Starting university brings a mix of excitement and challenges, and one thing many students share is the experience of working on group projects. When professors announce group assignments, students look around, searching for familiar faces or the potential for new friendships. There’s a mix of hope and nervousness as students realize they’re teaming up with a diverse group, each bringing their own strengths and quirks to the project.
At the start, there could be a lot of energy. Ideas flow, and the group is buzzing with activity. Plans are made, roles assigned, and optimism is high. It feels like the honeymoon phase, in which everyone is excited about the project. As the project moves forward, the initial excitement meets the reality of diverse opinions and working styles. Differing viewpoints may arise, testing the group’s unity. Now, the challenge is finding a balance between compromise and sticking to one’s ideas. As a third-year university student, I have had my fair share of group projects, and I am currently working on two this semester. This is how I tackle group projects in university without having a mental breakdown:
- Communication:
Effective communication becomes crucial when you are in a group project. The goal is to maintain open communication where everyone has a say, and decisions are made together. The first thing I do when I get in a group project with other students is to create a WhatsApp group chat with their numbers. WhatsApp is the best social media for group projects because many students do not use Snapchat, or Instagram as often as you would think so WhatsApp is usually the common ground, in my experience. Once you have gotten that out of the way, you should introduce yourself properly if you have not already done that and urge others to do the same. This helps to break the ice and make everyone else a lot more comfortable with working with the group. Additionally, establishing a shared online workspace, such as Google Drive or Microsoft Teams, allows everyone to access and contribute to the project. You also need to make sure you effectively discuss the role everyone is playing in the assignment. If your assignment involves a survey, for example, the roles like designing the survey, handing out the survey, and compiling the responses must be assigned in a way that everyone will be happy. This is why effective communication is important because some people might not be happy with the role, they have received so communication helps everyone know how the other members feel about their roles. Communication is also important because unforeseen circumstances could come up with a member and knowing can help the others in the group work around their absence. - Try not to procrastinate:
Procrastination is common in group assignments especially when the brief is given at the beginning of the semester, and you feel like you have all the time to work on it. Remember this is not something you can do as quickly as your individual assignments because you must work with other people and their ideas. The group, once enthusiastic, now finds itself racing against time to meet deadlines. This could lead to everyone getting worked up and once that happens it could make things a lot more stressful. Procrastination could turn an easy assignment to the most challenging project you have ever done, and you don’t want to do that. Once you have the brief it’s good to start working on it immediately and to meet up with the other members of the group ASAP. It is also important to motivate everyone else while you could do your part on time, others could be procrastinating. Try and keep everyone informed of the things you have done so far in the assignment as this can help other people to work on their roles. - Feedback:
Throughout the project, seek and provide feedback in a constructive manner. Try to encourage open discussions about ideas and approaches. Constructive criticism helps refine the project and ensures that everyone’s input is valued. Remind everyone to look through what has been put together occasionally so they can give feedback. This helps to remove mistakes, encourage communication and funny enough it gets everyone to learn something from the assignment. When you assign roles in projects, sometimes you might end up only learning the part you were assigned and missing out on other things that do not concern your role. Going through the work and looking for things to give feedback on can help you to go on depth in other areas of the project aside from yours. Group projects are not just about completing assignments but also about building valuable skills and insights that will serve you well in your academic and professional journey. - Reflection:
Reflection is very important after turning in university projects. After completing the group project, take time to reflect on the overall experience. Identify what worked well and what could be improved for future collaborations. This reflective process helps individual and collective growth, contributing to a more positive experience in subsequent group projects. This is something that has personally helped me so much in group projects. Reflecting on group projects helped me come up with the ideas I am sharing in this piece because I have seen what worked best for me and yielded the best results.
In conclusion, it is important to understand that group projects may not always go smoothly but you should try your best to make it work. Effective communication, avoiding procrastination, giving feedback and reflecting on the project are ways to help the project succeed.
