1. Group work
A student guide

2. Introduction
You may encounter group work in a variety of contexts at the University of Suffolk, ranging from small group exercises during classes through to formally assessed group project work.
This guide is designed to provide you with advice and guidance on getting the most out of group work, while avoiding some of the common pitfalls.

3. Why do group work?
Group work helps you to develop a range of skills that will be valuable in your academic and professional lives, including:
collaboration and team working
communication
problem solving
planning
time management
negotiation and conflict resolution
leadership
Research also shows that students learn better when they work collaboratively with each other – group work provides an opportunity to share, challenge, defend and reflect on each others’ ideas and experiences.

4. What are the risks? Group work can present challenges, including:
varying ability of students to work well in groups
individual group members not pulling their weight (often referred to as ‘loafing’) or, at the other end of the scale, being too domineering
potential for personal differences between group members to cause anxiety, stress and/or hostility
difficulties in group members getting together to work on group tasks if they live far apart or have work or family commitments
perception that marks for assessed group work may suffer because of poor engagement or weak contributions of others.
This guide is designed to help you to avoid – and where necessary deal with – some of these potential hazards.

5. Establishing ground rules
When you first get together as a group, it can be helpful to agree some ground rules to help everyone work well together.
These might cover, for example:
The need to treat other group members with respect
The need to foster a supportive, inclusive and trusting working relationship, with everyone encouraged to participate
The need for everyone to contribute to group activities in a reliable and timely manner, in accordance with agreed meeting schedules and deadlines
How roles within the group will be allocated
When, where and how often the group will meet
How decisions will be made (including in situations where there are diverse views)
How problems or disagreements will be dealt with

6. Skills needed for SUCCESSFUL group work
A positive attitude (remember that positive body language, including smiling and looking interested, can really help)
Confidence to express and explain your views and ask questions
Active listening (allowing time for others to speak and being open to their views)
Patience and empathy (including cultural sensitivity)
Ability to provide, and take on board, constructive feedback
Adaptability (not being too defensive; being open to alternatives; willing to compromise)
Creative thinking (to come up with alternative approaches, solutions to problems, etc)
Ability to encourage and motivate others
Ability to negotiate and reach a consensus amicably
Organisational skills, including planning and time management

7. Stages in group work
Most groups go through at least some of the following five stages:
Group familiarisation (getting to know each other and agreeing how you will work together – this stage is very important!)
Group planning (ensuring you have a shared understanding of the task and agreeing how you will tackle it as a team)
Implementation (putting your plan into action and supporting each other in achieving your group’s objectives)
Completion (the final stages of bringing together everyone’s contributions, identifying any final work required and completing the task)
Evaluation (reflecting on how well the group worked together as a team and the quality of the final product)

8. Managing the task
When commencing group work, it can be helpful to think about the following:
Ensure everyone understands the task, and agree the goals you are seeking to achieve
Establish clearly defined roles for all group members, so that everyone can contribute in a full and meaningful way
Agree what activities need to take place, who will do them, and what the deadline is
Agree how group communication will be managed (e.g. face-to-face and/or online), how often you will meet and how this will be recorded (including sharing contact details)
Agree how the group will track progress and provide feedback on each others’ contributions

9. Online group working tools
There are a range of online tools you can use to support group work, including:
Wikis (online collaborative writing spaces within the virtual learning environment, Learn, where groups can exchange ideas, facilitate interaction, etc)
Discussion forums (online communication areas within Learn where groups can generate ideas and discuss and manage group tasks)
Skype (for free online phone and video conferencing)
Google Hangouts (for group meetings via video chat)
Google Docs (for online sharing and editing of documents, enabling group members to work on documents at the same time)

10. Providing feedback
Giving and receiving feedback is very important, as it allows everyone within the group to reflect and improve
Feedback should be constructive rather than judgmental, and should ideally offer ideas or suggestions for how to improve
Feedback should be focused on the task, rather than on the individual, and shouldn’t be taken personally
Try to schedule in time for feedback (for example through meetings or debriefs), and take time yourself to reflect on any feedback you have received.

11. DEALING WITH DIFFICULT BEHAVIOUR
Difficult behaviour that might hamper the ability of the group to work together and attain its goals might include:
Heckling, arguing or ridiculing other people’s ideas
Not listening to others, being dogmatic and refusing to compromise
Dominating discussions and being the ‘know-it-all’
Being unreliable (not completing tasks on time, not attending meeting, etc)
Not engaging in group discussions or activities
Using offensive language or other forms of verbal abuse (e.g. taunting, badgering, intimidation)
Griping or complaining
Harassment or bullying

12. Conflict resolution
If the group is experiencing problems, it may be helpful for everyone to gather together to evaluate group progress, discuss any difficulties in a constructive and open manner, and agree ways in which the situation can be improved. If the issue cannot be resolved informally within the group through discussion and negotiation, please contact your tutor as soon as possible. It is important not to let issues fester and resentment grow!

13. Collaboration versus collusion
When working in groups, it is important to understanding the difference between collaboration (which is an integral part of group work) and collusion (which is a form of academic misconduct involving working with others with the deliberate intention to mislead). The distinction between the two can be particularly confusing when you are engaged in group work, and it is therefore important that you are clear about whether you are being assessed as an individual or as a group. Individual work should genuinely reflect your own efforts.
Collusion in a group work context may include:
using someone else’s contribution to the group task in your own work
copying the work of other members of the group, or allowing someone else to copy your work
copying the work of others outside the group and using it in a group assignment submission (with or without other group members knowing)
not adequately contributing to the group work assignment, but claiming an equal share of the marks.
Always ask your tutor if you are unsure about acceptable limits of collaboration.

14. Assessing group work
The way in which group activities will be assessed, and the criteria against which you will be marked, should be made clear to you in your assignment brief. You may get a mark for the end product of your group’s activities (for example a collaborative piece of work); a mark for the process of working together effectively as a group; or a mark that reflects both the end product and the group work process. Another important distinction is whether you get a shared group mark; an individual mark for your own contribution to the group activity; or a
combination of both (for example a proportion of your mark as a group mark for the end product, and a proportion of your mark reflecting your own individual contribution).
A group mark will not normally make up more than 50% of your overall module mark.

15. Further advice and support
If you have any queries or concerns about group work, please do not hesitate to contact your module leader or your personal tutor for guidance. The Students’ Union Advice Centre can also offer impartial advice on any issue affecting your experience as a student.
I’m still not sure about …
A useful external source of reference is the Making Groupwork Work booklet produced by LearnHigher, which includes lots of hints and tips for successful group work.