StudyResearch Groups in Upper-Level Modules

Why do I run the groups?

  • It allows me to cover more material throughout the semester.
  • Gives students who don’t want to speak in the larger seminar an opportunity to speak.
  • Encourages students to work together.
  • Allows students to think about the process of assessment.

Format of the groups

I run seminars of 12-20 students; there are 3-5 students in each study/research group (never more than 5) which meet before the seminar (there are no lectures). Groups are set up in Week One and each group is allocated a title –for my Technocultures modules, groups are allocated the names of key figures in the field (e.g. N. Katherine Hayles, Norbert Weiner, Buckminster Fuller) and their first task is to find out about this individual (posting information on Blackboard and doing a short presentation). It is a shorthand way for me to refer to a group in the seminar – I just call out “Hayles” and everyone in group knows they are on board. Students sort out a time/place to meet each week – I ensure they have each other mobile phone numbers and email addresses in Week One.

What do I give them to do?

It varies from seminar to seminar and, occasionally, from group to group. I use the research groups as a space often in which to link between seminars – so rounding off the material we covered and preparing material for the following week. I might set a series of questions that I want each group in each seminar to cover – but I also might use the research group time as a time in which one seminar might catch up on material that wasn’t discussed in the seminar.I don’t get them to post reports – rather, they have to post answers to some questions on Blackboard – and not always the same questions. I don’t ask them to appoint a particular person to be the secretary – rather, I encourage them to identify with their research group and to want to post material. I also chase them a lot in the seminars and on email, reminding them!

Example of prep questions

Here are some questions for you to consider in your research groups in advance of next week's seminar, where will be examining Altered Carbon and Blade Runner, along with the short article by Alison Landsberg on prosthetic memory.

  • What might be significant about the notion of “sleeving” in Altered Carbon in light of Hayles’ understanding of posthumanism?
  • In either of the texts, is there any quality which is specifically reserved for “the human” that cannot be reproduced artificially?
  • Consider the ways in which liberal humanist notions of selfhood are defended by figures within the texts - how is the notion of humanity policed?
  • Does sleeving disrupt understandings of the relationship between sex and gender?
  • What happens to the notion of identity if memory can be ‘faked’ in a way that is indistinguishable from the ‘real’ thing?

Group guidelines

You will be assigned to a research group in the first week and must meet with your group once a week before the seminar to discuss the reading and to prepare for the seminar discussion. You will be presenting with your research group so it is vital that you can work together.

When participating in the research groups think about the following:

  • Task in hand: The groups should be an aid in focusing learning before you go to the seminar. At the beginning of the seminar, the seminar tutor will assume that you have a) read the designated text; and, b) thought through the seminar questions and generated some ideas for discussion. Use the research group to prepare for seminar discussion, reflecting upon your reading. In particular, think about key concerns and/or use the group to generate useful questions for the seminar discussion to answer.
  • Time management: Make sure the time is spent well, so structure the discussion as much as possible. You might like to take turns chairing discussions to keep the group on track. If your group is having difficulty, see the module convenor.
  • Managing group conflict: You will not always agree, and without the tutor present, conflicts might emerge within the group. If you are made to feel uncomfortable with the way your group discussions are handled, bring it up with the course convenor. Make sure that everyone has an opportunity to speak, and that no-one is left out of the discussion as it proceeds. Try to agree a number of shared points, or questions, or problems with the material.

How do I ensure that they are working together?

  • The research groups stay together for groupwork in the seminar – this both gives them a sense of identity and allows me to see if there are any problems within the group.
  • I run a “Fostering Healthy Levels of Competition between Research Groups” competition throughout the semester – they complete informal pop quizzes (usually content-based about the texts) in their groups, and the top score at the end of the semester is given a small prize.
  • I ensure that the students know they can come to see me to discuss problems to do with the groups.
  • Part of the assessment is allocated by other members of the group (see below).

Assessment of groups

Model One: Each student will present as part of their research groups on a topic chosen jointly by the students and the tutor. Presentations must be between ten and twenty minutes long and must demonstrate evidence of secondary reading. The other students will provide feedback on the presentations. The presentation will not form part of the final mark but must be completed in order to proceed.

Model Two: Each student will present as part of their research groups. The presentation will be 20 minutes in length and is worth 20% of the overall mark. Presentation marking criteria will be decided by the tutor and the students in Week One. The mark for the presentation is as follows: 50% - tutor; 25% - your fellow research group members; 25% - the other members of the seminar.

Model Three: Each student is assigned to a research group which meets weekly. Fifteen per cent of the final mark is based on the research groups: half this fifteen percent is based on a report which explores the impact of the group discussions on the individual student’s learning; the other half comes from the other students’ assessment of their contribution to the group. Marking criteria is agreed by tutor and students in Week One.

The tutor must reserve the right to drop ridiculously high/low marks!

Problems

  • Students who do not attend.
  • Material not being posted on Blackboard.
  • Student conflict.

1/ Stacy Gillis ()