Do you hate group projects or what....

[crnasomeday]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way, but I absolutely detest doing group projects. It seems like every semester we have at least one, and they're always worth a major portion of our grade. The problem is that I am your typical overly-responsible, type-A personality who finds it difficult to rely on other's to take care of things which will effect my grade. Part of that is just a character flaw of mine, and the other part of it is a conditioned response from dealing with past group projects where some members sit on their behinds and don't do an ounce of work. I mean I understand the point of group projects because I know we have to learn to work collaboratively, but....I STILL HATE THOSE **** PROJECTS.

We just had to present on a group project today that two out of our four group members did absolutely nothing for. I ended up writing a 23 page paper all by myself, with input from only one other group member. She and I did everything for the assignment, and had to cover the responsibilities of the other two who blew everything off. Now they get to share the same grade as we do, and I think that is completely unfair. Needless to say, I'm just really frustrated at the moment, and if I had my way, I'd like to see those two flunk the project (which BTW is worth 60% of our course grade).

Okay....I just needed to vent for a minute so that my head wouldn't blow up. Whew....glad that's over. Thanks for listening (reading).

Be blessed all. . .

[snbrcc]

OH... it seems everyone has the same problem with group presentations. In our class a group does a presentation for each unit we cover. Our group was four people so our presentation had to last 40 minutes. Three days before our presentation one of our instructors confronted us because she had noticed that our group of four was usually a group of three at our meetings! Thank goodness she talked to us because she told us that each of us would receive the same grade. She also informed us that part of us working together included being sure that everyone did their part. We ended up kicking out our fourth member and she had to find another group to work with. Needless to say noone else wanted her and she ended up dropping out of the program.

[trishaLVN]

Did somebody say GROUP projects?? :chair:

dread group projects!! BUT, one thing our instructor did have the sense to do, is allow US, yes US to grade EACHOTHER!!

~trisha

[Peeps Mcarthur]

Believe it or not,I have had the same trouble in of all settings AN HONORS CLASS!

I had a presentation with two other students in two seperate cases. In one group the other two students did manage to come up with something by the end of the week but I was the one answering questions from the class and instuctor and had to explain the pathophysiology of the disease to them both..........kinda dead weight. In the other project I basically did all the fact finding and the other two showed up with basically my information and did nothing more than act like my trained parrot.

I think the idea that a group can get the same grade as the most talented individual on that group sounds a little like communism.

At least you'll be that much more talented for your efforts and they'll still be blissfully ignorant.

Brad

[MPHkatie]

Oh I hated group projects in school, either no one cared about it but me, or they didn't really want to make decisions. I occasionally had a decent group and things usually went smoothly, but in reality, I am now on committees at work which are somewhat similar to the group project....so on it goes.

[colleen10]

Group Projects, EEEKKKKSSS!!!

Aside from usually being in a group where the other participants don't participate......

Have any of you had trouble doing a group project because it is difficult just to get the participants together? When I was in school most of my classmates had jobs or had to go back to their farms on the weekends (I was a student of Agriculture). Even if we all wanted to work on the project inevitably one person ended up doing everything because it was impossible for the other's to meet and decide who would do what.

The worst are projects where you have to make a video tape. Then you absolutely can't complete the project until you can get everyone in one room together. Usually the night before it is due!

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I deal with group projects by assuming I will be doing the whole thing myself and then any help from other members is a bonus. The extra work is worth the decrease in my own frustration level.

[Mkue]

I ran into a previous group member from last fall and asked her how she did in the class, because she was crying that she needed an "A" in the group project to pass the class... well we did get an "A" for the presentation, BUT she didn't turn in her term paper so she had an incomplete, as far as I know the instructor was still going to accept her paper even this semester. Lucky break for her.

[Nursemelo]

our nuring class is like a little family i love doing gruop projects, i know i can always count on those girls to do just as much work as i do we all get along real great and larks are important to all of us.

[kittyw]

I HATE group projects!!!!! Right now I'm working on one. And I'm having a really, really hard time with it. Need some advice:

Apparently some of the members of the "team" don't think they need to reference their materials. Hmmmm, that one fast way out of school. Now, I'm worried that they might just plagerize something and it'll have MY name on it (along with theirs). Yikes!

Also for this group project we have to put on a community fair. Fun, fun. It's in this community center ... just a big room. Now mind you, I'm the only one with a kid. So I suggest we have some play area inside the building for the kids to be entertained while their parents get all of this wonderful health info. We don't want the kids running around inside destroying things, do we??? Their response was that they didn't want kids in the building ... now how the he11 are they going to stop that when it's a community fair and kids are invited??? Check your kids at the door please. .... Yea, right. We have some kid activities outdoors, but it's a very busy street (and BAD neighborhood) and I'm sure not all of the parents will feel comfortable leaving the 1-5yo outside. I know I wouldn't!! And I'm NOT their babysitter. There's a spot in this room that the community routinely uses for a play area ... so why not just use that and put out a few toys??? Can't expect the parents to be good parents. Would be nice, but totally unrealistic. Anyways, these team members decided to put the STD info & condom distribution table in the play area!! Great, now we're going to have 4 year olds getting a hold of condoms and seeing these pamphlets that are, well, graphic!

Anyways, I agree with the above posters about just hating group work.

[jschut, BSN, RN]

I also hate group projects because I don't like being the only one responsible!

We had to do a debate in class last semester. There were 5 of us. I was the only one who looked anything up, the only one that e-mailed info to others in the group, and the only one who did ANYTHING!!!!!! But then again, another girl and myself were the only "A's" in the group, too.

But as a rule, no I don't like doing group projects either!

Julie:)

[tonicareer]

yep hate them i know it is about team playing (YUCK!) but one person takes over and bosses and another does all the work and then bossy and do nothings get all the credit. Sounds like real life doesn't it? sounds like every job i have had bossy bosses and do nothings get promoted.

[momangel29]

I know exactly what you are saying! My school is NLN accredited so we have to do these group projects and they are NEVER fair. There is always at least two people who stand by during the making and presenting of these things! They cause more stress than the class itself! Anyway I graduate in December so I'm happy!