Navigating Group Assignments: Balancing Responsibilities and Dynamics (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: In this section, we're going to look at your responsibilities in working in groups with other students. Firstly, it's important to check with your lecturer if the assignment task requires or even allows for group work. If it is a group assignment, find out whether the final piece you submit must be written by each individual group member or if it needs to be a single group submission. Now, let's take a look at what can happen if you are required to work on a group assignment.

Speaker 2: I've got this group project I'm doing with two other people and I really want to do well. I mean, I've been getting straight A's all year, but the others just aren't pulling their weight. Firstly, the guy in my group, Josh, cute, but so lazy. He just hasn't done the work he's supposed to. Claims he's got other assignments. Yeah, right. More like playing sports and hanging out with friends.

Speaker 3: Man, that Sophie. Cute, but so bossy. She's organised about 15 meetings now. I've tried to make it to some of them, but I do have a life outside of uni.

Speaker 2: The other guy in my group, Bo, he's done his bit, but it's just not very good.

Speaker 4: Okay, so I did my part of the assignment, but I just got the impression that I wasn't very good. I mean, I don't want to let the group down or anything, but I really did the best I could.

Speaker 2: I'm starting to get really stressed. I can't afford to do bad in this course. So what I think I'm going to have to do is rewrite the whole thing and submit it with all our names on it. It's not fair that my grade drops just because the others didn't do their work. And really, I'm doing them a favour, right, because I'm doing the work for them.

Speaker 1: So this was a good, or maybe bad, example of what can happen in a group. Different personalities and dynamics come into play, and this can make it difficult for a group to complete an assignment in a way that seems fair and acceptable to everyone. Think back to the fundamental values we talked about in week one. Honesty, respect, trust, fairness, responsibility, and courage. All of these values can, and often do, come into play when we're working in a group. For example, in the scenario you just watched, Josh really wasn't taking responsibility for doing the work, was he? But also, Sophie wasn't being very fair by organizing so many meetings, nor would she have been demonstrating honesty if she decided to rewrite the group assignment and submit it under everyone's names. So what should you do if you have a group assignment? And how could Sophie, Josh, and Beau avoid the situation they found themselves in? Firstly, try and establish some ground rules for your group. Different roles, who will do what, the number of meetings a group will have, and when. Plan the work, and help everyone pull their weight. If there are problems, talk to your lecturer. Thank you. Bye.