1. Online Workshop Series
Working in Groups - Student Handout
Types of Groups:
• Informal Learning Groups in the context of a classroom assignment
• Formal Learning Groups for a class project or presentation
• Study Groups organized across a semester or beyond
When to Work in Groups:
• When creativity is needed
• Assemble diverse knowledge and expertise
• To create a supportive framework to accomplish a goal or project
When Not to Work in Groups
• Instructor expects individual work
• Your work is too similar
• You fail to understand project goals on your own
• Individual learning is more important than accomplishing the task

2. Group work Dynamics
Characteristics of an Effective Group:
• It has a coordinator or leader
• Range of individuals who contribute in different ways
• Clear goals are agreed
• Everyone understands their tasks
• Balance between the task (what we need to do) and process (how are we
going to do it)
• Supportive, informal atmosphere
• Comfortable with disagreement
• Members feel free to criticize
• Lots of discussion
Characteristics of an Ineffective Group
• People talk more than they listen
• Some members are silent and don’t contribute
• Arguments between members (as opposed to constructive differences of
opinion)
• One or two members dominate
• Disagreements are put to the vote without discussion
• Some members are unhappy with decisions
• Lack of clarity regarding goals
• Roles are not delegated to certain team members
• Lack of trust and helpfulness
• Members don’t talk about how the group is working

3. Defusing Group Problems
Commons Problems
• Free Riders
• Crowded Schedules
• Group Polarization
• Groupthink
• The Road to Nowhere
• Failure to Play as a Team
Identifying Group Values
• Justice
• Responsibility
• Trust
• Integrity
• Reasonableness
• Respect
Establishing a Group Process
1) Make Ground Rules
2) Establish a Regular Meeting Schedule
3) Assign Roles and Responsibilities
4) Collaborative Software and Tools
Get More Help
Visit the Study Toolkit Page at the Learning Commons website!
http://learningcommons.ubc.ca/get-started/study-toolkits/online-groupwork/