Use the following tips to make group work more effective.

Get to know your group

To get your group off to a good start, begin by getting to know each other.

In your first meeting, allow everyone to introduce themselves and outline any strengths they bring to the group. Make sure everyone has a chance to speak. Your group may choose to decide on specific roles for members based on their strengths and interests.

Remember to swap contact details so you can contact each other for advice if needed.

Understand what you need to do

Before you begin working on the assignment, make sure everyone has read the criteria and is aware of the requirements.

As a group:

  • analyse the requirements
  • outline the tasks you'll need to complete
  • assign group members to tasks.

For help identifying tasks and general advice on writing assignments, see the steps for writing assignments.

Plan group meetings

To help your group collaborate and ensure your assignment stays on track, you should:

  • create a timetable
  • set meeting goals.

Create a timetable

It can be hard to find common times to meet to work on your assignment. If you're unable to meet in person, communicate online in a way that suits your group best.

Whether you meet online or in person, creating a timetable can help to schedule regular group meetings and break work into manageable tasks.

Example timetable:

Week 1

  • Each group member to find 2 research articles.
  • Meet at 2pm Friday to discuss findings.

Week 2

  • Review other group members' findings.
  • Meet at 12pm Thursday to create a concept map and divide assignment into sections.

Week 3

  • Write assigned sections.
  • Meet at 2pm Friday to read through work and offer feedback.

Week 4

  • Rewrite assigned sections based on group feedback.
  • Meet at 12pm Thursday to do a final review of assignment.
  • Submit assignment before 2pm Friday.

Set meeting goals

To ensure your meetings are productive, it can help to set goals for each meeting.

Your meeting goals may include:

  • reviewing work that has been completed
  • working through tasks as a group
  • raising and working through any issues
  • identifying and assigning outstanding tasks
  • setting deadlines and checking progress on outstanding tasks.

You may want to send out an agenda before each meeting to outline the goals for the meeting.

Communicate effectively

Your group will function well if you can all communicate effectively. When you're working together, remember to:

  • Be considerate: avoid dominating the conversation or letting one group member take over the assignment.
  • Be respectful: listen to each group member's perspectives, value their insights, and don't talk over them. If you don't agree with a perspective, share your own ideas.

As you work through the assignment, evaluate the group's performance and make suggestions if you think things could be managed better.

Address issues

Managing different personalities and working styles can be difficult. If you're having problems in your group, it's better to deal with them as they arise.

See how to resolve common group work issues

Learning Advisers

Our advisers can help undergraduate and postgraduate students in all programs clarify ideas from workshops, help you develop skills and give feedback on assignments.

How a Learning Adviser can help