Cause-effect Essay
Why Group Projects Become Nightmares of College Students
Group projects must be an unforgettable part of memories for many college students. Some took a deep dive into the chosen topic and acquired tons of advanced and integrated knowledge. Some made many friends who can help each other overcome challenges of all kinds. However, there are constant voices groaning and whining about the terrible experiences of bearing bad group members or having a hard time cooperating with each other. Overall, group projects can be demanding to some students, but the processes seem to be so painful that they become nightmares haunting students throughout their college lives. This essay will state three reasons that make college students tremble when they hear of preparing for a group project.
To name the most torturing things of group projects, scheduling conflicts are definitely in the front row. Since being freed from the fixed schedules of high school, a college student may have a daily plan that is either fluid as water or stuffed like a turkey. When students have to pick a time for discussion, most of the time they meet in the middle of either practices for athletic team competitions or departmental activities. Though all the members put marks on the vacancies they shared on their timetables, not all are able to show up. Sometimes it is inevitable that one member has something come up and fails to show up on time. Students may end up having ineffective meetings, which cause their awful impression of preparing a group project.
Different attitudes toward the course among students are another tremendous obstacle they may face in a group project. Students prepare group projects with different motives, and thus how much one wants to contribute to the work may be uneven. Students who are interested in the assigned topics are willing to spend a whole night gathering information and figuring out the best way to organize the content, whereas others who have little curiosity about the project may keep yawning and wondering when the meeting will end. Jason Defisher (2018) also points out the fact that the gap between these two sides of perspectives may cause a barrier to a cohesive presentation, further leading to students’ frustration and stress beyond the requirement. As a result, students who are highly participating often take more responsibilities than others.
The system where members share the same score can be said as the last straw that destructs students’ motives to dedicate themselves to a group project. Grading this way can undoubtedly remind students of the importance of equal work division, yet achieving equal work division is much easier said than done. When members’ contribution turns out to be unbalanced, students with more effort usually consider it to be unfair to accept that their additional work is merely to fill in the blanks of others. In Wondrium Daily, Catherine A. Sanderson (2022) indicates a psychological phenomenon called “social loafing,” which explains that group settings make contribution of each member less measurable, so students may perform more passively in group than alone. This kind of condition in the grading system allows students to slack off and wait for things to be finished. Such helpless experiences result in a deeply-rooted connection between group projects and interpersonal suspicion.
In college lives, while working collaboratively in group projects, many students suffer from making inefficient appointments, enduring unmotivated partners, and negotiating with the unequal grading system. Because of these three struggles, students are prone to avoid courses that put stress on group projects. Nevertheless, if students skip communication involved in group projects, they miss a precious chance to sharpen their soft power to cooperate and coordinate with others. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,” said by Helen Keller. Thus, it is impossible to neglect the potential of teamwork. If we look on the bright side of teamwork, preparing for a group project is also preparing for a more resilient personality which can guide you to overcome fluctuation and survive.
References:
Defisher, J. (2018). OPINION: Three reasons why group projects are worse in college. Kansas State the Collegian.
Retrieved from:
https://www.kstatecollegian.com/2018/01/29/opinion-three-reasons-why-group-projects-are-worse-in-college/
Sanderson, C. (2022). Group Influence and Social Loafing. Wondrium Daily.
Retrieved from:
https://www.wondriumdaily.com/group-influence-and-social-loafing/
Sources:
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Common Group Work Challenges and Solutions. Iowa State University, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.
https://www.celt.iastate.edu/instructional-strategies/effective-teaching-practices/group-work/common-group-work-challenges-and-solutions/ -
OPINION: Group projects are the worst. Technician.
https://www.technicianonline.com/opinion/opinion-group-projects-are-the-worst/article_905f69e4-8ed6-11ec-92d7-f3a723dcdcd4.html -
Alone We Can Do So Little; Together We Can Do So Much. Quote Investigator.
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/04/21/together/
(All the images are from Wix Media.)