8.7 Quick off the mark

When students have been allocated to groups they often spend the early part of the project not knowing quite what to do. They will achieve more if the roles they are expected to take are made explicit, and they are encouraged to take a role to which they feel suited.

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This bundle helps groups get started by encouraging each member to apply for a specific role in a group.

The way it works is that a number of roles are described by means of job descriptions. The roles can be chosen from managerial or technical specialisms: manager/coordinator/leader, requirements analyser, designer, implementer, tester, interfacer, integrator, researcher, secretary, librarian, resource controller. Job descriptions are publicised and students invited to identify a small number of roles to which they feel themselves suited. The students are allocated to groups by particular jobs within the group.

It works better if there is a good balance between what students feel themselves suitable for and the roles that need to be filled.

It doesn't work if the students have to cover a broad range of activities within the group rather than concentrating on one particular role.

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So: find ways of making group roles explicit