Laziness and Apathy Are Not the Only Reasons Students Don’t Pull Their Weight in Groups

Faculty and students are equally concerned about and frustrated with students who don't do their fair share of work in groups. For faculty, it's a concern that prevents them from using group work. With five, 10, or maybe even 20 different groups working on a project, faculty can't possibly know what's going on in every group. And students often don't report that somebody didn't do the work until the project has been submitted. At that point it's too late to do anything that might address the issue, which leaves the teacher to figure out if it's fair to penalize the free rider based on secondhand information.

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...
“I spent hours on the Gulliver’s Travels reading—yes, hours—and I still didn’t get through the Lilliput section!” my...
Faculty training in higher education often emphasizes verbal participation as the primary indicator of student engagement. In graduate...
Instructors and students waste many hours struggling to get what they want out of an AI chatbot due...
Even if you can’t tell a pigskin from pigs in a blanket, have no idea where the Seahawks...
Last year I added an assignment to an online aging and end-of-life transitions course I had taught multiple...
Students often struggle to understand complex or abstract concepts, especially when they cannot see how those ideas connect...

Create a free account, or log in.

Gain access to limited free articles, news alerts, and select newsletters

Login here

Get unlimited access to The Teaching Professor

Stay informed. Subscribe Now.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 thereafter. Cancel anytime.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Teaching Professor

You only have  free article views remaining.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 a month thereafter. Cancel anytime.