Team Projects – I Love it When a Plan Comes Together

Many of our courses still include a team project and final presentation as part of the course requirements.  The inclusion of this assignment is not always well received, with the reasons given including uneven workloads and team members who won’t or can’t pull their weight.  I’ve written before about the team charter and if you click on the Team Projects under the Categories in the right navigation bar you’ll find other resources which can improve your team project experiences for your students.

What I want to describe in this post is a strategic perspective related to Team Projects which up to now I’ve assumed.  That is to say, because of my experiences, I have assumed that any team approaching a project assignment would employ the strategy I will share below.  After reflection, I believe that is probably a false assumption.  Perhaps you too have made the same assumption and so I encourage you to work through the steps below with your project teams on the night you make the assignment after the team charter is completed.

1. Clearly articulate what the finished project will look like.  That is, will there be a powerpoint? what about an oral presentation?  Length? amount of research? etc.
2. Break the “finished” project down into steps working backward to the point you are at now.  Include a step for final practice, if there is to be a class presentation, and a full-review by all team members of any written material which has to be submitted.
3. Make sure everyone on the team understands how much time is available to accomplish the required steps getting the job done.
4. Assign the steps to individuals or sub-groups along a time-line leading to the finished project.  Make sure everyone is clear on their assignments and the time-lines for submission of their assignment(s).
5. Follow the team charter for any individuals who don’t or won’t participate.

This may seem basic and for those who have been in the program for a while, this might be basic, but I think there are a large number of our entering students who would appreciate a little guidance up-front as they begin to tackle these projects.