Group Work
I really, really hate group projects at school. Hate them, hate them, hate them. I hate that my grade depends on other people getting off their duffs and doing work. I hate trying to figure out times for half a dozen people to meet together because we always have to have lots and lots of meetings. I hate meetings.
Group projects in engineering classes usually, in my experience, go like this. The project gets assigned and you divide up into groups. You spend the first week or two trying to figure out a time in everybody's schedule when you can all meet. Then you meet and talk about what you want to do, etc. Then you meet again a week later and talk some more. Then you meet again and talk some more. Then, a week or so before the project is due, the one or two people who were going to do all the work anyway say "screw this" and do all the work for the entire group -- the rest of whom are probably still having meetings to talk about what people should do.
Useless.
OK, so the group I'm in for the project I'm working on right now isn't quite that bad. But still, the first instinct the rest of them had was "let's find a time to meet..."
So, I decided to take a short-cut on the entire thing. That first day it was assigned I said "screw it" and did all the work. Well, I wrote all the code anyway. Then I sent it out the next morning to the rest of the group, getting it in a good hour before the first "let's look at our schedules and figure out when we can meet" email. That way I could do my part -- and do all the really hard stuff -- and let the rest of them do all the writing and such.
I swear, I need to come with a warning label that says, "CAUTION: DOES NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS."
Group projects in engineering classes usually, in my experience, go like this. The project gets assigned and you divide up into groups. You spend the first week or two trying to figure out a time in everybody's schedule when you can all meet. Then you meet and talk about what you want to do, etc. Then you meet again a week later and talk some more. Then you meet again and talk some more. Then, a week or so before the project is due, the one or two people who were going to do all the work anyway say "screw this" and do all the work for the entire group -- the rest of whom are probably still having meetings to talk about what people should do.
Useless.
OK, so the group I'm in for the project I'm working on right now isn't quite that bad. But still, the first instinct the rest of them had was "let's find a time to meet..."
So, I decided to take a short-cut on the entire thing. That first day it was assigned I said "screw it" and did all the work. Well, I wrote all the code anyway. Then I sent it out the next morning to the rest of the group, getting it in a good hour before the first "let's look at our schedules and figure out when we can meet" email. That way I could do my part -- and do all the really hard stuff -- and let the rest of them do all the writing and such.
I swear, I need to come with a warning label that says, "CAUTION: DOES NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS."
posted by Christian Husband at 9:12 AM
2 Comments:
Thankfully, I've not had to do "group work" in a long time, except AT work, when everyone is pretty good about pulling their weight.
I hate group work. We're doing a project in the class I'm in right now. It is sooo frustrating waiting on other people. I don't know why we have to do these kinds of things. Why not let each person complete there own project? But, yeah, I understand the whole 'doesn't play well with others' thing. It's just that sometimes you just want to do it all yourself.
Post a Comment
<< Home