How to tackle dreaded group work at Lancaster University
It’s that time of year again when assignments are given and your lecturer stands at the front of the class and announces the woeful news that the next project will need to be completed as a group! We know a lot of students have rather strong feelings about working in groups and sometimes you can worry that all the work might be dumped on you by other group members. We’re going to give you some tips on how to avoid this and other fallouts that can come when working in a group, so listen up and you might even start to enjoy the type of assignment that you have always dreaded.
Who to work with
Now, when you start getting into groups you may be immediately inclined to work with people you are friends with. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, take some time to think about your friend's work ethic and really consider if you would work well academically together - if you believe you will then great! Go for it! However, if you think about it and realise maybe you don't think you’ll mould well academically, our advice would be not to risk it. Pressures in groupwork projects can often rise up and a disagreements might go further than the assignment, so for the sake of your friendship, pull your friend to one side and tell them you think you’d really like to focus on this project with different people. At first, they might be a bit upset however if you feel it's for the best, it probably is. Quite often it isn't worth risking a friendship over a group project.
Divide the work evenly as possible
When you have chosen your working group, it's good to read through the assignment brief and decide who will do what before any work begins. It is a good idea to book meeting slots every week, to make sure everyone is on the same page and doing what they are supposed to, at when you book your student flat at Bailrigg you will have access to a study room that can be used for group work, to give your group the privacy adn space you need to focus. Checking up on where everyone is at in the project can be very helpful when making sure no one is slacking. It is also useful to set the group mini-deadlines so everything can be done on time.
Plan Weekly Working Sessions
It’s important to be flexible to enure that you are getting the best out of your group. You might find there are some people in the group who might not work as fast as you and might think they can get away without doing much work. A diplomatic way to combat this is to do the work together at the same time so you are working as a team - this approach will also help the tone of your work overall to flow better giving a stronger final piece.
Keep Focused
Sometimes it can be difficult to be focused in working in a group as there are more distractions when you meet up to discuss your work. Make sure that you allocate time throughout the meeting for example the first 20 minutes to catch up on where you are at another 10 to plan the next steps and then anything else you need to talk about can be done after the most important parts have been planned and discussed.
There are many ways to work in a group that might not fit you. So, try many different ways and find the best way for you to work together. The most important thing when working in a group is to communicate clearly what everyone needs to do, the more you all communicate, the easier it will become. And don’t forget that if you choose to use the study room at Bailrigg all of your group work can easily from the comfort of your student accommodation in Lancaster.
