Getting off on the right foot: Helping groups of non-traditional students form, storm, and norm

Non-traditional students typically have several responsibilities outside of the classroom. For these students, group work can be particularly challenging as they have little discretionary time to meet with group members. Students typically meet each other, decide to work together, exchange contact information, and then communicate through email or text to complete the group project having never stormed or normed with the resultant adverse effects. This exercise takes participants through the process of forming, storming, and norming. By using this activity, students experience forming, storming, and norming in the initial class setting, which allows students to then focus on work.