Telling the truth on a peer evaluation for a group project?

[JESSICAAA159]

I worked on a project with 5 other students. We further divided the group into pairs to spread the work evenly. Unfortunately, I got paired off with one of the laziest people I know.

We split the assignment right down the middle, and she didn't do her part.

When I asked her, she used school, clinicals, being sick as an excuse (HELLO?! We all have that and I was sick too) When I told her she can't keep doing, she got really mad and BSed a little paragraph of work (we needed to write 3 pages each). I ended up doing her part of the work (ALL OF IT), including references, intro, conclusion, definitions.

I honestly want to give her a 0-25% on our peer evaluation. However, our instructor alarmed us that if you're the only one who gave a bad evaluation about someone, she will have to speak to ALL of us. I don't want to be put on the spot even though she mentions it is supposed to be confidential. Btw, my instructor told us to sort any group work problems on our own (she didn't want to hear it & I have never worked with this girl before).

And I think it is kind of obvious because I was the only one who worked with her the most. The other pairs had no problems.

What do I do?

[RubySlippers:)]

Gaah! Just another reason to HATE group projects.....

double ... NO, TRIPLE like. this is always me!!

[canigraduate]

I never understood the point of group projects. It seemed like a great way to start drama between students.

I always end up doing most of the project myself. In nursing school, I finally gave up and just took over from the beginning so I would at least be prepared and not have to stay up until 2AM to finish.

[PinkEagle]

I would rather have cat AIDS than do a bloody group project!! I hate them with a passion because I take all of my work serious (even the most minute assignments) and it is sooooo frustrating when someone doesn't play their part at all!

What should you do? Be honest and tell the truth! You really want the professor to give the other person credit for all of the work that they didn't do? I don't think so! I was in a situation like this myself and it was a much bigger assignment and I ended up doing 75% of the work because 2 of the guys in my group decided to be lazy! So not only wrote a negative but constructive peer review, I also confronted the teacher! At that point I was recovering from a very serious hand injury that slowed down my work, but apparently that wasn't enough to inspire compassion from my classmates to do the work they were supposed to do! So I definitely brought that to my teacher's attention. But that's just my 2 cents.

I am already predisposed to hating group assignments, so I have zero sympathy for people who deliberately neglect to do their work!

[SeattleJess]

Fascinating that in situations like this it is usually the case that the instructor tells the group that they do not want to hear about problems and they punish the people who do their share of the work. This behavior acculturates you to the workplace where the same type of behavior often takes place. Almost always, the slacker benefits from the efforts of the others in the group. I would be honest in your rating. You did her work for her, so you have already suffered for her laziness. At least own up to your effort.

You are describing my eleven years of working for the state. Supervisors had the rule that the only bad employees were the ones who brought problems to their attention.

This is a huge ethical issue, not just in school but in life. Some people do not value honesty and integrity or at least value it less than the price they need to pay to live it.

My husband says that group projects are for instructors who are too lazy to prepare lectures and to evaluate students. I know nursing school rationalizes group projects on the basis that we will be working as teams in healthcare. Still, I haven't heard of any healthcare situations where there are not supervisors and managers evaluating performance. Hard not to label your instructor a slacker as well.

[Aliareza, BSN]

I'm not usually one for confrontation, but if nursing school and patient advocacy have taught me anything, it's that you've got to have a spine. Nursing school is a darn good place to start!

The question isn't "Should I throw her under the bus?", it's "How many times should I run this lazy excuse for a nursing student over with the bus?"

I wouldn't vouch for her at all, and if I could, I'd take all of the conversations between you two and her measly paragraph of useless input and show it to your remaining group members to explain why you hope they'll also give her the rating she deserves. In other academic programs, I'd say live and let live. Because you're all supposed to be training to be nursing professionals, it's on you to give her the evaluation she deserves so that the professors know she would make a lousy addition to a health care team. If she'll pull that crap on you, she'll pull it on patients later. Don't you be the reason she gets away with it this time.

We only have one girl like this in my program, and anybody who's been in her clinical groups knows all about how lazy she is. She's made it to last semester (somehow -- she missed at least 3 clinical days each semester), but all of the professors know exactly how we feel about her and why. They don't hold our opinions against us. We all bust our butts in nursing school, and there's no excuse to be that lazy person who doesn't deserve their spot in the program.

[Conqueror+, BSN, RN]

Well our professor made it very clear that there were four students in the group but the same grade for everyone.

[mercurysmom]

I would give her a truthful rating according to the amount that she did do, if any. Having said that, I would also save ALL email and texts that show that you've communicated with this student and she did not complete her share of the work. In addition, if you have time stamped, saved copies of outlines, rough drafts, and the part that she was supposed to contribute and you ended up doing yourself, I would put it on a flash drive to cya and support the low rating.

This happens all the time, unfortunately, in the classroom, at clinical, and out in the real world. I've been told during report that Mrs. Jane Doe was admitted 6 hours ago and the admission paperwork was "started, but needs to be looked over to make sure it's complete." Later, I've discovered that she didn't do ANY of the admission paperwork, including things like following thru on x-rays and labs that were ordered to be done on admission...

Then, Mrs. Doe's D? Calls for results of x-Rays and labs. Guess who gets chewed out?

I feel that by NOT reporting the student's lack of participation, broken agreements, and pathetic excuses, you'd be condoning it, in a way.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

Honestly and unemotionally evaluate your fellow group member. Be fair, brief, very focused and factual.

Consider it practice for when you have to document incidents and evaluate others for their yearly evaluations.

Include the efforts that you made to include her every step of the way and her lack of response.

Make it clear that trying to work with this person made extra work for you and how you had no choice but to do her portion of the assignment when the deadline approached.

I would conclude with:

"She deserves an incomplete (just to drive the point home) as she made no effort other than a brief paragraph at the last minute which I have attached."

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

There are always learning opportunities in every assignment that might not be immediately apparent or even mentioned in the syllabus. But trust me, they are all there, waiting for you all to learn them, one way or another.

In your case, you are learning how to recognize and deal with a coworker who doesn't pull her weight and will have a lot of excuses as to why she doesn't have to. In her case, if she is lucky, she will learn what happens to people who are theoretically part of a team effort (like a nursing floor) but don't give their coworkers the respect and support they deserve. This will be lucky because all she will get is an incomplete or a low grade, and not lose her damn JOB.

So yes, icuRNmaggie has absolutely nailed it. As further practice for you both, a copy of all materials should go to the nurse manager (instructor), to HR (the dean), and to the coworker (classmate).

[SubSippi]

I bet she wouldn't have done such a crappy job if it wasn't a group project, with people around to pick up her slack. She would have found some way to make it work. And if she absolutely could not, it would have been her responsibility to talk to the professor, explain her situation, and possibly try to get an extension for the entire group.

Instead, she ignored her responsibility, with the hope that someone else would do her work for her.

Make her mad, who cares? She needs it. And I bet if you have to work with her again, she'll do her work. Even if she's a little rude about it.

[PinkEagle]

The question isn't "Should I throw her under the bus?", it's "How many times should I run this lazy excuse for a nursing student over with the bus?"

^^^THIS made my day lol!!!

[JoseQuinones]

Work hard, finish your degree, and get out. Life is not fair, but lazy people have a habit of running smack into the consequences of their actions once it really counts - in the real world. You are paying for that degree, so don't let some sad sack rob your peace.