#2 Allow choice
#3 Get to know each other
A. Sample Group Resume
Please complete this resume as a team.
Student Name / Educational Background and Academic Major / General Knowledge of Course Content / Specialized Knowledge (Web Page Construction, Presentation, Software, Graphic Software...) / Skills (Writing, Presenting, Drawing, Acting, Facilitating...)
Name
Name
Name
Name
Adapted from Barkley, E.F., Cross, K.P., & Major, C.H. Collaborative Learning Techniques. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 2005.
B. Sample Skills Inventory
(Information Systems)
Name
Role on team
Course load (units)
Outside employment (hrs/wk)
In each of the following areas, please rate yourself on a scale of 1-4 relative to your IS classmates.
4 = Skilled or experienced – likely well above average
3 = Reasonably skilled or experienced – likely above average
2 = Some skill or experience – likely below average
1 = Little or no experience – likely well below average
Programming Skills / Rating / Operating Systems / Rating / Database Systems / Rating
Java / Server Admin: Windows / MS Access
Ruby on Rails / Server Admin: Linux/Unix / MS SQL Server
PHP / Other / Oracle
Python / MySQL
C#.Net / Other
HTML / Multimedia Production / Rating
CSS / Photoshop Illustrator
JavaScript / Macromedia Flash
Other / Other
Business Skills / Rating / Analysis and Design Skills / Rating
Public Speaking / Requirements Analysis
Business Writing / Interface Design
Technical Writing / OOAD
Leadership / Flexibility and ability to deal with change and ambiguity
Ability to Work Independently
Ability to Work in Teams / Ability to estimate task difficulty and time duration for completion
Project Management
Accommodating Different Viewpoints
Ability to Motivate Others
Ability to Give and Receive Constructive Feedback
Please list any other relevant skills
#4 Establish group norms
A. Sample Team Contract
Team Name: ______Date:______
Goals: What are our team goals for this project? What do we want to accomplish? What skills do we want to develop or refine?
Expectations: What do we expect of one another in regard to attendance at meetings, participation, frequency of communication, the quality of work, etc.?
Policies & Procedures: What rules can we agree on to help us meet our goals and expectations?
Consequences: How will we address non-performance in regard to these goals, expectations, policies and procedures?
We share these goals and expectations, and agree to these policies, procedures, and consequences.
Team member name: ______Team member name: ______
B. Team Contract Template
Team Name: ______
These are the terms of group conduct and cooperation that we agree on as a team.
Participation: We agree to....
Communication: We agree to...
Meetings: We agree to....
Conduct: We agree to...
Conflict: We agree to...
Deadlines: We agree to... / Team Member’s Signature
#5 Approach the task
#6 Assign roles/tasks
Possible Roles on Teams
The roles you – or your students – assign will depend on the goals of the assignment, the size of the team, etc. They can be fixed or rotating. Here are some possible group roles, but the list is not exhaustive. Think creatively & come up with your own!
Facilitator: Moderates team discussion, keeps the group on task, & distributes work.
Recorder: Takes notes summarizing team discussions and decisions, & keeps all necessary records.
Reporter:Serves as group spokesperson to the class or instructor, summarizing the group’s activities and/or conclusions.
Timekeeper:Keeps the group aware of time constraints & deadlines & makes sure meetings start on time.
Devil’s Advocate:Raises counter-arguments & (constructive) objections, introduces alternative explanations & solutions.
Harmonizer:Strives to create a harmonious & positive team atmosphere & reach consensus (while allowing a full expression of ideas.)
Prioritizer:Makes sure group focuses on most important issues & does not get caught up in details.
Explorer:Seeks to uncover new potential in situations & people (fellow team members but also clients) & explore new areas of inquiry.
Innovator:Encourages imagination & contributes new and alternative perspectives & ideas.
Checker:Checks to make sure all group members understand the concepts & the group’s conclusions.
Runner: Gets needed materials & is the liaison between groups & between their group & the instructor.
Wildcard: Assumes the role of any missing member & fills in wherever needed.
Barkley, E.F., Cross, K.P., & Major, C.H. (2005). Collaborative learning techniques. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K. (1991). Cooperative learning: Increasing college faculty instructional productivity (ASHE-ERIC Higher
Education Report No. 4). Washington, DC: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.
Millis, B. J., and Cottell, P. G., Jr. (1998). Cooperative learning for higher education faculty. American Council on Education, Series
on Higher Education. The Oryx Press, Phoenix, AZ.
Smith, K. A. (1996). "Cooperative Learning: Making 'Group work' Work" In Sutherland, T. E., and Bonwell, C. C. (Eds.), Using active
learning in college classes: A range of options for faculty, New Directions for Teaching and Learning No. 67.
#7 Problem solve
#8 Present
#9 Assess self & group, product & process
A. Peer Evaluation Form for Group Work
Your name ______
Write the name of each of your group members in a separate column. For each person, indicate the extent to which you agree with the statement on the left, using a scale of 1-4 (1=strongly disagree; 2=disagree; 3=agree; 4=strongly agree). Total the numbers in each column.
Evaluation Criteria / Group member / Group member / Group member / Group member
Attends group meetings regularly and arrives on time.
Contributes meaningfully to group discussions.
Completes group assignments on time.
Prepares work in a quality manner.
Demonstrates a cooperative and supportive attitude.
Contributes significantly to the success of the project.
TOTALS
Feedback on team dynamics:
- How effectively did your group work?
- Were the behaviors of any of your team members particularly valuable or detrimental to the team? Explain.
- What did you learn about working in a group from this project that you will carry into your next group experience?
B. Peer Work Group Evaluation Form
In the space below, honestly evaluate the work of each member of your group.
Group member’s name ______
1. Did this group member complete assigned tasks? Y N
2. How would you rate the quality of this person’s work?
Above averageAverageBelow average
3. How would you rate the timeliness of the completion of the work?
Above averageAverageBelow average
4. Overall, how would you rank this person’s contributions to the group?
Above averageAverageBelow average
5. Would you want to work with this person again? Y N
6. Please explain why in the space below.
D. Sample Self-Evaluation Form for Group Work
Your name ______
Seldom Sometimes Often
Contributed good ideas
Listened to and respected the ideas of others
Compromised and cooperated
Took initiative where needed
Came to meetings prepared
Communicated effectively with teammates
Did my share of the work
My greatest strengths as a team member are:
The group work skills I plan to work to improve are: / C. Sample Numerical Peer Evaluation
(self included)
Please use this form to evaluate the contributions of each team member to the group effort. Consider attendance and participation in team meetings, individual contributions to idea generation and research, communication within the group, etc. These evaluations are completely confidential and will never be shown to your team members. Please respond as honestly as possible.
- Please allocate a total of 100 percentage points among your team member, including yourself, with higher percentages going to those members who contributed most. In the case of equal contribution, points should be divided equally among team members.
Team name/number/client/project focus: ______
Name % Points
Yourself ______
Member 2 ______
Member 3 ______
Member 4 ______
Total 100 %
- Explain any particularly high or low allocations, providing concrete examples to illustrate your reasoning.
Group project tools (n.d.). Retrieved from
E.Sample Group Process Assessment
Please reflect on the extent to which each statement describes your group. Rating:
- To a very little extent
- To a little extent
- To a great extent
- To a very great extent
b)There is group concern for quality performance.
c)We share high performance expectations.
d)Some take our group work too lightly.
e)Some team members with good ideas don’t speak up.
f)Some members of the group would not disagree for fear of what others might think.
g)Some team members act like they know it all.
h)One or two members tend to dominate the discussion.
i)We listen to each individual’s input.
j)Team members feel free to make positive & negative comments.
k)An atmosphere of trust exists in our group.
l)We are comfortable in the roles we play in the group.
Adapted from Watson, W.E. & Michaelsen, L.K. (1988). Group interaction behaviors that affect performance on an intellective task. Group and Organizational Studies. 13 (4), 495-516.
Notes
F. Sample Group Process Evaluation Form
Individually, reflect on your group’s dynamics and – anonymously – rate them according to each of the following variables (using a scale from 1 to 5). As a group, discuss the results and brainstorm concrete ways to improve your group processes.
Goals
Goals are unclear or poorly understood, resulting in little commitment to them. / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / Goals are clear, understood, & have the full commitment of team members.
Openness
Members are guarded or cautious in discussions. / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / Members express thoughts, feelings, & ideas freely.
Mutual Trust
Members are suspicious of one another’s motives. / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / Members trust one another and do not fear ridicule or reprisal.
Attitudes Toward Difference
Members smooth over differences & suppress or avoid conflict. / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / Members feel free to voice differences & work through them.
Support
Members are reluctant to ask for or give help. / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / Members are comfortable giving & receiving help.
Participation
Discussion is generally dominated by a few members. / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / All members are involved in discussion.
Decision-making
Decisions are made by only a few members. / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / All members are involved in decision-making.
Flexibility
The group is locked into established rules & procedures that members find difficult to change. / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / Members readily change procedures in response to new situations.
Use of Member Resources
Individuals’ abilities, knowledge, experience are not well utilized. / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / Each member’s abilities, knowledge, & experience are fully utilized.
Adapted from Russ Christianson, CoopZone.