Online school is challenging and overwhelming at times, even more so when you have group assignments that require you to communicate with your classmates virtually. Sometimes, you might not know these group members and have difficulty getting in contact with them. Even if you are able to get into contact with them, maintaining contact or figuring out how to work on the assignment effectively may become tricky. Messaging your group members may work for a little while, but sometimes calling or having a Zoom meeting works even better. Although this is an effective strategy for success, it can then become a challenge too because you have to take into consideration everyone’s availability. I think the majority of online students can agree, group projects have never been harder than they are in today’s virtual education. In order to manage group assignments, there are a couple of strategies that I find very effective in making sure that everyone is on the same page.
First of all, it’s really important to introduce yourself to the group so that your group members know more about you. From their point of view, you’re just a blank face and voice hidden behind a screen. Introducing yourself can help them start to be more comfortable with you, which can lead to more in-depth and personal conversations about the project. Also, when you’re starting out, it’s necessary to make sure that everybody understands what needs to be done for the assignment. Talking out the assignment instructions with your group members makes sure that you all understand what needs to be done. It also helps with delegating roles to everyone in the group so that everyone knows what they have to do in order to fairly contribute to the project.
I have had my fair share of online group assignments so far this term, and I have found that one of the most troubling things is being unable to contact a group member. I recommend asking everyone in the group to try and contact them and if that still doesn’t work, then contact your instructor. It may suck not being able to contact a group member because eventually if you’ve done everything you can to get into contact with them, your instructor might just tell you to work on the assignment without them. Having to work on an assignment with one less person is super stressful because then everyone is required to do even more work. But if your group has good time management and strong collaboration skills, then all should be fine. All in all, if you’re working on a group project, the easiest way to make sure that everyone can be reached is for you to reach out first! Don’t wait for others because sometimes they might not and then you’re stuck stressing over two things: finding your group members and the assignment, instead of just stressing over the assignment.
Online group assignments might be a little more work, but for some shy people like myself, it can be an environment where conversations may be easier and more comfortable. During in-person group assignments, you’re able to meet with your group members face-to-face and discuss topics easily. But I would find that contributing as much as I could was a little bit harder simply because I was shy. Now, during online work, I feel more comfortable talking with my group members but find that more work has to be done.
Group work can be a hassle for many because everyone may have different writing styles and learning styles, but this new virtual age as a result of COVID-19 has caused group assignments to become a little bit trickier for some and more comfortable for others. Overall, the best we can do is to continue to communicate with our group members and make sure that everyone is involved. By doing so, thriving in online group assignments will become a piece of cake!