Introduction to group work

Why groups?
The process and product dimensions of group work

Working as a group is a new experience for many students; working in a particular group will be a new experience for all group members. The purpose of this guide is to provide information for group members and their groups concerning the process side of group work; that is the functioning and management of the group itself, as distinct from the actual task and content on which the group is working.

The ability of a group to produce a quality group project is linked directly with the group's ability to negotiate and manage the process of working as a group. Process issues concern how to create the conditions that will enable the group to get the best of each member's skills, capabilities and resources, and how to make the experience of working as a group satisfying, enjoyable and successful.

This Guide assumes that a successful group doesn’t just happen spontaneously; rather such success is actively developed by its members.

Why groups?

The inclusion of group work has three particular aims:

• The first is the quality of learning available through a group effort, especially in terms of the breadth and depth of coverage possible and the variety of perspectives and skills which can be investigated and incorporated toward this.

• The second is that learning group work skills is beneficial to your future work or academic career, where a group rather than individual approach is increasingly preferred, relevant or essential.

• The third is that by acknowledging the social nature of learning, it can be more enjoyable and meaningful.

Group work is about combining different perspectives, resources and skills to enable a more comprehensive project. It is also about sharing responsibility for the ‘group’ itself while developing collaborative and group work skills.

Group work is not about leaving responsibility to the others, neither is it about taking all the responsibility. Group work is not about controlling others, being controlled or being passive. In groups, you can’t expect everyone to have identical aims, goals and attitudes; but, again, you should all expect to contribute to a consensus of aims, goals and attitudes for the purposes of the task at hand.

Learning collaboratively is part of your education, partly because you learn how to function more effectively in work groups when you do just that. In this Guide we encourage you to reflect on how your group is working, thereby learning not only about group processes but also helping your learning group to work more satisfactorily.

The process and product dimensions of group work

Group work has a dual nature, with both process and product objectives. Process objectives concern how the group functions as a group. For example, how the group

Process objectives are context based, that is, they are particular to the learning and working environment of a group, rather than as an individual. Process objectives signify the fact that effective group work and group management must be learned.

Product objectives relate directly to the specific group task, ie the academic learning and the product (essay, poster, presentation, etc) required of the group. Product objectives are content based, that is, they involve the subject matter and the unit's content objectives.