Enjoyable Group Projects? Utilizing Course Design and Technology to Create Meaningful Undergraduate Group Work
Keywords:
group work, group projects, technology, mixed-methodAbstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether college students’ attitudes toward group work could be influenced by thoughtful group project design. Undergraduate students (N = 123) in a lifespan human development course were assigned to groups and asked to create a smartphone app for a specific life stage. The authors utilized a convergent mixed-method approach to gain a better understanding of which factors (if any) influenced students’ attitudes. Results of paired-samples t tests indicated that students’ attitudes toward group work became more positive over time. Qualitative results revealed several reasons why students enjoyed having assigned group roles. Implications are discussed.
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