Group work an opportunity to meet peers

Introduction to psychology, introduction to astronomy, introduction to logic and the like… Introduction to psychology, introduction to astronomy, introduction to logic and the like extend one common courtesy that senior seminars and upper-level courses cannot offer — the absence of group projects.

Already having diagnosed myself as unfit for any task that requires interaction with another human being or domesticated animal, I get tense whenever a professor mentions a group project as part of the final grade. I’d rather do the work of an entire group by myself than depend on other people.

But after seven semesters of practice, I designed a plan that will ensure a stress-free group environment for all undergraduate projects.

First, the selection of members is crucial. The natural inclination of most undergrads is to align with those who are like themselves. Diversity within a group is not only helpful for constructing creative ideas for both content and performance, but also is a trait that employers look for. The underlying question to ask is, “Can I work with people who may not agree with me?” Taking it a step further: “Can I be challenged?”

If your answer to either of these questions is “no,” then a position within the tightly competitive global market is not something you can handle.

Another helpful hint is to choose group members in close proximity to you. This may seem to contradict my initial advice, but I mean this quite literally. If you sit in the front of the room for class, then choose to be in a group of front-rowers. If you normally duck into the last seat during the final 20 minutes of the discussion, a group of meticulously punctual people may not take you seriously and may treat you like the weakest link.

Once a group is formed, introduce yourself. So often I find myself in a group where the first person to speak — and therefore be ordained group master — jumps right into probing questions of what our plan of action should be.

Although attention to the task at hand is admirable, I find it hard to work with people I don’t know. I like to get names, contact information and a sense of who the people to my left and right are before I disclose my secret strategies for world takeover. This also helps with the next critical steps in group work: delegation and communication.

A group project’s purpose is not to trick undergraduates into doing work outside the classroom, but to bring people together to achieve a common goal. If it were something that one person could do, then one person would be assigned to do it. My assumption is that a professor deems it group-worthy because it is too much for just one student to do in the allotted time.

So often I find myself in groups where the most obvious route is the one taken: One person does the introduction, we devise a way to split up the body and someone else handles the conclusion. Whoever seems to be the most disinterested usually ends up handling “technical duties,” like creating a PowerPoint presentation or handing out any papers we might make.

Although this works, it may not be the best way to go about assigning duties. It is also the easiest way for group members to become disengaged, disenchanted and disinterested withthe project. It becomes a matter of getting “my part” done rather than getting “our project” done well.

Each group is unique, and tasks should fit the talents of group members, but in the end, the final presentation should represent the efforts of the entire group. I’m sure if a professor wanted five separate papers stapled together, that is what he or she would have asked for.

Communication is necessary. I just love the people who send out friendly reminders via e-mail about group projects. And I also don’t mind temporarily storing group members’ telephone numbers in my cell phone if it means I’ll know why someone missed a meeting or did not complete a task. In the event that I do not get work for the group completed, it’s just plain good manners to give my group members a heads-up about it rather than wait until we meet in class.

Finally, be a group. Don’t just be four or five strangers picked to complete a group project. If you actually try to know the people you are working with and function as one collective unit, you might learn something about yourself, someone else and — if you’re lucky enough — something from the class.

E-mail Maria Nicole Smith at marianicoles@aol.com.