Fostering Effective Collaboration: A Practical Workshop on Designing and Managing Group Work

Developing collaborative skills is a cornerstone of generic competency education, yet effectively managing group work remains a significant challenge for many educators. Issues such as free-riding, interpersonal conflict, and unequal contribution can hinder the learning experience and undermine the development of these vital skills.

To move beyond anecdotal evidence and uncover the collective wisdom of our community, we surveyed over 50 colleagues involved in the University’s Common Core program on their practices and challenges in managing group work. This workshop will present a synthesis of these findings, transforming them into a springboard for shared learning and development.

We will structure our discussion around four critical themes derived from the survey data:

1. Group Formation: Strategies for creating balanced and effective teams.
2. Project Design: The importance of clear, staged projects with milestones for guiding progress.
3. Feedback & Accountability: Mechanisms for fostering ongoing peer feedback and fair assessment.
4. The Educator’s Role: Shifting from a mere marker to an active facilitator of collaborative learning.

This is a hands-on, practical session. After presenting the collected best practices, we will engage in collaborative activities focused on the foundational steps of group work: what to do before proposing the project and how to design effective peer evaluation guidelines. Participants will have the opportunity to develop an actionable plan and draft resources for their own upcoming group-based assignments.

Join us to gain evidence-based insights, contribute your expertise, and leave equipped with a practical toolkit to enhance your students’ collaborative competencies and transform group work from a challenge into a powerful learning opportunity.