The Love/Hate Relationship of Group Assignments

Abstract: Although we know of the learning benefits students receive from completing a group assignment, it does not go without the challenges of managing group assignments – including free riding, lack of trust and poor communication between team members. Particularly, in the current covid-19 era, as university students are dispersed around the globe, team assignments can become harder to manage and assess. How can educators meet the changing learning environment of facilitating group assignments virtually? This roundtable discussion is to provide a platform for educators to understand the common problems in managing group assignments, and to provide a strategic plan going forward that we can apply to encourage true teamwork, as opposed to merely grouping students together to complete “group” assignments.

Keywords: Teams, group work, diversity, covid-19