Group Work Project Contracting

By Cory Legassic, Dawson College

At a Glance

Discipline

  • Social sciences
  • Humanities

Instructional Level

  • College & CEGEP

Course

  • Strategies for College Success

Tasks in Workflow

Social Plane(s)

  • Group

Type of Tasks

  • Creating & designing
  • Analyzing
  • Reviewing & assessing peers

Technical Details

Class size

  • Small (20-49)

Time

  • Multiple class periods (2-3 classes)

Instructional Purpose

  • Preparation & knowledge activation
  • Assessment & knowledge refinement

Overview

For instructors planning student group work projects over many weeks or months, this activity provides a process for students to collaborate with the instructor to design a group work contract that outlines policies and expectations for working through logistical and/or interpersonal conflicts. Ideas for policies and expectations are compiled by the whole class and the instructor. The agreements are consolidated into a group work contract that is signed by students and made available on the class’s online course page. (You can also call it an “agreement in principle”.)

Instructional Objectives

  • Proactively co-construct and align guidelines for effective team work
  • Learn strategies for creating and maintaining positive and responsible teamwork.

Workflow & Materials

Workflow

Activity Workflow

View on CourseFlow
Document

Example Group Work Contract

Cory Legassic

Document

Reflective Writing for Group Work Contracting

Cory Legassic

Article

Coping with Hitchhikers and Couch Potatoes on Teams

Cory Legassic

Video

Video on Group Work

Cory Legassic

Contributor's Notes

Cory Legassic

Cory Legassic

Dawson College, Montreal

Benefits
Challenges
Tips
Benefits
  • Provides tools to address common challenges that arise in group work.
  • Creates a culture in the classroom around being pro-active, encouraging, accountable and transparent.
Challenges
  • This activity can take up 1-2 classes and requires follow-up. Teachers need to revisit guidelines when needed, and feel comfortable implementing the guidelines.
  • Students who are absent can feel left out. (This is why the opportunity for students to give feedback asynchronously after class is important.)”
Tips
  • At the beginning of the semester, survey students on their experiences with team work. This can help you identify how much resistance or anxiety some students might have going into teamwork.

Applied Strategies

Peer Assessment

Critical thinking and communication

Reflective Writing

Formal preparatory reflection

Peer Instruction & Think-pair-share

Communication, conceptual reasoning and reflection