This has been one of the more interesting discussions that I have seen on
this list in some time. Appreciate everyones comments -- it has been very
thought-provoking.
Regarding the "brightest" student problem, I too have observed this to be
a bigger issue in the classroom than the slackers. Having myself been a
"brightest" student, and being a strong individualist who now teaches
groups and teams in organizations, I know that this is a tough one to work
with. I have found that I need to do a substantial amount of work with
these students to get them to a place where they begin to see that doing
all the work themselves is not in their best interest or in the best
interest of the other students on their team.
The grades in my class are determined by: 30 % exam (one comprehenisve
exam taken in the 12 week of the semester as a group), 40 % team project
(weighted by the peer evaluation based on criteria that the team developed
among themselves), and 30 % percent final individual reflection paper on
their experience and learning in the course. I also offer 5 points
extra credit in the form of 5 individual reflection papers over the
course of the semester. Finally, I retain
the right to alter a grade by full letter grade (up or down) based on my
perception of an individual's contribution to the class. I have never
lowered a student's grade based on this policy, but raise grades often.
I spend a significant amount of time on the front end of this course
explaining that the final project (their product) is important (to the
tune of 40 % of their grade) as is their exam. However, it is also
critical that they begin to explore and learn about their own skills (or
lack thereof) in influencing people positively, in helping other's develop
to their maximum potential, in balancing task with maintenance etc. That
is what the final reflection paper is for -- to demonstrate that they have
done this. When I have a bright student who is causing problems in the
team by taking over all the work, they usually start complaining to me
(via their individual reflection paper) about the team member's slacking
by the 4th week. I then have a private meeting with the bright student,
and counsel him or her. The gist of my message is something to the effect
that I know if he or she were doing the project completely on their own,
that he or she would get an A - in short, I confirm that the student is
the brightest, is capable, exceptional etc., and that I know he or she
would give up their social life, work hours into the night endlessly to
see to it that it gets done with A quality all by themselves. However, I
inform them that they are missing the point -- that they will have learned
nothing that they didn't know before the class, so they are wasting my
time and theirs, and their money. For this class to be a developmental
experience for them, the challenge is for them to use their influence and
leadership skills to help others develop and be productive members of the
team.
The student is usually operating under the assumption that if they do not
do it all, no one else will, and they will turn in an inferior project. I
make a private deal that I will coach the student through the semester in
how to work with the team, using facilitation skills, and leadership
skills, and that I will grade him or her on how effectively I see these
skills being put into practice. In other words, I pretty much assure the
student an A if they stop doing all the work, and learn (or at least try)
to work through and with others.
This has been highly successful. The outcomes on the projects have been
mixed; sometimes, the team members do not cooperate, slack, and the
bright student's worst fears are realized - they turn in an inferior
project (despite the bright student's trying to influence them more
positively). I tell the bright student that that is reality,
we do not have as much control over events and people as we would
like, and that is what makes management so challenging and
frsutrating. Other times, wonderful things happen, synergy develop,
slower students blossom, etc., and the project is superior. In other
case, the bright student learns a great deal.
This is time-consuming, but it is what a business team process course is
all about
- process and task.
I also agree that teams in the classroom are not the same as teams in the
business world, and I strongly agree that they should only be used in
courses such as mine. The abuse of these groups in other courses is
rampant, and serves no purpose other than to reduce the grading time of
the instructor. This does more harm than good, in my opinion. Any
instructor that is going to use teams in a course should be required to
offer team coaching and facilitation assistance.
Susanne Scott
Assistant Professor of Management and Organization
office: 262-3579
email:
sscott@mail.uccs.edu
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80933