WESTMINSTER
EXCHANGE
How to Help Your
Students with Group Work
.........The Key to Success
UNIVERSITY OF
INSPIRATION
INNOVATION
COLLABORATION
WESTMINSTER
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© Westminster Exchange, University of Westminster (2009)
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Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 4
Purpose and objectives of group work ............................................................................................ 4
Optimising opportunities of group work ........................................................................................... 4
Setting up student groups ................................................................................................................. 5
Student responsibility for developing group work skills ................................................................. 6
How should we present the group work task? ................................................................................ 7
Appendix 1: 20 Hints for working in groups .................................................................................... 9
Appendix 2: Self-evaluation: How well do I contribute to group work?......................................... 9
Appendix 3: Case History Presentation......................................................................................... 10
Author: Carol Wood
Proofed by: Darren Melton
Reviewed by: Dalene McShane
Version: 1.4
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Introduction
This guide has been written for teaching staff and offers some suggestions and
guidelines to enable you to help your students with group work. The Educational Initiative
Centre (EIC) is compiling samples of good practice related to teaching and learning and if
you have anything that you would like to contribute, either related to student group
working or in another area, it would be much appreciated.
The guide starts by discussing the 'purpose and objectives of student group work', and
then goes on to consider 'optimising the opportunities of group work'. There is then a
section on 'setting up student groups’ that is intended as a reminder of the various issues
that may arise at this stage and should be considered.
We also need to encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning and
development, and the section on 'student responsibility for developing group work
skills' considers some issues related to this.
Then there are some key points on 'how should we present the group work task?'
since this can affect how well it is understood and carried out by the students.
The appendices contain some 'quick reference guides' and samples of good practice.
Purpose and objectives of group work
Working in a group enables students to develop their group/team working skills that are
often essential in the workplace today. Experience of group working is likely to be an area
that students will be asked about at job interviews. Having practical examples to talk about
will help the student to obtain a valuable work placement or first position following their
degree studies.
Group working can often achieve more than an individual working alone, and the
benefits of group working will be discussed later.
Opportunities for group working can come in a variety of ways, for example:
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 As part of assessed coursework e.g. management report and presentation on a
topic/case study. 
 Seminar discussions, analysis of case studies. 
 Student self initiated network/study groups to motivate and encourage
each other. 
Optimising opportunities of group work
Tutors can enable students to make the most of their group work experiences by reminding
students of the purpose and objectives of group working and selling the benefits of
developing their group working skills. Remind them that: Graduate recruiters will not just be selecting on the basis of academic achievement but on
a whole range of other factors on the person specification, including teamwork skills.
Often for example, graduate selection procedures involve assessment centres where the
candidates are given a problem or a discussion topic and are then observed on how they
work as a team and interact with each other.
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For example the candidate most likely to be short listed for a second interview or selected
for the job is the one who:
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 Encourages the group to explore their resources relevant to the task that has
been given (particular strengths, knowledge, experience of each member) before
launching into the task. 
 Clarifies understanding of the task where appropriate. 
 Doesn’t monopolise the conversation but who contributes their views in an
appropriate way. 
 Draws in reluctant contributors to the discussion. 
 Is confident enough to disagree with other points of view, maybe even the whole
group, e.g. if they feel that the group is 'going off at a tangent' and takes the time
to explain why they disagree. 
 Doesn’t 'switch off' from the task in hand if their view is not accepted after it has
been discussed by the group. 
 Motivates the group to keep going if they start to become despondent or tired. 
 Encourages the group to make optimum use of the time available. 
Setting up student groups
When starting students on group working remind them of the following:
Benefits of group working
Some of the benefits include learning to: 
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 Achieve an objective that an individual may not be able to do alone. 
 Manage time and meet deadlines. 
 Divide work up fairly, so it takes less time to achieve the objective than if
an individual was working alone. 
 Obtain the most from the experience, develop a range of skills, and increase
knowledge. 
 Motivate and encourage each other. 
 Share ideas and develop problem-solving skills. 
 Satisfy 'social interaction' needs. 
Effective group working requires:
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Clear, agreed objectives. 
Planning how to achieve objectives. 
Effective use of group resources. 
Open discussion and participation by group members. 
Members listening to each other. 
Constructive handling of conflict. 
Effective leadership. 
Time taken to review group process. 
See appendix 1 for '20 Hints for working in groups'
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Other issues to consider are: -
Should students select their own groups?
Tutors can also consider whether they will allow students to self select their groups or
allocate students to groups, the latter is often what happens in the workplace. Valuable
experiences can be gained in both ways, providing students are encouraged to reflect on
their experiences of working in the group. Consideration could be given to including this
reflection as part of the assessment.
How can we help a group to 'get going'?
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 A list of ideas follows, which you are already likely to be familiar with. You could
consider which ones would be useful to use and this will depend on the type of
task and the length of time students will be working together as a group. 
 Learn from previous group working: Ask the students to discuss in their groups
their previous experiences of working in groups. What went well, and what
didn't go so well and why? What would they do differently? They could then
discuss what they have learnt from this discussion to help them in their current
group working experience. 
 Reflect on individual strengths and weaknesses: Ask students to individually
reflect on their previous experiences of working in groups and identify what they
think their individual strengths and weaknesses are in group work e.g. good at
listening and encouraging quieter members of the group to speak during group
meetings/discussions; good at coming up with ideas but not very good at
developing them and following through to completion, good at accessing external
sources of information via organisations, internet etc; good at motivating the
group to keep going when things get difficult; good at chairing meetings to
ensure the agenda is followed and action points allocated to group members.
They can then discuss this with other group members. 
 Use an icebreaker: e.g. Ask the group to introduce themselves to each other
and ask them to decide as a group what three items from a list of ten they would
take and why, if their group were to be stranded on a desert island for a week
e.g. 10 x 2 litre bottles of water, a battery operated television, suntan cream, a
tent, a fishing rod, a waterproof groundsheet, a sharp knife, box of matches and
any other item of their own choice. 
 Group contract/rules: Ask group to discuss the type of behaviour etc that will
help their group to work effectively and compile a group contract which they
all sign. 
Student responsibility for developing group work skills
Students should be encouraged to find out more about group work skills by sharing their
previous experiences as suggested in the previous section, and using their own
initiative and also the resources of the university such as: Tutorial Advice Office, Westminster Business School
Students of Westminster Business School could obtain a copy of the Tutorial Advice Office
(TAO) leaflet 'Go to work in a team'. This is available from Room C175, Westminster
Business School, Chiltern Block, Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS.
Tel: 020 7911 5000 ext.3215
Email: tao@wmin.ac.uk
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Library
Reading a chapter on group working in a study skills book and then applying the theory to
the group-working situation. Some suggestions include:
Cottrell, S (1999) The Study Skills Handbook, Macmillan Ch 5 'Working with others'
Drew, S and Bingham, R (1998), The Student Skills Guide, Gower, Ch 10 'Group
Work' (starter level skills); Ch 21 'Group Work' (development level skills)
Encourage students to self-evaluate their contributions to group work
At an appropriate stage, perhaps after three or four sessions of group work, tutors could
encourage students to self-evaluate their individual contributions to their group. Each
student in the group could then discuss their self-evaluation and obtain feedback, as
positive and constructive comments from the group on how they could develop their skills
further.
Some ideas of questions for self-evaluation are in Appendix 2
Problem resolution
Wherever possible when 'problems' develop the group will learn most by working through the
issues themselves. This may not always be practical e.g. due to time constraints, in which
case some facilitation from the lecturer can help the group move forwards.
A member of a group might come to you for help, either with or without the knowledge
of other group members. Then, you might be able to discuss some strategies with them
to resolve the problem but ultimately encouraging them to work through to the problem
resolution with the rest of the group.
How should we present the group work task?
We need to communicate what we want the group to do and the way that this is done will
depend on the situation. A clear explanation of what you want the group to achieve will
help the students in their work.
Assessed coursework
If it is part of assessed coursework then the students should be given clear information
either in the module guidelines, or on a separate handout. This should include:
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 Description of the task, including number of words for an essay or report,
or length of time for a presentation. 
 Learning outcomes. 
 Deadline date. 
 Assessment criteria. 
 The total number of marks for the coursework assessment and a breakdown into
different parts if appropriate: how the rest of the module will be assessed e.g. by
examination and the total marks for that part of the assessment. For example the
overall module marks may be allocated as 30% coursework assignment and 
70% examination. 
 Whether the marks given will be the same for all members of the group or if
there are any elements of the marks that will be given on the basis of individual
contribution to the task. 
 Instructions e.g. about how and where to submit work, or place/time of 
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presentation.
See appendix 3 for an example of a case history presentation.
Recognising individuals contribution to group work
You may wish to consider including in your assessment/marking scheme, an element to
acknowledge individual contributions. For example out of a possible 100 marks, you
may allocate 20 for individual contribution. Some ways of recognising individual
contributions are as follows:  Ask the group to keep a log of group progress, who attends and contributes at
meetings, what work individuals contribute to the overall task etc. Advise them
that at the end of the task, they will be asked as a group to allocate the 20 marks
amongst individuals in their group. For example in a group of six people, one
person may receive 6 marks, another person 4 marks, two people 3 marks, and
two people 2 marks each. If you are using this approach you must inform them of
it clearly at the start of the group work process. You might encourage them to
develop group criteria for the allocation of these marks. 
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 Ask the group members to prepare an individual personal written reflection (up to
two pages) on what they have learnt from working in the group; what went well
and why, what did not go so well and why, and what they would do differently
next time? What skills have they developed and what skills still need further
development? This individual piece of work can then be marked by you and
given a mark out of 20. 
See appendix 3 for a list of questions to help students evaluate their individual contribution
to seminar/group work.
Non- assessed coursework
Even though the group work is not part of the formal assessment, it is still a valuable aid for
developing group working skills, and for student centred learning. Students need to know
exactly what is required of them.
If it is a seminar discussion then students should be clear about:
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 Which lecture/learning outcomes it relates to (this is often explained in the
module guidelines). 
 What reading or other preparation they should have undertaken prior to
the seminar. 
 What is required of them during the seminar e.g. how long they have to
discuss in small groups before feeding back to the whole seminar group,
agreeing a volunteer in their small group to give the feedback. 
Even though details may be written in the module guidelines, it can be helpful to discuss
them at the start of the module with the students.
Prepared for the EIC by Carol Wood (WBS) with additional input from Tricia Price (WBS).
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Appendix 1: 20 Hints for working in groups
1. Always start by introducing yourselves to each other.
2. Take time to identify where people have particular strengths, make use of these.
3. Discuss at the start your 'group rules', these might relate to punctuality, how and
where you will meet, behaviour in the meetings, how to divide the workload,
commitment to doing the work.
4. Have a strategy for dealing with people who don't turn up, or don't do the work. It's
your responsibility to make sure the group works as a team.
5. Always be clear on what your overall aim is e.g. to produce the presentation.
6. Have a clear idea of what you need to do to achieve this aim. Break it down into a
series of smaller tasks.
7. Have a timetable to work to.
8. Divide the tasks as evenly as possible.
9. Meetings work better if they have a chairperson, a timekeeper and a note-taker (you
could rotate these roles between meetings).
10. Know what you are meeting for, have an agenda for the meeting.
11. At the start of a meeting identify what people have achieved since last time.
12. Be prepared to revise your timetable or plan if you are getting into difficulties.
13. During the meeting summarise what you have achieved so that everyone is
in agreement.
14. Remember it is as important to listen in meetings as to speak.
15. Ask quieter members of the group if they have anything to say, give them time to
speak.
16. At the end of a meeting have a clear allocation of who is to do what by when.
17. When you have agreed something, don't waste time by going back over it again
(unless it was clearly a wrong decision).
18. Remember if there is a problem it's the group's problem not an individual's problem.
19. Focus on the problem, not on the individual, to solve it.
20. If you are 'stuck', ask for help!
Useful references:
Cottrell, S. (1999), The Study Skills Handbook, Macmillan
Drew, S. and Bingham, R (1998), The Student Skills Guide, Gower
Appendix 2: Self-evaluation: How well do I contribute to group work?
Objectives
1. To help you evaluate your own contributions and obtain feedback from other
group members, both positive comments and constructive comments to develop
your group work skills further.
2. To help ensure everyone in the group feels included and able to contribute their
ideas during group discussions.
3. To reflect and discuss about how well your group is 'operating'.
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4. Before you start, decide as a group if you would like to add some extra questions.
There are some spaces at the end for additional questions.
Self-evaluation questions
1=room for improvement 4=excellent
1. Do I come to the group adequately prepared? 1 2 3 4
2. Do I make contributions during the session? 1 2 3 4
3. Do I tend to speak for too long? 1 2 3 4
4. Are my contributions/questions relevant? 1 2 3 4
5. Do I listen to, and consider points raised by others? 1 2 3 4
6. Do I encourage others to contribute? 1 2 3 4
7. Do I take a full part in the discussion? 1 2 3 4
8. Do I take relevant notes? 1 2 3 4
9. Do I keep my attention on the session? 1 2 3 4
10. Do I make my contributions to the whole group, or were some to my
neighbour only? 1 2 3 4
11. 1 2 3 4
12. 1 2 3 4
13. 1 2 3 4
Adapted from: Cottrell, S. (1999), The Study Skills Handbook, Macmillan, Page 98
Appendix 3: Case History Presentation
Task
In your group, discuss and agree a case history that you would like to investigate.
Following your investigation, evaluate your findings and decide what aspects of
your investigation to include in your presentation.
All group members must take part in the presentation. The presentation should last for 15
minutes and it will take place on Monday 27th November 2000 in the normal seminar
session, from 2.00pm to 3.30pm. Time will be allowed for discussion and feedback after
each presentation.
The presentations will be in the order of group number e.g. group 1 first.
Learning outcomes
By undertaking this case history presentation you will be able to:
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 Research a topic in depth; evaluate your findings and select material that is
appropriate to your audience. 
 Work as a group to research, plan and make a presentation. 
 Communicate your findings creatively. 
 Reflect on your effectiveness as a group. 
Assessment criteria
The case study will be marked on the basis of the following:
 Accuracy and currency of information. (10)
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Appropriate selection of material for presentation to target audience. (5) 
Clarity of presentation of material to audience. (5) 
Creativity of presentation. (5) 
Quality of reflection on group work. (5) 
The brackets following the item indicate the number of marks that will be allocated to this
element. The total number of marks for this assessment, which will contribute to the
module, is 30. The mark given for the presentation will be the same for all members of
the group.
Further details of these criteria are:
Accuracy and currency of information (10)
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Material is accurate and unambiguous. 
Material is up-to-date. 
Recent references are quoted. 
References include journal/review material. 
Appropriate selection of material for presentation to target audience (5)
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 Material is relevant to the module. 
 Presentation is at a level appropriate to level 3 students. 
 Terminology is familiar to audience, or explained. 
Clarity of presentation of material to audience (5)
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Presentation follows a logical sequence. 
Topic is adequately introduced. 
Volume of content is appropriate for the length of the seminar. 
Pace and style of the presentation render it easily assimilated by the audience. 
Presentation keeps to time. 
Creativity of presentation (5)
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 Presentation shows originality of approach. 
 Varieties of audio-visual aids are deployed. 
 Attention of audience is captured. 
Quality of reflection on group work (5)
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Presentation includes a section reflecting on the effectiveness of the group work. 
Reflection is critical and evaluative. 
Suggestions for improvement in-group working processes are included. 
Problems in-group dynamics may be commented on, but without naming
individual participants. 
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