Word Count: 693 words
Group Work is defined as "a formally established project to be conducted by a number of students in common, resulting in a single piece of assessment or a number of associated pieces of assessment" (University of Newcastle, 2002 as cited in http://www.academicintegrity.utas.edu.au/terms.html). It is a common method used in educational institutions all around the world as an alternative method to complete projects as opposed to individual assignments. This essay aims to examine the demerits of imposing group work as a mandatory part of the assessment structure for all subjects and its possible effects on those affected.
I am of the opinion that group work should not be made mandatory; instead it should be banished to the very annals of the world, never to surface again. According to a survey done by Ford and Morice (2003), a staggering 54.8% of students chose individual assignments over group work. This is not surprising, given the often unfair nature of group work. From that same survey (ibid, 2003), an overwhelming 56.1% students were of the opinion that firstly, the marking of group projects was on the whole, unfair. The main reason that this phenomenon occurs is firstly, due the possible incompetent nature of group members. It is not uncommon for students to be unable to pick their group members. If good fortune deserts you, one could actually find themselves lumped with the class dud or that lazy dude who never attends class. Incompetence mostly arises from a weak grasp of the subject matter being taught due either to non-attendance of classes/lectures, a weak grasp of the language, laziness or sheer stupidity.
This scenario leads to my second point, where group work is often unfair due to the 'free-rider' problem and the unethical nature of group members ie the unequal contributions of group members. A free-rider is defined as a "party that enjoys a benefit accruing from a collective effort, but contributes little or nothing to the effort" (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/free-rider.html). Free-riders mainly comprise lazy students who constantly skip class, overly dependent students or they may just simply encompass apathetic group members. Over-reliance on 'good' and 'competent' students then becomes prevalent, as these free-riders are unable to contribute meaningfully to the group assignment; having little or no understanding of the subject at hand. This creates an unnecessary burden and heaps more pressure on the other group members as they are forced to double their work load in order to cover for their colleagues. Since group projects are marked as a whole; these students cannot afford to do otherwise for fear of jeopardizing their own marks. As the Malay saying goes, "If there is one drop of bad milk, the entire thing will be spoilt".
There are arguments that group work can be made fairer for all by having students fill out peer-assessment forms; forms in which students are able to rate their peers' work contribution in order to give the marker some feedback on how the work distribution was skewed. It is a good idea in principle; however the resulting red-tape often renders the whole exercise meaningless. For example if a student rated his peers at less than 100% and this triggers an academic appeal process comprising group interviews etc, this would be very messy for both student and teacher. Furthermore, it might lead to 'bad blood' between group members. In most cases, students would probably just give their peers full marks in order to avoid the whole hassle of going through the academic appeals procedure which of course defeats the entire purpose of the peer evaluations.
In conclusion, there is no denying that group work is beneficial for students in terms of building collaborative skills and encouraging interaction and communication. However, this is with the very unrealistic assumption that all group members are on the same page, and work well together thus making it a mutually beneficial and enriching learning experience for each other. I reiterate my stand again that group work should not be made compulsory as they are a burden to students who suffer as a consequence of irresponsible and incompetent team members. No one person should be made to suffer as a result of another's laziness.
References
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/free-rider.html, The Business Dictionary. Accessed: [24th May 2010]
http://www.academicintegrity.utas.edu.au/terms.html, University of Tasmania Academic Integrity Definition of Terms. Accessed: [24th May 2010]
Ford, M. and Morice, J., 2003, How Fair Are Group Assignments? A Survey of Students and Faculty and a Modest Proposal, Journal of Information Technology, Volume 2
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