All college or university students have dreamt about the moment that they will finally get to walk across that stage, hear the awful pronunciation of their name, and switch their tassels from the right to the left. All that hard work and dedication finally pays off and new doors open, just because of a slip of paper. But that dream quickly turns into a nightmare, and you awaken back on the uncomfortable mattress in your tiny dorm room, just because your teacher has assigned a group project.
Group assignments, presentations, and projects have always been a bad idea in my opinion. In almost every single group assignment I have completed in my entire academic career, I have done the majority of the work. However, once I started college, I thought teachers were done with this less than strategic method of education; I was completely wrong.
Group projects may be known to give students skills in communication, planning and management, and assist in developing a stronger voice in larger groups, but do they really make anything easier or more efficient?
Based on my own experiences with group projects in college, they are no different from group projects in high school. Apparently, willingly choosing to continue your education does not motivate everyone to complete their work on time.
This past weekend I was assigned three group assignments, all due on Saturday at 11:59. I spent the entire week stressing about when and how these were going to get done because somebody had to. Half of my peers neglected to do the first half of the assignment, which resulted in set back start dates because data from our studies was not available.
With work, other classes, and school activities, students do not have time to wait on others to complete their own part of the assignment. And they especially should not have to place their grade in the hands of other students they barely know or trust.
As stated earlier, college students choose to continue their education, but that does not mean they want to or will do the work assigned. This leaves other students who are willing to work in a bad position and a state of stress because their grade is on the line.
This stress can lead to lack of sleep and overall insufficient performance in school, work, and social life.
Even if all the students are compliant with one another, schedules and times to meet are very limited. Instructors should provide time in class to meet with groups if they expect work to be divided evenly and discussed prior to the deadline.
Several students in my classes have expressed their feelings towards the poorly executed idea that is group projects.
When asked about her feelings towards this, sophomore volleyball player, Nicole Grochola, stated that “As a college athlete, I find group projects to be beneficial; however, I feel that it is very hard to find time to meet as a whole”. Grochola continued to describe her frustrations with peers’ refusal to help or lack of work in general.
With such a busy schedule, these projects can be a burden, especially with the presence of lazy or unmotivated peers.
This issue proves to be a universal experience between students of all ages. Teachers were once in this position too, so if they experienced this and the group projects always end the same way, why do teachers continue to assign them?
Higher education is difficult enough without the stress of group projects, yet they don’t seem to be going away any time soon. Hopefully, the students who pick up the slack of the lazy group members will receive better solutions from instructors and won’t have to continue reliving the nightmare before graduation.