Timeline for How do project supervisors address the "freeloading" problem in group projects?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
13 events
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| Jun 20, 2015 at 13:18 | comment | added | henning no longer feeds AI | +1, in particular for "depersonalize it and stop working on blame". often easier said than done, though. | |
| Nov 20, 2014 at 11:49 | comment | added | David Schwartz | Working on a technical project with a team is very different from the kinds of activities you're used to doing with your friends. When you're playing football in the backyard, the group naturally adjusts the "rules" in order to maximize fun. In technology, though, incompetent team members can easily do more harm than good, except in this case, no one on the team has enough experience to even recognize what is incompetence, miscommunication, poor planning, etc., and without the kind of structure Scott talks about, it will destroy the team's relationship. No question. | |
| Nov 20, 2014 at 11:42 | comment | added | David Schwartz | Yeah, I was about to say: it is a classic mistake to go into business with friends and family. I know so many people who aren't speaking with their sibling/parent/child/best friend because of some failed investment that left both of them believing the other was at fault. If you are someone who attaches great importance to your grade (equates it to future financial success), it's even easier to get yourself into a situation where you come to hate people you thought were your friends. | |
| Nov 20, 2014 at 0:59 | comment | added | Scott Seidman | We assign teams by an application process. By chance, some close friends end up on the same team. Sometimes they don't stay friends. | |
| Nov 20, 2014 at 0:54 | comment | added | Fraïssé | Thank you for your time, if I were to do a follow up to this question it would have been how to pick your teams in an academic setting. Do you pick the people who you've known for a long time or pick the people who excels at what they do (even though you've never worked with them). I went with the former. I learned my lesson. | |
| Nov 19, 2014 at 23:58 | comment | added | earthling | @ScottSeidman Thanks for the recommendation of the book. I will go read it now. | |
| Nov 19, 2014 at 23:51 | history | edited | Scott Seidman | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Nov 19, 2014 at 23:43 | history | edited | Scott Seidman | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Nov 19, 2014 at 21:01 | history | edited | Scott Seidman | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Nov 19, 2014 at 20:55 | comment | added | Scott Seidman | Thanks, @IlmariKaronen, Check out that Heerkens book. I'm adding an interesting section to my answer which may have some relevance to the OP. | |
| Nov 19, 2014 at 20:50 | comment | added | Ilmari Karonen | ...in fact, the real reason I wish I could upvote your answer several times is because it's the only answer so far to actually offer practical advice on how an instructor should deal with this issue constructively, and how they can help the students learn the actual lessons about effective teamwork that they should be learning. If I ever end up supervising a group project myself, I'll be sure to follow your advice -- which will have to involve me first learning about project management myself, since I never had anyone give my such a "mini lecture" back when I was an undergrad. | |
| Nov 19, 2014 at 18:35 | comment | added | Ilmari Karonen | +1 for actually teaching your students project management skills. | |
| Nov 19, 2014 at 17:52 | history | answered | Scott Seidman | CC BY-SA 3.0 |