The Making Of Group Assignments

"None of us is as smart as all of us." --Ken Blanchard

This quote by Ken Blanchard sums up group-work perfectly. Group work can be much more beneficial than individual work as many minds are stronger than one. Multiple ideas can be discussed within the group and then decide its pros and cons. For this to work smoothly everyone must contribute and follow the rules of group work. Through some research, I found these steps useful in the making of my group assignment on John Phillip Holland;

MANAGING THE PROCESS

1.Have clear objectives.-include a timetable for progress on the project as well as more immediate goals (e.g. to agree on an approach to the assignment by Friday).

2.Set ground rules. - Set rules at the outset. A rule that one group made was that anybody who missed a meeting would buy the rest of the group a cup of coffee from the coffee shop. Encouraging everyone not to miss a meeting.

3.Communicate efficiently.

4.Define roles.

5.Clarify.

6.Keep good records

7.Stick to the plan.

8.Monitor progress and stick to deadlines.

MY EXPERIENCE IN MY GROUP ASSIGNMENT

There were 3 members in my group(Foynes), including me. Our assignment was to make a wiki-style article on John Phillip Holland. My contribution was 2 sections of the article out of 5. I researched information on Holland and wiki-style articles. Then submitted my work. We discussed in our WhatsApp group if everything was okay before going forward. I found this group assignment slightly more difficult as we could not meet face to face. Although, it did not affect our workflow too much.

I learned how to construct a wiki-style article and how to edit one. It was a good experience overall and I would recommend it for future students. Our final assignment on John Phillip Holland can be visited here: http://wiki.csisdmz.ul.ie/wiki/John_Phillip_Holland