Student Group Work Masterclass: Rationale, Challenges and Practical Solutions

Ever wondered why educators put students in groups? Do you get put in a group and then think 'What now?' Does your enthusiasm go from hero to zero when you see a group assignment?

Workshop overview

Group engagement and assignments are ever popular strategies for learning in universities. They're based on sound educational theory, encourage social interactions, and can elicit some excellent learning outcomes - for those students who know how to make the most of a group learning process.

For others, they're an irritation: confusing, unfair, organisationally difficult and educationally unfulfilling. For these students, group work means anxiety, boredom, isolation and bewilderment.

This workshop outlines the educational justifications for group work and, with participants, explores the challenges for students who (at worst) get only stress and mess from this pedagogy. It then suggest solutions for effective and engaging group work at the level of planning, participation and outcomes. And it does it by including group work.