Learning to Lead Collaborative Student Groups to Success

Abstract

This chapter discusses the barriers to achieving the myriad benefits often attributed to collaborative group projects. It begins with an explanation of what collaboration is and the value the method offers to both learners and instructors. It then presents a variety of ways in which these projects can fail to achieve their goals and even have a negative effect on student performance, attitudes towards collaboration and self-efficacy. It also explores some of the ethical concerns that accrue when these problems are not addressed. It then explains how instructors can mitigate these problems today.