Nearly every student will have to do group work at some point throughout university, with many courses being dependent on it. However, group work is far from easy and is notorious among students for being disliked as a method of assessment. However, there are many important skills students can learn from group work, so it’s really important to engage with these kinds of assignments. To provide you with some inspiration, the expert writers from Ivory Research have listed the top 5 things students can learn from group work:
How to work as a team
This one may sound obvious, as group work depends on teamwork. However, this is something many students actually have a lot of trouble with. Indeed, for a lot of students it can be tempting to want to lock yourself away in your room or the library and just get on with the work at your own pace. However, teamwork is a crucial skill, not just at uni but in the majority of careers also, so learning how to work as a team at uni will give you a great advantage for when you progress into the world of work.
Gain a better understanding of the subject and develop new ideas
Even if you think you’re a master of a particular topic, there’s always more to learn. And this is one of the great advantages of group assignments – the opportunity to learn new things from your fellow students. Furthermore, while it’s all well and good burying your head in a book or researching on the internet for hours, talking through subjects with your peers is the best way to develop your own ideas, and will also allow you to gain inspiration from your fellow students.
Confidence
Group work can be particularly unattractive to shy students who prefer to work on their own. However, working in a group is one of the best opportunities a student will have to build confidence, both in their academic knowledge and in themselves, as it provides the opportunity to collaborate with others and receive and give positive feedback and constructive criticism. Group work also often involves presentations, and while these may be nerve wracking, if you develop a strong rapport with your group they will feel much easier. Developing your confidence will then allow you to be more confident in class and in general, which will further aid your academic endeavours and career prospects.
Skills development
Group work may sound simple on paper, but it actually requires an array of different skills that you would not usually rely on when working as an individual. For example, the expert assignment writers from Ivory Research advise that group work can improve your interpersonal and communication skills, such as speaking and listening, and your leadership and motivation skills, all of which are valuable not just in academic circles but in careers and life in general.
Punctuality and productivity
One of the biggest challenges students face when working individually is overcoming procrastination. Left to your own devices, it can be incredibly easy to sit in your room with the intention of working yet wasting hours away watching TV or surfing the web. However, group work doesn’t allow this; you will have to meet with your group during social hours and also have to get your share of the work done prior to meeting so that you don’t let them down. This added responsibility is a great way to increase productivity.
So there we have it, 5 really important skills that students can learn from completing group assignments at university. And remember, if you do ever have any trouble with group work, the expert writers from Ivory Research are here to help – and they’ve had rave reviews!
