On many degree programmes, group work is either compulsory or an important part of academic activities. If you prefer to work alone or are unsure about what would be best for you, try listing the pros and cons of group work: 

Reflect on:
Benefits of being part of a study group  Drawbacks of being part of a study group  Benefits of studying alone  Drawbacks of studying alone

If you need to discuss your thoughts or get a new perspective, talk to a student counsellor.  

There are specific aspects that you need to consider when making an oral presentation in your group:

There are advantages and disadvantages to writing assignments alone or in groups. You may also find sparring and support for your writing by forming or joining a writing group.  

   

Do you prefer to write alone or with others?  

You might consider writing larger assignments together with one or more fellow students. You can help each other read through texts, discuss your choices and trade-offs, and keep each other going. Think about the pros and cons below when considering whether to write alone or with others:  

	Pros	Cons
Writing alone	1) Free to make decisions on the project and the writing process 2) Easier to plan with regard to your leisure activities and student job, if relevant	1) Risk of feeling isolated and lonely during the writing process 2) More susceptible to procrastination
Writing with others	1) Obligated by the collaboration and shared deadlines 2) Always someone to discuss and exchange views with - on the product as well the process	1) Dependent on making the collaboration work 2) Need to make compromises along the way

      

Use a sparring group  

In a sparring group, each member is working on their own project, but they are working in a collaborative community to support each other's writing process. It is up to you to decide whether to exchange assignments and provide ongoing feedback, or whether you will meet to ensure that you all meet your deadlines.  

Advantages of a sparring group include that:
you commit yourself to regular deadlines and make sure your work is progressing.  you have a group of people who are familiar with your assignment and your thoughts about it.  you do not have to make compromises to accommodate other people's ideas on the direction of the assignment.  you have someone to socialise with during breaks.

    

Who should be in your sparring group?

For example, you can form a sparring group with:   Someone with the same interests. If you are writing about related topics, you can help each other explore issues and contribute new angles and input to each other's projects.   Someone with the same work ethic. The community can be based on meeting, working and taking breaks together to create structure around your workday.   Someone you know. If you had good collaboration before, working together with the same group can be a safe and sensible choice.

If you and your study group are unable to meet in person, you can meet online. For example, on Zoom. On Zoom, you can hold video meetings, chat and share joint documents, and it is possible to maintain conversations on a written collaboration between study-group meetings.  

   

Online meetings while producing text 

Some group work can benefit from discussions and talks while you are producing text. This will enable you to discuss questions, possibilities and challenges as you go along. The ‘share screen' function can be useful for this purpose. 

Tips on online collaboration in your study group
Align expectations	It is a good idea to agree from the start how you want to use online tools, and what you expect from each other.  What can we use the chat function for? Should we only chat about academic work, or is it okay to send a funny picture as well?  When do we expect the others to respond? Should we have a time slot when we are "available" to chat, for example from 9 to 12 in the morning? Having a fixed agreement can help avoid frustrations.  Inform each other if there are times when you are not available.  Choose a "chairperson" to summarise or close a conversation. As in a normal meeting, it is important that someone is responsible for ensuring progression.
Be patient	Learning to use a new tool takes time, so give yourselves and each other space to become familiar with the tools. A tool should be a help in your daily study activities, so the aim is to make sure you use it correctly so it does in fact help.
Consider the number of people in a chat	If a lot of people are in the chat, it can easily become "noisy" and side-tracked. But at the same time, it has the advantage that the entire group can follow the discussions and that nobody misses important information or agreements.