Establishing Groups for Collaborative Assignments

An important preliminary factor for implementing student group work is determining how to form these groups. There are a number of different viewpoints about this process, and current research findings have not identified any best method. However, there are certain common recommendations that provide some useful guidelines.

Self-selecting groups has its place in
many classrooms.

One of the initial considerations is deciding the number of students to allocate for each group. Generally, for most projects and assignments, groups of four to five members is considered an effective size. This number of group members is usually sufficient to provide a good range of perspectives and abilities that will benefit the overall group performance. This group size allows suitable opportunities for everyone to actively participate and exchange a variety of ideas and opinions. This number also promotes noticeable individual accountability between the group members, whereas a larger group often has more problems with reduced participation and social loafing. Additionally, a larger group size frequently creates more difficulties with managing communications and coordinating various schedules.

After determining the group size, the next step is selecting a method for assigning students to the different groups. There are many methods for forming student groups, and they each have particular advantages and disadvantages. Randomly assigning students to groups is very efficient and frequently generates a constructive mix of diverse learners. Students will often prefer to self-select their groups, which can increase self-motivation, especially if that is based on choosing topics of interest, and not merely focused on social affiliations. Overall, most of the literature suggests that student groups perform best when the instructor forms groups based on a heterogeneous mix of abilities. This method also provides more appropriate and relevant practice for the workplace, where the employer usually assigns the groups and projects.