Enjoyable Group Projects? Utilizing Course Design and Technology to Create Meaningful Undergraduate Group Work

Enjoyable Group Projects? Utilizing Course Design and Technology to Create Meaningful Undergraduate Group Work

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether college students' attitudes toward group work could be influenced by thoughtful group project design. Undergraduate students (N = 123) in a lifespan human development course were assigned to groups and asked to create a smartphone app for a s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal on excellence in college teaching Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 55 - 77
Main Authors: Hunter, Sally B, Moran, Hayley B, Mullican, K. Nicole, Connor, Lisa A
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Miami University 2019
Subjects:
Attitude Change
Cooperative Learning
Group Activities
Group Dynamics
Individual Differences
Instructional Design
Learner Engagement
Peer Evaluation
Personality
Public Speaking
Role
Student Attitudes
Student Participation
Student Projects
Teamwork
Undergraduate Students
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to investigate whether college students' attitudes toward group work could be influenced by thoughtful group project design. Undergraduate students (N = 123) in a lifespan human development course were assigned to groups and asked to create a smartphone app for a specific life stage. The authors utilized a convergent mixed-method approach to gain a better understanding of which factors (if any) influenced students' attitudes. Results of paired-samples t tests indicated that students' attitudes toward group work became more positive over time. Qualitative results revealed several reasons why students enjoyed having assigned group roles. Implications are discussed.
ISSN:1052-4800