ery concise work this week, good job.
You mentioned the value of group work or collaboration between students, and while I agree that these methods can have merit, in my experience I have always disliked participating in group projects.
Group projects in education can sometimes be a poor technique for learning due to several reasons. One of the main issues is that the workload is often unevenly distributed, with a minority of the group members typically carrying the majority of the project. This phenomenon, known as “social loafing,” can lead to a lack of group cohesiveness and increased student stress (Donelan & Kear, 2023).
Donelan and Kear (2023) conducted a systematic literature review identifying the key challenges of online group projects. They found that low and uneven participation by students was a significant issue. The study also highlighted a lack of clarity and preparation for students, and poor relationships among group members as contributing factors to the inefficiency of group projects.
Ali Rezaei at the University of West Virginia also explored the effectiveness of group work strategies from the perspectives of faculty and students. The study found that a significant number of faculty members do not implement the guidelines recommended in earlier studies to enhance the effectiveness of group work assignments (Rezaei, 2018).This mismatch between research findings and actual practice can contribute to the failure of group projects.
While group projects can offer valuable opportunities for collaborative learning, they can also present significant challenges that may hinder the learning process if not properly managed. In my experience (undergraduate college, especially), I found myself carrying non-participating students, as I struggled to make sure our “group” earned an A on the project.
References
Donelan, H., & Kear, K. (2023). Online group projects in higher education: persistent challenges and implications for practice. Journal of Computing in Higher Education
Rezaei, A. R. (2018). Effective Groupwork Strategies: Faculty and Students’ Perspectives. Journal of Education and Learning v7 n5 p1-10
