Project Groups – Guidelines

Mistakes that groups make

  1. Assigning different parts of a project to different members, or assigning whole projects to only certain members of the team. A team should be better than the sum of the parts. If different individuals are assigned to different parts of the project, it is often true that the result is as weak as the weakest link. No team member can rely on the work of other team members unless that member is willing to take a poor grade on the project.
  2. Putting assignments off until the last minute. Computers go down. Persons have unexpected problems in their lives. Do not allow these to make your work inferior. These problems happen in the real world and you are still going to be held responsible for meeting deadlines and providing high quality work. Start taking that responsibility now.
  3. Failing to get help on parts of the project that the team is not completely sure about. Teams that work closely with the instructional staff rarely make big errors. Those teams that do not work with the staff sometimes make terrible errors that are reflected in very poor grades.

Guidelines on team membership

No team is allowed to include only three members. If all other team members drop the course, members must be merged with another group.  Teams can be made up of four to six  members.

Evaluating other team members

Evaluation is a very difficult task. You must be realistic in your evaluation. If you agree to give everyone a top evaluation on this project, which you did by yourself, do not be surprised when the other team members renege on the next project. If someone does not contribute on a project then their evaluation should reflect this and they must accept this responsibility.

Team problems

Do not allow team problems to continue for a long time. Discuss these problems with the instructor at the earliest possible time.

Do not allow subgroups within the team to form. The last thing that you want is for a team member or members to feel left out. His(her) work will suffer and the team will pay the penalty in the long run. Cultivate a team feeling and you will benefit in the long run.

Help with problems

On all team assignments, at least one minus the total number of team members must be present for a help session with the staff.  We strongly encourage teams to also come in together if individuals are having difficulty with individual assignments or with understanding material.

Conflict Resolution

Campus Mediation Services offers special help for groups that have difficulty working together on projects. (www.conflictresolution.uiuc.edu 333.3680)  You can call (Nancy Smith or Nathan Makdad) or email them.  They have a special program that is specifically designed to help students who are working in groups.  They have students who are specifically trained to meet with your group and develop a Team Action Project (TAP) before you begin your difficult group assignments.  More information is available at their site.