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How are you supposed to deal with group work in uni?

So, I've done 90% of the work for almost every group project I've ever done because people either forget to do their part, wait until the last minute, or just don't understand. My most recent group partner might be the worst situation I've been in. She didn't start working on her part until about 5 days before the due date, which I wasn't too concerned about because she seems like she has good work ethic. But after I saw her work I realised she really, really doesn't understand. She doesn't know how to do referencing at all, so I told her how to do it correctly with examples and links to the APA website, but she said she just doesn't get it and continued to do it incorrectly. Which means not including any in-text referencing whatsoever, so I can't find the resources she used. The referencing isn't actually the worst part; we're doing a lab report together and she doesn't understand what goes in each section. I feel like I've tried everything. I've sent her so many links and examples of lab reports with detailed explanations of how to do it. She's redone it three times and doesn't improve at all. So I've done 75% of the work instead of splitting it 50-50, and I told her it needs done by tonight so we can submit it tomorrow. But I have a feeling I'll be doing the rest of her work tomorrow as well. The professor said that we would be given the same grade regardless of the difference in our performance.

I'm not asking for help on this particular situation; in this time limit, no one can help me. But in the event that I am paired with someone like her in the future, can anyone tell me what to do? I don't think my professor could help me in this sort of situation because the problem isn't that she won't do the work, she's just dumb, for lack of a better term. She really wants to pull her weight, but I've spent more time teaching her than I did writing the report.

Reply 1

Jed4

Original post

by LeeJ9

So, I've done 90% of the work for almost every group project I've ever done because people either forget to do their part, wait until the last minute, or just don't understand. My most recent group partner might be the worst situation I've been in. She didn't start working on her part until about 5 days before the due date, which I wasn't too concerned about because she seems like she has good work ethic. But after I saw her work I realised she really, really doesn't understand. She doesn't know how to do referencing at all, so I told her how to do it correctly with examples and links to the APA website, but she said she just doesn't get it and continued to do it incorrectly. Which means not including any in-text referencing whatsoever, so I can't find the resources she used. The referencing isn't actually the worst part; we're doing a lab report together and she doesn't understand what goes in each section. I feel like I've tried everything. I've sent her so many links and examples of lab reports with detailed explanations of how to do it. She's redone it three times and doesn't improve at all. So I've done 75% of the work instead of splitting it 50-50, and I told her it needs done by tonight so we can submit it tomorrow. But I have a feeling I'll be doing the rest of her work tomorrow as well. The professor said that we would be given the same grade regardless of the difference in our performance.
I'm not asking for help on this particular situation; in this time limit, no one can help me. But in the event that I am paired with someone like her in the future, can anyone tell me what to do? I don't think my professor could help me in this sort of situation because the problem isn't that she won't do the work, she's just dumb, for lack of a better term. She really wants to pull her weight, but I've spent more time teaching her than I did writing the report.

Hi Lee,

I am sorry to hear about this situation.

From the information you have provided, to a certain extent I must say 'c'est la vie'. Your professor has outlined the fact that the grade is the grade, and every group will have differences in performance. Part of the university experience is the fact of dealing with difficult people and difficult scenarios. I appreciate that you do seem to be taking this on the chin and you're genuinely asking how to avoid this in the future.

If you get to choose groups, try to choose people who seem to be reliable and have an agreeable approach to the workload. I have great friends who I wouldn't love to split group work with, for example.

If you are forced into certain groups with certain people, well then there is nothing you can do. Identifying a problem early might allow the professor to intervene, but otherwise you will have to band together with the other group members to complete the work assigned to the troublemaker. As an aside to this, I had a friend who was doing a group project and one person was absent from all of the planning and group studying meetings. The groupchat was silent too. When it came time to present, the guy showed up and tried to take credit, and he was given his marching orders by the rest of the group. That might be something to think about.

Sometimes a bit of conscientiousness on your part helps, sometimes reaching out to the person might smooth things over and get them involved. In the situation you describe, where someone just isn't as able, all I can say is that's not her fault and it's not yours either, but that's the situation. There's a reason group projects exist, and it is due to the fact that the world of work will require such cooperation and this is an opportunity to experience it.

I suggest adopting a position of 'extreme ownership' and doing the absolute best you can in this situation. You won't always get credit for your work and sometimes other people will take the credit. What you will have Lee, is pride in your work ethic. And people will recognise that.

Sorry I can't offer much help, but there isn't much you can do.
You got this!
Best of luck,
Jed.

Reply 2

Jed4

Original post

by LeeJ9

So, I've done 90% of the work for almost every group project I've ever done because people either forget to do their part, wait until the last minute, or just don't understand. My most recent group partner might be the worst situation I've been in. She didn't start working on her part until about 5 days before the due date, which I wasn't too concerned about because she seems like she has good work ethic. But after I saw her work I realised she really, really doesn't understand. She doesn't know how to do referencing at all, so I told her how to do it correctly with examples and links to the APA website, but she said she just doesn't get it and continued to do it incorrectly. Which means not including any in-text referencing whatsoever, so I can't find the resources she used. The referencing isn't actually the worst part; we're doing a lab report together and she doesn't understand what goes in each section. I feel like I've tried everything. I've sent her so many links and examples of lab reports with detailed explanations of how to do it. She's redone it three times and doesn't improve at all. So I've done 75% of the work instead of splitting it 50-50, and I told her it needs done by tonight so we can submit it tomorrow. But I have a feeling I'll be doing the rest of her work tomorrow as well. The professor said that we would be given the same grade regardless of the difference in our performance.
I'm not asking for help on this particular situation; in this time limit, no one can help me. But in the event that I am paired with someone like her in the future, can anyone tell me what to do? I don't think my professor could help me in this sort of situation because the problem isn't that she won't do the work, she's just dumb, for lack of a better term. She really wants to pull her weight, but I've spent more time teaching her than I did writing the report.

(Edit: I sent this reply a few minutes ago, when I went to edit it, it said there was a problem and I noticed it had disappeared. But I managed to copy and paste what I wrote and send it again, so I apologise if this is a duplicate...it's just not showing up for me.)

Hi Lee,

I am sorry to hear about this situation.

From the information you have provided, to a certain extent I must say 'c'est la vie'. Your professor has outlined the fact that the grade is the grade, and every group will have differences in performance. Part of the university experience is the fact of dealing with difficult people and difficult scenarios. I appreciate that you do seem to be taking this on the chin and you're genuinely asking how to avoid this in the future.

If you are forced into certain groups with certain people, well then there is nothing you can do. Identifying a problem early might allow the professor to intervene. Otherwise, even if particular group members are causing a problem, you can usually find a few good people in the group to bash out the bulk of the work with. It isn't fair that some people provide more effort and quality work than others, but that's life- Inside and outside of university. If someone is completely neglectful of their work, others will tend to notice. I had a friend who was doing a group project and one person put no effort in. He also ignored all messages and communication. When it came time to present their methods, the guy showed up and tried to take credit, and was given his marching orders by the rest of the group. That might be something to think about.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

Chester Student

Original post

by LeeJ9

So, I've done 90% of the work for almost every group project I've ever done because people either forget to do their part, wait until the last minute, or just don't understand. My most recent group partner might be the worst situation I've been in. She didn't start working on her part until about 5 days before the due date, which I wasn't too concerned about because she seems like she has good work ethic. But after I saw her work I realised she really, really doesn't understand. She doesn't know how to do referencing at all, so I told her how to do it correctly with examples and links to the APA website, but she said she just doesn't get it and continued to do it incorrectly. Which means not including any in-text referencing whatsoever, so I can't find the resources she used. The referencing isn't actually the worst part; we're doing a lab report together and she doesn't understand what goes in each section. I feel like I've tried everything. I've sent her so many links and examples of lab reports with detailed explanations of how to do it. She's redone it three times and doesn't improve at all. So I've done 75% of the work instead of splitting it 50-50, and I told her it needs done by tonight so we can submit it tomorrow. But I have a feeling I'll be doing the rest of her work tomorrow as well. The professor said that we would be given the same grade regardless of the difference in our performance.
I'm not asking for help on this particular situation; in this time limit, no one can help me. But in the event that I am paired with someone like her in the future, can anyone tell me what to do? I don't think my professor could help me in this sort of situation because the problem isn't that she won't do the work, she's just dumb, for lack of a better term. She really wants to pull her weight, but I've spent more time teaching her than I did writing the report.

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear about this. Jed as given a great response, but I just wanted to chime in too.

Group work can be tricky, especially when you are grouped up with people you don't know too well. You can never know if they will pull their weight, and in my experience, they often need a lot of encouragement. I fully understand the frustration that comes from this too, as it should not be your responsibility to re-teach content to them or ask them to pull their weight, but unfortunately that is the way it sometimes goes.

For future scenarios, maybe consider these actions:

•

If you can choose, try to group up with those that seem reliable and willing to pull their weight.

•

Scheduling regular group meetings is essential, especially at the beginning of the project. This way, you can ensure everyone is allocated a section and they understand how to address it fully and if not, support can be given early on. This will then hopefully limit the amount of work that has to be re-done.

•

I don't know if it works the same way for you, but when we conduct group work, we are required to document all group meetings and evaluate the performance of each member. Each update needs to include how long meetings were, what each person did, and if the tasks were completed. If you don't do this already, maybe consider it and then talk to your professor.

•

If it seems like a lost cause, yourself and other group members may have to pick up the slack. It's frustrating, but will be necessary to save your grade. Sometimes it's worth it to just get on with it, no matter how annoying it is.

I hope she pulled her weight in the end and you got it submitted, and I hope this provided some things to consider for next time.

Isabella
Fourth-Year Geography (With a Year Abroad)