How to manage online group work

Guidance for working with others on group projects and assessments online.

Overview

You will probably need to collaborate online with others at some point during your studies. This might be a fully online project or task, or you might use a mixture of online and face-to-face communication.

As with any group work, you need to consider how you will adapt to each challenge and get the most out of yourself and the group. For example:

You need to understand different peoples’ learning styles; their strengths and weaknesses; what motivates them and what makes them lose interest in a task.
You need to understand your role in the group, as well as everyone else’s.
You need to develop the social skills of knowing when to stand your ground and when to compromise; when to offer and give help if it’s needed; and how to appreciate different methods to your own.
You will need to develop a shared understanding of what the task is, agree on who will do what, and when and how each member will report back to the group as a whole.

This guidance focuses on some of the specific challenges associated with online group work.

We recommend that you also read our general guidance on How to make the most of group work.

How to work together online

Here are some key things to consider when approaching online group work.

Organisation

Being organised will help you succeed when working online.

Consider setting ground rules and expectations for the group. How will you communicate and how often, what digital tools will you use to share documents, how will progress against objectives be monitored and reviewed? etc. You can use a to record this information.
Decide together how to allocate roles within the group (you could change the roles regularly or leave the same throughout). See the to help you get started with identifying and allocating roles.
If you have group members who are based outside of Sheffield (or who will be at some point during the project), you may need to consider factors such as different time zones and different access to digital tools and resources. Planning for this from the start will make things run more smoothly.

Follow any specific instructions from your department. If you are unclear about the task you have been set, contact your tutor for clarification.

Communication

Consider how you will communicate synchronously (e.g. video calls) and asynchronously (e.g. email, messaging).
Agree on group expectations regarding how you will communicate and when, for example, how often will you arrange online meetings, will you agree on timescales for sending and receiving emails etc.
When sending written communications, write coherently and avoid slang words or jargon. It is important to be as clear and precise as possible to avoid any misunderstandings.
Frequent, short, synchronous communication via video call may be a good way of keeping in regular contact and ensuring good levels of understanding amongst the group, allowing you to stay focused on the objectives of the group.
Check what will work for group members. Some people may find video/audio calls more challenging due to limitations with their internet connection or limited access to a suitable space.
Ask for clarification if there is something that you don’t understand.
When holding online meetings, write minutes (brief notes on the key points and actions from the meeting). Share them as soon as possible after the event to help everyone stay up to date with conversations. They also provide a useful record to look back on and recall what was discussed and any actions that were agreed.

Reviewing progress

Set regular intermediate checkpoints to monitor and reflect on progress. Regular, short, synchronous catch ups could be useful in monitoring progress and agreeing on the next steps.
Consider digital tools that could help you to review progress (see next section).
Even with good planning, sometimes there can be difficulties in a group situation. Regularly check that everyone is happy with the means of communication, roles and group arrangements so that you can address any small issue before it becomes bigger.

The following video provides some tips and ideas on dealing with difficult moments.

Talk to your group about how you want to work together. Write down some ground rules for how you will communicate and what you can expect from each other.

Digital tools to support your online group work

There are a number of digital tools that could be useful for online group work:

Google Apps

You can access a range of collaborative tools through your University of Sheffield login. For example, you can use Google:

Docs to create a collaborative document,

Calendar to organise your time,

Slides to develop a group presentation and

Drive to store and manage files and resources.

Google Meet

Google Meet allows you to hold online meetings and also allows screen sharing.

Meetings can be set up and managed from your Google Calendar and it is quick and easy to use.

Google Chat (linked to your University of Sheffield account)

Google Chat allows you to have instant conversations either via chat, phone or video call. You can either have a one-to-one or group conversation.

Social media (including Facebook, WhatsApp etc)

You may wish to set up discussion groups etc via other social media channels.

Check what works for everyone in the group. Some group members may not use or wish to use certain platforms for university work.

Think about privacy:

You may want to keep work and social identities separate.
Where possible, set up new groups for specific purposes.
Manage your account preferences to ensure the level of privacy that suits you.

You may also be recommended to use other platforms by your department, for example, the various tools available within Blackboard Groups.

Always read the information provided by your department carefully to ensure you are following any necessary guidelines and instructions.

Trello (external resource)

A simple and free online project planning and management tool. Trello allows you to divide up a task into sub-tasks, allocate responsibilities among a group and set and track deadlines.

Wooclap

Wooclap is an online quizzing and polling tool. You can access it through your University of Sheffield login.

You can use wooclap for tasks such as voting (polling), brainstorming ideas or creating quizzes.

Generative AI and group work

Generative AI (GenAI) tools such as Google Gemini can provide useful ways to develop your ideas as a group and to plan your projects. You can use Generative AI to support your group work in a number of ways:

As an additional group member: You could test out ideas by asking the GenAI tool for feedback, which might help to generate constructive criticism in a non-confrontational and objective way.

To support communication: if you have English as a second language, you might find it helpful to use GenAI to help formulate your ideas and contributions to a discussion either during an in-person meeting, or via email.

To create a realistic plan: consider using GenAI to develop a timeline for the project with suggested milestones and deadlines. This may help to make the planning process more focused, specific and objective.

Explore our GenAI online resources

How to select digital tools

Consider:

Can everyone access the tools? This could be especially relevant if your group are based at any time in different countries where access to certain tools may be limited.
Is everyone comfortable using these tools?
Is everyone confident in how to use the tools?

Try out a few different digital tools to see what will work for your group.

Tips from students

In response to the transition to remote learning in March 2020, most group work had to be moved online. Students had to adapt to a new way of learning.

Here are some examples from students at the time of how they succeeded at working together online.

Find effective communication methods

“A few approaches were taken to foster a culture of high communication. As opposed to physically being in each other's presence, the first approach employed the use of a shared google drive. This was the most efficient way of planning the structure of our questionnaire. This enabled us to rationalise which tasks were to be completed and by whom, as well as what segment of the questionnaire needed tending to. The second approach utilised the function of email frequently and as an alternative if ever Google Drive was inaccessible. However, WhatsApp was the central form of communication for the group as email proved ineffective. Due to the quick response time with WhatsApp, this was where the majority of our interaction occurred. As a result, more urgent matters could be dealt with swiftly and efficiently. We did not solely use these platforms to set up arrangements for working. It was also used for informal interaction and encouragement, for building and keeping morale high, whilst everyone was abiding by lockdown restrictions. “

“Something the group maybe could have done differently was arrange more group calls so that all members could work concurrently as this would have the effect of improving understanding amongst each other.”

“Working across multiple time zones and with variable availability meant we needed to have consistent ways to contact one another. The module coordinator suggested regular group meetings once a week at the minimum; however, our situation did not always accommodate this. [...] We tackled this by putting systems in place during the first week; we made sure everyone was on the same page and closely followed our plan. These included a shared Google Drive folder to host all work, two WhatsApp groups, one for notes, web links and relevant photos, the other for all discussion, our ConceptBoard account [...] and an InDesign template with a predefined colour palette and Paragraph Styles. As for getting together, we had drop-in “when you can” work sessions on Wednesdays. Weekly assignments were discussed at these sessions; major decisions were either saved until everyone was available to talk or when that was not practical, the person who could not be there had to accept the decision of the other two.”

Share ideas

“First and foremost, as cliché as it may sound, “x” number of heads are better than one. Remember that the beauty of working in a group is that you can share and discuss ideas with those around you. Make sure you set up a comfortable working environment, whether that’s your immediate workspace, or through group chats or online video calls. You want to feel comfortable and, in an environment, where people are valued and able to share their ideas. Be confident and bold in your abilities, this can take you far. No suggestion is silly, and only you can bring the uniqueness of your ideas to the table – without “you” there is no “us”.”

Create a supportive and inclusive environment

“Leading the team, I knew that for as much direction and delegation that would be required, so too was a certain level of understanding and empathy for everyone involved [...]. Students have faced an awful lot of uncertainty and disruption this year [...]. Adopting an attitude that was both kind and forgiving was necessary for this project to succeed – as it is in all projects. The best work comes from those that know that they are valued and are encouraged to achieve great things.”

Use online tools to collaborate

“The impact of cloud documents facilitated the ease in which we could all work together simultaneously despite being far apart & in different time zones. [...] Apart from communication, we also had a shared document on Google drive to collaborate and outline the structure of our survey and the responsibilities each member had in an equal and fair manner. Ensuring that members had a document to check what they were to be held accountable for. Everyone gave input & suggestions until agreement was reached for their respective contributions. Everyone's block of questions was amalgamated for the survey. We collectively tweaked and reorganised the order and flow of our survey questions. This was achieved through constant feedback and discussion. All members came forward asking for suggestions on their block of the survey for the sake of improvement. Before distributing the survey, another member examined the whole survey to check if the questions were not only appropriate & up to a high standard, but also if the survey made sense and had a good flow.”

Set ground rules

“Communicating in advance about ground rules saved us from having conflicting expectations, and we were able to call out anyone not adhering to the rules as agreed. This is something we would recommend to anyone else working in a group, pandemic or not.”

Trust each other

“One reason we were most successful was that trust was assumed. Once we agreed on one element of the design [...], other people would not change that in their work. Similarly, if we agreed one person was going to decide [something], we trusted it would get done, and went along with whatever that person suggested until there was time to meet and discuss. This prevented us from wasting time by backtracking or working on the same thing twice, or spending more time than necessary for small decisions. It also encouraged us to let go, so to speak. It can be tempting to resent when work is done differently than how you would have completed it, but when you work in a design practice, all work is collective. Getting precious is neither possible nor healthy.”

General tips

“The tips deemed necessary for those undertaking remote group work in the future are; keeping both formal and informal communication high is imperative to boost morale & enthusiasm; setting up a cloud space for simultaneous collaboration to enable efficiency in the workflow & planning out the best time for all to work together concurrently so there is increased understanding of what you should expect from each other. All this incentivises dedication to the agenda.”

You can read the full reports of student experiences of online group work below:

Reflecting on your experience of online group work

Your experience of online group work presents an opportunity to develop and enhance your skills and learn new ways of working. Take time to reflect on your experiences and draw learning from them.

This will support you in similar activities in the future, both within your studies and beyond.

To find out more about reflection, visit our online resources:

How to reflect in an academic context

Top tips

Organisation is key to successful group work, so spend time early in the process to agree on expectations, identify anything that may pose a challenge (e.g. working across time zones, limited internet access etc.) and consider the allocation of different roles within the group.
Take time to plan how you will communicate, how frequently and in what formats.
Set regular intermediate checkpoints to monitor progress.
Identify appropriate digital tools to support your group, ensuring that everyone has access to the selected tools and is confident in how to use them.
Reflect on your experiences of online group work to identify key learning that you will apply to future group work tasks you undertake.

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