by Yulia Strekalova
Ph.D. student, University of Florida

Group assignments create in-class learning opportunities where students actively participate in the educational process.  Interaction within groups supplies students with additional feedback. They can also practice their newly received knowledge and skills thus better preparing for entering the workforce.  Group work can greatly enhance contributions made by individual members and create learning connections between class members in addition to the traditional instructor-student relationship.  

Successful group assignments require pre-planning to address issues of group formation and team dynamics, evaluation of individual and group performance, peer feedback, and availability of an instructor for meaningful and sufficient feedback. Topics below summarize suggestions to successfully incorporate group assignments in a course.  

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