Throughout your four (or more) years at college, you will be faced with many different assignments, including group work. Many professors incorporate a group work assignment into the sylabi to teach students about collaborating with others. They feel it a learning experience that will carry over into the workforce. However, anyone that has ever participated in a group work assignment is well aware of the headache that this can cause.
Usually the group will consist of three or four people. There is always one person who you can guarantee is not going to do much work, if any. He/she is usually the same person who constantly misses class and always has the most random excuses as to why. From the start, you should identify the weakest member of the group. Be prepared for them not to contribute the same amount as the other members. Assign them the same amount, but be ready to step up in the likely event that they let your group down.
Constantly remind and nag the person to do their part of the assignment. Send a daily e-mail reminding him/her what is due. Remember to make everything due at least five days before. This will allow you plenty of time to pick up the slack of that person. This will also allow for any other unexpected situations.
Usually after any group work assignment, the professor will allow your fellow group members to write evaluations based on your contribution. This is when you can elaborate to the professor what each member contributed and didn’t contribute. You don’t want to complain or sound annoying. Rather, explain the situation in a neutral way and move on. The professor will decide if that person’s grade should be adjusted. In the real world, you most likely won’t be able to do this. You will need to find other ways to handle a partner’s lack of contributions.
If this person manages to do their small amount, thank them, and move on. It will be tempting to get mad at them when they may receive the same grade as someone who did five times as much work. Rather, feel sorry for that person. In the event that they do indeed get a job after graduation,they obviously will have a wake up call. They may have drifted through college, but won’t be able to succeed on their own in the real world.
Just focus on doing your best for the group. This will show in the evaluations and finished assignment. Your grade is the only one that matters. Who really cares what that lazy group member gets. If he gets an A, well so be it. You can consider it a good deed on your part. If he gets a C or worse, than it is rightly deserved. In the end, your success in college is most important. Don’t let a group project bring you down.
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