Blog Post 5: Group Work Done Right

When it comes to collaborative group projects, there can be many difficulties that get in the way of completing the assignment. When first starting out, a good brainstorming session is needed so that everyone feels their ideas are heard. As a concrete idea begins to form, it is crucial that roles within the group are clearly defined. Technology today allows for groups to interact from their individual homes. Programs like Zoom or Hangout allow for people to chat via camera, and google docs or various blog platforms allows people to share notes and writing. Today’s modern technology makes collaboration far more simple than ten years ago.

The article, “Co-Constructing Knowledge Through Collaborative Writing,” suggests how classrooms have altered their space to make working together much more accessible. People face each other so as to encourage group interaction. At present time, we are in the midst of a global pandemic. The challenge has been trying to continue school projects within a group requirement while also maintaining the federally mandated social distancing behaviors. One other challenge is bandwidth. Because everyone is at home and finding themselves using their internet, there is much delay with upload and download speeds. This makes file sharing especially difficult.

Despite these challenges, it's nice that there are multiple ways of ironing out the kinks with collaborative writing projects. The next important aspect of collaborative writing is communication. It is key to design a schedule for check points throughout the various stages of the project is that everyone is actively doing their part. Without these, it is possible one or more groups members will fall through the cracks which can hurt the overall product. While most people might not be a fan of group projects, they are critical to helping people develop good habits and skills that will benefit them in other aspects of life or jobs outside of school. Many careers require collaborative skills in place.

The article also suggests preparing a contract for students to document expectations from the professor as well as from each other. This is a fluid document that can be altered throughout the project as needed, however it is also there to reaffirm the actions that everyone has promised to take to make the project a successful one. It is always smart to document these things so that by the time the assignment is due, there is a well prepared plan to turn in with the assignment, which acts as a guide to measuring how successful the collaboration project actually was.