of a program” at Queen’s (QLOF).
- Regular online collaboration greatly increases learning (up to 4x vs. control group; Peter & Lois, 2020).
- Leadership and the ability to work in a team are ranked by employers as the second most important attributes that they seek (NACE, 2016).
- “Evidence indicates that students and instructors view the teamwork graduate attribute as most important for career success (Passow 2012; Passow and Passow 2017)” (qt. From O’Neill et al. 2019, p. 848).
- “Many accreditation agencies are now requiring that faculties develop teamwork skills in graduates (e.g., Association of Advanced Collegiate Business Schools; Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology)” (O’Neill et al. 2019, p. 848).
- “There are indications that students are not adequately prepared to meet teamwork requirements upon graduation (Fiore, Graesser, and Greiff 2018; Gallup Organization 2010)” (qt. From O’Neill et al. 2019, p. 848).
- Reduces grading (fewer submissions).
- Mitigates academic integrity concerns through increased accountability, particularly when groups are random, group charters are adopted, and peer evaluation is implemented.
- Allows instructors to assign more complex, authentic tasks that require multiple perspectives to solve.
- Supports achievement of learning outcomes when designed well: built-in peer-to-peer learning, scaffolding academic expectations, clarity of instructions/procedures, content comprehension/analysis, and affective supports.
- 71% of employers want colleges to put more emphasis on Teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diverse group settings (AACU, 2009).
- “The National Association of Colleges and Employers (2012) found that the majority of employers surveyed indicated the ability to work in a team is an attribute of highly desired recruits” (O’Neill et al. 2019, p. 848).
- “Teamwork continues to be a critical foundation of how work is done in organisations (O'Neill and Salas 2018)” (qt. From O’Neill et al. 2019, p. 848).
What Collaboration Platforms and Software Work Best?
There is an ever-increasing number of collaboration platforms that can be used for facilitating groupwork. Many units at Queen’s have their own suite of software, several of which are noted. Visit the CTL Ed Tech Toolkit for more options!
What Kinds of Group Work Activities are there?
Group work exists on a spectrum, with a wide variety of activities to consider. The groupwork spectrum, generally, encompasses three “buckets” or types of activities: interactive, cooperative, and collaborative. Within these categories are various specific activities from which to choose, each drawing on and fostering the skills of each type. Overall, a great group work activity must align with the teaching and learning objectives of the course while mitigating common challenges.
| Type | Description | Activities & Assessment Strategies |
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Interactive
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Cooperative
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Collaborative
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Assigning Groups & Group Work Best Practices
Resources
Gibbs, G. Learning in Teams: a Tutor Guide. Oxford, 1995.
Lejk, M. et al. A Survey of Methods of Deriving Individual Grades from Group Assessments. In Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Vol. 21, No. 3, 1996.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Aaron, J. R., McDowell, W. C., & Herdman, A. O. (2014). The Effects of a Team Charter on Student Team Behaviors.
Journal of Education for Business, 89(2), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2013.763753
Barron , B. 2000 . Achieving coordination in collaborative problem-solving groups. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 9 : 403 – 436. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08832323.2013.763753
Hathorn, L. G., & Ingram, A. L. (2002b). Cooperation and Collaboration Using Computer-Mediated Communication.
Journal of Educational Computing Research, 26(3), 325–347. https://doi.org/10.2190/7MKH-QVVN-G4CQ-XRDU
Branch, R. M. (2009). Instructional Design: The ADDIE Approach. New York, NY: Springer.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09506-6
This resource was remixed from the ‘Instructional Design Guide to Group Work’ licensed by Arts & Science Online at Queen's University under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.