If you assign a long-term group project in your course, consider having students draft a “group contract” as one of their first collaborative activities. |
Group contracts may include a variety of information, but their primary purpose is to help students:
Communicate the value of their group work
Articulate how they will work together toward shared goals
Establish group communication and social connection
Decide how to hold each other accountable with regard to participation, workload, and work quality.
Since the contract will outline how students work together to complete their project, the group contract should be assigned and completed before other parts of the group work begin. This may be at the beginning of the term or whenever groups are established.
One of the best ways to support students when they create a contract is to provide them with a template that guides their discussions and decisions. In your template, consider including what you think is important for students to establish to support their success on the overall group assignment.
The guidelines and examples provided here are not exhaustive, and you should include or exclude sections based on your students’ needs.
Common sections include:
Names and contact information for all group members.
Consider including multiple contact options (e.g., email and phone number)
Students may also share typical hours that they are available
Project goals or group manifestos help students articulate the value of their project and the group work. For example:
What does the group hope to achieve during their project?
What does success look like?
Prior group experiences. Most students have prior experiences (either in school or the workplace) that influence their expectations about group work. Consider asking them to discuss and document their experiences with what works, what doesn’t work, and what strengths they bring to the project.
Roles and responsibilities can help students outline and assign tasks that are needed for project success from week to week.
Roles and responsibilities can stay the same throughout the project or the group may wish to rotate them on an established schedule.
At a minimum, consider asking students to designate who is responsible for submitting project deliverables.
Group expectations.
When and how the group will connect (communication tools, meetings, response times, frequency, participation, etc.)
When and how the group will communicate with the instructor (email cc’ing all members, Canvas discussion board, designated contact, etc.)
Completing assignments (dividing the workload, setting deadlines, record keeping and collaboration methods, quality expectations, soliciting and providing peer feedback, etc.)
Submitting assignments (deadlines for submission, responding to instructor feedback, etc.)
Consequences. What steps will the group take for group members who deviate from the expectations in the charter? This section may include the role and response that students would like from the instructor.
Signatures. All group members should sign the contract as a signal that they participated in the charter’s creation and agree to its contents.
Tip: As an instructor, you can also provide more or less guidance within the template itself. For example, you might specify the roles that students need to establish or you might describe how and when you would like a group to report challenges to you. Or, you may leave the contract to be created by the students themselves. These decisions may depend on factors such as your students’ experience levels and your ability to help students navigate their decision-making.
When there is a group contract, group check-ins, and/or a group evaluation are also often used to help the group remember they are accountable to the contract.
Group check-ins.
Consider inviting students to reserve portions of their meetings (or hold a separate meeting) to review the contract and how well they are living up to each others’ expectations.
You may also allow students to amend the contract if they find some gaps or policies are not working for their group.
Group evaluations.
Many instructors ask students to evaluate each person’s participation in the group, including their own. This can be done mid-project and/or at the end of the project.
Make sure that students know ahead of time that they will be conducting evaluations, whether those evaluations will be confidential, and how you will use them.
Group Contract Example 1
Group Contract Example 2
Group Evaluation Example
In this section, provide additional resources that are specific to this JIT resource.
Student Organization for Student Success - by Boise State University eCampus Center.
Group Work: An Evidence-Based Teaching Guide - overview by Boise State University eCampus Center based on a guide published by CBE-Life Sciences Education (LSE).
Sample Group Project Tools - by Carnegie Mellon University Eberly Center
