Group work can strengthen your academic skills and influence your academic work. Consequently, group work is an essential part of student life, and it is often a compulsory element of a programme structure. But even if your teacher does not ask you to work in groups, forming a study group can be a good idea. Collaborating with your fellow students has many advantages: Apart from strengthening your academic competences, you will also develop your collaborative skills; something that will also be useful after you finish your education.
There are different ways to collaborate in groups: Some groups are formed ad hoc, often by the teacher, and are assigned to work on a specific, isolated activity. Other groups are set up more permanently for long-term collaboration between you and your fellow students. The groups are referred to in different ways, depending on their purpose and on the degree programme, e.g. study groups, assignment groups, project groups and writing groups. In permanent groups, it is crucial that you work well together, and that you know how to use your group – for example when preparing and giving presentations or when writing an exam assignment together.
