Purpose Statement: This blog post is a memo for fellow students about some of the problems and solutions involved with group work in college.
TO: All College Students
FROM: Dorathy Dotson
DATE: 3/10/21
SUBJECT: Group Work Problems
Everyone has had that one bad group project in high school. And unfortunately, group work still has its issues, even in college. However, there are things that you can do about these problems. You don’t have to take a lower grade if your teammate doesn’t do the work– there are solutions you can use that will all but ensure you can pass through the fires of group projects relatively unscathed. Many of these solutions can be found in Barbara Oakley’s article, “Coping With Hitchhikers and Couch Potatoes on Teams.”
One of the biggest problems in group work, of course, is when one of your teammates avoids meetings, slacks off, and doesn’t do his share of work. Oakley calls this sort of person a “Hitchhiker.” They actively drag your group down by forcing you all to do the work, because any work assigned to them won’t be done. A similar problematic person is called a “Couch Potato,” who may attend meetings and help a little bit, but really doesn’t pull all of their weight and the rest of the group ends up finishing their work for them.
The best way to deal with this is simply to not put his name on the work he does not contribute to. If a Hitchhiker doesn’t help with your lab project, their name will not go on the lab, and they won’t get credit for the work. If a Couch Potato doesn’t turn in their part of the work and someone else has to finish it for them, their name will not be on the project since they failed to do their own work. If they don’t show up to the meetings to help with the presentation, then they don’t get to present. Staying firm and setting limits within the group will help to keep everyone on track, and establish reasonable consequences for those who don’t do their part.
Group projects may seem daunting, especially if you have a Hitchhiker or a Couch Potato in your team. However, with these tips and solutions, you can make it through college and deal with any group work that comes your way.
Writing Wizard 