During the first nine weeks of the semester, the students try working in three different study groups, so that they can experience working in different ways with different people. After this, study groups are composed based on a questionnaire, and students remain in these study groups for the rest of the semester.
Each year there are a few students who aren’t part of a study group, and it’s usually these students who have a difficult time both academically and socially. It’s a good idea to establish study groups in order to ensure that nobody is left behind.
At the beginning of the second semester, the degree programme director holds a discussion with both the class and the individual groups about how the study groups are working. Based on these discussions, the degree programme director assesses whether any groups need to be changed.
Presentation of and instructions for the process
The option to contact the degree programme director
Feedback to the groups based on students’ descriptions of what it was like to work in the different groups.
Brightspace was used to inform students about how to hold meetings and organise meetings, etc.
The discussion forum in Brightspace was used for feedback exercises to enable study group members to share their experiences.
At first, the students didn’t think they had much to talk about in their groups. “We meet, but we don’t really have anything to collaborate on.” They found it difficult to see what they needed to use the groups for. There were many tasks related to student preparation that students could have used their groups for, but this wasn’t always clear to them.
Some students thought that three weeks in each new group wasn’t long enough, but, on the other hand, they were keen to meet new people in new groups. Three weeks is perhaps too short a time to learn how to collaborate.
Some unofficial groups were also established, but this was unproblematic. In the end, the students will work with those they want to work with.
The students should learn how to collaborate, organise meetings and plan group work. In some cases, they may also get the chance to practise giving presentations and holding discussions with their fellow students.
