This post from the San Francisco Unified School Districtlooks at a number of questions surrounding Group Collaboration.
- Why bother with groupwork?
- Is groupwork good for learning?
- Characteristics of effective groups.
- Deciding on group size.
- Tools for enabling group collaboration.
Then end of the article looks at the use of peer evaluation as a way to minimize social loafing behavior and finds it can actually be counterproductive. Alternatives are presented, including an option in selected cases for teams to “fire” members – just like real life.