Team Projects
Faculty had students work in teams on a significant or lengthy project.
About
Bucknell faculty believe that team projects can operationalize student learning, but can allow some students to coast on the work of others. They are often use at the end of a class as they are thought to provide students an opportunity to show what they have learned in a summative way. Collaboration has a very different dynamic compared to the more traditional individualized learning they have done, and introduces a social learning component that puts the student in a much more central and powerful place. The nature of social interaction means that much more negotiation of meaning must take place, which requires more team skills and a more sophisticated understanding of knowledge and concepts. To make these projects worth the significant time and effort they require, faculty members may need to teach basic collaboration techniques, build student buy-in, carefully structure the project, have regular check-ins for deliverables, and use peer-grade to assure that individuals are contributing equally.
The original study's data and analysis for "Team Projects" can be found on this link.
What Faculty Have To Say
Strengths (11)
- Operationalizes learning
- Develops team skills
- Exposes students to different perspectives
- Teaches shared responsibilities
- They help each other
- Practices real-world processes
- Autonomy creates “buy-in” to the project
- Can tackle bigger projects
- Allows for creativity
- Encourages peer grading
- Benefits all levels of ability
Weaknesses (11)
- Different levels of effort
- Freeloaders and work avoiders
- Interpersonal dynamics can sour the group
- Different skill levels
- Time consuming
- Needs significant student buy-in
- Hard to schedule
- Must get past negative experiences
- Hard to grade individual contributions
- Hard to create meaningful large projects
- Autonomy can mean variable outcomes
Pedagogy Usage
Bucknell faculty was asked their best estimate for how often in the semester they used Team Projects and the average class time it took.
Average Duration: N/A
Remote Suggestions
The benefits of peer-learning are still just as valuable in a remote setting. Many faculty have had teams write group papers in Google Docs, or collaborate on a slide presentation, or using any of a variety of digital tools.
Resources for Additional Learning
Articles & Books
- Ten Recommendations for Improving Group Work by Maryellen Weimer, PhD
- Learning in small groups in university geography courses: designing a core module around group projects by Mick Healey, Hugh Matthews, Ian Livingstone & Ian Foster (2013).
- Team-Based Learning: Small Group Learning's Next Big Step: New Directions for Teaching and Learning.