It was 9:01, and class would start in fourteen minutes. Today was the day that my partner and I were supposed to lead a group discussion, and she had not added to the Google Slides I had created over a week ago. This situation was not new since similar miscommunications and last-minute input had frustrated me in a totally different class with a totally different group project weeks prior. 

For some reason, I have more group projects and discussions this semester than ever before. Is it senior year? Is it COVID-19 and online classes? All I’m sure of is that online group projects require more planning and communication than in-person group projects ever did, mostly due to never seeing other group members in real life. 

While group projects have never been my forte, Mark Lieberman argues for an increase in this type of assignment in the article “Online Students Don’t Have to Work Solo,” featured online in Inside Higher ED. Lieberman, a Technological Reporter at Education Weekly, presents online group projects as a way to learn more about other perspectives through discussion and collaboration. However, Lieberman also addresses a common issue of these projects being when one person does all the work while others in the group are rewarded for doing nothing. Being online, according to Lieberman, makes it more difficult to understand how others work differently for each other. Understanding, or at least trusting, the members of a group is imperative for a successful group project experience felt by all involved.

Lieberman looks to the Chicago School of Professional Psychology as an example of how instructors should introduce group projects. The expectations for each student need to be clear from the beginning of the course. This is important for online learning because it allows plenty of time for the students to communicate with each other and form a plan. 

Vickie Cook, executive director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, & Service at the University of Illinois at Springfield expands on established learning objectives by pointing out students’ need for “clarity of purpose.” Having defined roles in a project is helpful for knowing how each piece fits together. Every individual’s contribution is important and should be treated as such. Cook explains how she lets students pick their groups because already having a relationship with peers reinforces trust that has already been built. Trust is key in creating a group project; each person must play their role, and everyone else should expect nothing less.