Group vs. Individual Work: Pros and Cons

1 Intro/outline

- Why is group work important in academic and professional settings?

- Why is there resistance to group work?

2 Main advantage of group work:

- What is the advantage?

- Why is this advantageous?

- Example(s)?

- Who benefits? E.g. organisations, staff or managers etc.

3 Main disadvantage of group work:

- What is the disadvantage?

- Why is it a disadvantage?

- Example(s)?

- Who suffers? E.g. organisations, staff or managers etc.

4 Main advantage of individual work:

- What is the advantage?

- Why is this advantageous?

- Example(s)?

- Who benefits? E.g. organisations, staff or managers etc.

5 Main disadvantage of individual work:

- What is the disadvantage?

- Why is it a disadvantage?

- Example(s)?

- Who suffers? E.g. organisations, staff or managers etc.

6 Conclusion/summary Possible guiding questions:

- To what extent is one style of working better than the other?

- Predicting trends, e.g. should/will group work become more or less common than individual work going forward?

- Reflections on personal experience re: group presentation

· Knowledge and understanding of relevant research in order to comprehend and apply theories relating to group work in academic and professional settings. (50%)

· Ability to communicate effectively, manage learning resources, work independently and demonstrate practical/professional skills. (50%) Knowledge and Understanding: 0-50 marks

Marks will be awarded for the overall quality of the content presented. It is therefore important for each group member to prepare well-researched material. Marks will be allocated in terms of:

· Complexity

· Analysis

· Research

· References

· Visuals

Equally, marks will be awarded for the standard of delivery. It is therefore important for the group to organise their presentation carefully and for each group member to practise their part until they reach a high standard. Marks will be allocated in terms of:

· Engagement

· Use of notes

· Clarity of message

· Discourse features

· Academic register

· Form a group of 6 students

· Each member must speak for 2 consecutive minutes

o All students will be stopped by the assessor at 2 minutes

· Although this is a group presentation, marks will be awarded for each individual group member based on their own performance.

· Each group must create and use ONE PowerPoint file

o Individual students are responsible for their own slides

o The file should be brought to the exam on a USB stick

· As a group, you are recommended to use at least 6 texts from a variety of reliable academic sources (each student should refer to sources in their presentation)

· All sources (including pictures) must be referenced: