Different levels of group skills
When a student graduates from UniSA they have developed Graduate quality 4, that is:
A graduate can work autonomously and collaboratively as a professional by
- working in a self directed way
- using logical and rational argument to persuade others, negotiating with others
- working collaboratively with different groups, identifying the needs of others and building positive relationships
- providing leadership within a team context by understanding responsibilities for organisation, planning, influencing and negotiating
- working in a team (cooperate with all team members, share ideas, forgo personal recognition, negotiate solutions when opinions differ, resolve conflict, recognise strengths of other team members, share responsibility, convey a shared vision for the team, display a commitment to make the team function effectively).
Graduate Qualities are developed over a program. Students can expect to have simple group tasks in their first year on which they are given feedback on their performance. More complex problems, requiring longer spokes (planning, roles and responsibilities, problem solving, conflict resolution, decision making, reflection) and stronger fibre (communication about group processes) would be required in subsequent years. Final year courses would offer professionally relevant, complex group tasks.
An example of how this might happen in a program is provided.
First level
Forming groups, defining roles, group process
- Group task statements
- role statements
- agendas, minutes of meetings
Awareness of group process
- Self assessment of group skills
- observation of role play of group dynamics
- active listening skills
Collaborative problem solving
- Simple problems
Recording of achievement in Mahara ePortfolio
- evidence of submission of achievement of fundamentals of group processes
Middle levels
Collaborative problem solving using project work, complex tasks, online projects
- GROUP: team log books
- SELF: leadership logs, journals, individual papers reporting group development, peer assessment
Recording of achievement in Mahara ePortfolio
- evidence of submission of achievement of collaborative problem solving
Final level
Complex problems and creative solutions
Professional teams (cross discipline; eg team contains a engineer, accountant and business students)
- team log books
- leadership logs
- journals
- individual papers reporting group development
- peer assessment
Recording of achievement in Mahara ePortfolio
- evidence of submission of achievement of cross discipline problem solving