We have long heard that assigning group work is a good teaching strategy. Research shows that students develop critical thinking skills, exchange knowledge, share expertise, increase motivation, and improve attitudes toward learning when they work together in small groups. So why do so many students dislike it?

Students may not be receiving the scaffolding and support they need.  Cooperative learning requires knowledge and skills, including team building, interpersonal communication, and group processing.  Just as professors devote time and effort to create major assignments and the tools needed to complete them successfully, time and effort is needed to explain the objectives or reasons for team work and to provide tools that maximize effectiveness. The aim of this site is to support faculty in that endeavor.

Marchetti, C. (2018). Team work That Works.  Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2018/04/17/tips-improving-student-teamwork-class-opinion