Frustrated

[bluebooger]

... Here's an excerpt from a list of many mistakes:

"One trait that provides a roll in effective leadership is emotional intelligence."
...

LOL

everybody knows it's spelt trate

[UptonSinclair]

There are times when attention to detail is critical, but there are also times when group cohesion is more important.

[SteveFoerster]

Steve,

I was SO tempted to "like" you, but it sounds too much like high-school for me. I did, however, find your post a hoot and a half!

Ooooh, go ahead and like it anyway. Embrace the immaturity, we won't tell. :ack:

[cookderosa]

So my MBA Leadership team is currently compiling final revisions for a group project and one of the members really can't write for crap. We've asked him to proof read his submission and he did (at least he said he did), but it still has a significant amount of errors... Here's an excerpt from a list of many mistakes:

"One trait that provides a roll in effective leadership is emotional intelligence."

I'm afraid to ask where he got his undergrad from and also how the heck he made it through this far in program...

I don't get what all the fuss is about, I love rolls.

[LaterBloomer]

Group projects have been something I've hated for AGES. On a tangent, part of my frustration with myself for not getting a degree was seeing the writing done by social workers with masters degrees. One worker could not understand/get/whatever the difference between coarse and course. I'd think to myself, "and SHE has a degree?"

[Getiton1]

I am with Cook on this one.

I hate group projects, I feel your pain.

[Getiton1]

I really like this approach to group work! I am going to use this on my next group project.

Hi,

Wanted to offer another opinion.

I work with Docs and others who have advanced degrees and there is a common theme - just because you have 16-22+ yrs of education does not necessarily mean you have excellent (or even good) grammatical skills. Admins/Assts do a lot more than schedule meetings. Who did you think really catches the typos, grammatical and formatting errors? That is a key part of the job.

Regarding group projects:
In school everyone seems to hate these tasks but projects are assigned so that you will hopefully gain valuable skills that will prepare you for the business world. You will learn during the project, as a unit, to define the weaknesses/strengths of each member and begin to make decisions as a team. To then assign specific tasks to those with a comparable skill set. The guy who lacks in grammar may very well easily see the big picture. Task the member who is the thinker, with assembling the individual ideas and goals into an outline. Let the person who loves to chase commas edit and proofread. I feel when the team does not act as one, the whole suffers; and that is truly when it becomes a painful exercise.


I would have immediately had a few group conference calls to determine everyone's strengths/weaknesses. Then structure the group. For example in my area this might be an easy outline:

A leader/presenter
A researcher or two
A writer & Asst - assembles/sorts/writes/has to be able to comfortably challenge others
A critical thinker - positive or negative (best if you have at min two on either side)
A problem solver - usually second chair

The eMBA program I have intimate knowledge of requires a two part effort to complete the final degree requirement. Part 1 - A group submission where the members build a company/division/new product from the ground up, which some may actually move forward with after the assignment is graded. Part 2 - an individual submission.

In my work we are actually structured into and thrive in groups, from executive management to project teams.

Just my two cents!

[Lindagerr]

Group projects have been something I've hated for AGES. On a tangent, part of my frustration with myself for not getting a degree was seeing the writing done by social workers with masters degrees. One worker could not understand/get/whatever the difference between coarse and course. I'd think to myself, "and SHE has a degree?"

I had someone in my discussion group who supposedly didn't understand why the spell checker said she spelled supposably wrong.

I also hate group projects, I want to do it all so it is "right".:o

[mrs.b]

I had someone in my discussion group who supposedly didn't understand why the spell checker said she spelled supposably wrong.

I also hate group projects, I want to do it all so it is "right".:o

Agreed! I never had a project group organize to the degree bricabac suggested (though it would have been nice), but I did always insist that one person would be the final proof-reading authority to prevent arguments over things like "roll" or "role," and so the flow appeared more cohesive instead of looking like 5-6 people wrote chunks and pasted it together. That person was responsible for submission of the whole assignment. Internal group deadlines were set 2 days ahead of the assignment deadline to allow time for review and assembly of the individual pieces. I still disliked group projects even with that protection there, but at least my inner Grammar Policewoman did not twitch so much.

[Bibby]

Most of my group project experiences haven't been much fun, either. The most important thing is clearly defining group roles and deadlines, and to have some face-to-face team meetings (whether in class or otherwise). The latter is one reason why all-online team projects almost never go well. Having "checkpoints" - dividing projects into multiple deliverables so you can receive feedback from your professor or other groups - also helps a lot.

The other problem with team projects is that many students are only interested in doing the bare minimum to pass the class. If they're paired up with a student who wants straight A's, the less motivated students will typically piggyback on others in their group. This is terrible training for the real world, because while getting a C- might be good enough to get your diploma and keep your financial aid, real-life employers are going to hire, retain, and promote the people who strive for excellence instead of mediocrity.