Social loafing (I do find this bit of jargon amusing), defined as “group members who shirk their obligations in the hopes of benefiting from the work of others. …” (p. 256, a definition cited from previous work). It is one of the aspects of group work that students and faculty find equally distressing. This study tested six hypotheses regarding social loafing. The hypotheses and findings are listed below.
Blog » Group Work Strategies
Group Work Recommendations
Posted Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerAt the recent Teaching Professor Conference, several participants talked with me about a couple of recent blog posts on group work and their concerns about how students function in groups when they work on major projects. The concerns that many faculty have about group dynamics can be solved by carefully designing the group activity. I thought it might be useful to revisit the findings of a really excellent study of students’ experiences in groups. The faculty researchers asked MBA students to answer a series of questions about their best and worst group experiences. Based on the results, the researchers offer these recommendations.
How Much Group Work?
Posted Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerSo, this is a bit embarrassing. In the previous blog I noted that faculty endorsement of group work was tentative. It may be, but I’ve also been assuming that as a consequence, use of it in college courses is not as widespread as it might need to be. Well, shortly (as in a couple of [...]
Faculty Perceptions of Group Work
Posted Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerWe’ve all seen those survey results where employers and recruiters list the skills and characteristics they are most looking for in college graduates. And I expect you know that teamwork, the ability to work in groups with others, is always high on the list (second only to communication skills in a Wall Street Journal survey [...]
Working Alone and Together
Posted Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerThey’re those independent learners who participate in group activities reluctantly and almost always prefer to do it alone. Should we excuse them from group work when they want to go it alone? There were points made on both sides. If they don’t learn well in social contexts, then why should we place them in situations that compromise what they’re going to learn? But group work is expected in so many professional contexts. Aren’t we doing students a disservice if we don’t help them develop the skills they’ll need to function effectively in groups?
Reflection on Group Experiences
Posted Thursday, March 4th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerIf you’re interested in having students learn something about how groups function as they participate in a group project, you might consider having them do some journaling about their group experience.
A Mini-Conference in a Large Class
Posted Thursday, November 12th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerNow here’s a good idea—developed and used in a large, nonmajors chemistry course. In groups of four, students worked on the development of “a current or historical idea in the field of chemistry.” (p.35) The teacher helped by suggesting potential topics such as chemical bonding and the law of the conversion of matter. Based on [...]
