The pedagogical value of group work in grad school...

To start let me just say that I love the word pedagogy. And pedagogical is just an extra special, happy variation of it. I don't love it because of what it means, but because I just love to say the word. I do want to talk about the value of group work in grad school...but I also just threw the word pedagogy in because it's probably the only chance I'll have on this blog to use the word.

I suffered through a lot of group work as an undergrad. My program, Business Administration, was based around the fact that as a successful future administrator you need to work in a group. I met a lot of interesting, fun people in my groups and generally had an OK time. There were a few times where I, or myself and one other group member, ended up picking up the slack for the rest of the group. There is always a leech - which I do think is a valuable lesson for the work force. I found no reason, as an undergrad, to question the value of all the group work (the value of the projects themselves...well, that's another question entirely).

In grad school, well, I've found that it's an entirely different thing. My course is a software engineering course. I understand quite well that most programming and engineering of software (or websites) does involve a team. Therefore, once again, I understand the theory behind it. The reality of it is quite another story. There are students (like myself) who take pride in our schoolwork and genuinely want to get another degree. But then there is another category - a very large group - of students who are only in grad school because they are being paid to do so (either in tuition or in bonuses). And those students (generalizing here) could usually care less about their grade. And about their project. Add to that the fact that we all have daytime jobs (most of the bunch have 40 hour week jobs) and you come up with an almost impossible dynamic.

One of my group members was originally assigned a very easy, beginning of the project model. He secretly emailed another group member (who then ratted him out) to ask that group member to do his part. Now we assigned him another part...a harder part. And I haven't heard anything from him about it for a week. I (and one of my better group members) have sent numerous email requests for an update. I'm imagining that my next few days will be totally consumed with making up for useless group members so that the project is something I'm willing to turn in. Sure, again, a lesson in leeching. But at this point, we've all already learned that. I don't want (or need) the lesson again.

And probably again and again before I graduate...