I have done several group study sessions or group study tasks that greatly assisted me. The reality was that I had aspects of the course that I was struggling with and needed the help of others to understand the content. This need for assistance was where Facebook groups became invaluable. One instance of the textbook not having answers resulted in me generating a google share document with the answers I had come up with.  A fully worked set of solutions was created by sharing it on Facebook. Of the people in the Facebook group, approximately five people, including myself, engaged in the document. There were debates that people referenced to prove their points and the occasional clarification from the lecturer. Many people had the advantage of using our work, but those with higher engagement levels gained more from that document than those who just viewed it.

Online zoom meetings additionally allowed us to work through sample assessment questions. I again shared a google document (this time slides) which allowed people to put what they thought their solutions were. The pre-completion of the slides ensured that the zoom meeting was efficient, and we could present solutions (or occasionally multiple solutions) to be discussed/debated. The lecturer kindly agreed to attend part of the meeting to clarify anything we could not come to a consensus on or didn’t know.  We later shared the video of the zoom meeting for those who could not make it.

Working face-to-face had some substantial advantages. The flow of conversation and production of ideas were often smoother with the back and forth, making it easier to generate or build on the concepts. It is advisable to set clear time limits for the meeting. Setting a limit helps to focus the conversation, preventing too much meandering or allowing the group meeting to be hijacked and turned into a social gathering. Booking a study room at the library or other official space can help with these targets.

When working face-to-face, be clear on your expectations, communicate about everything and put strategies in place to ensure you stay on task. Be clear on expectations of the outcome.  Are you all wishing to obtain the High Distinction to assist you in getting into honours, or are the “P’s mean degrees” of group members going to cause a conflict?  Will the differing approaches cause struggles when it comes to expectations of workload put into the task?

When working with others, be the one to start the conversation. Don’t worry if you are doing more work than others, as it will be advantageous in other aspects of the course if you have engaged in the group work fully.

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash