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If you ever want to ruin your best friendship, destroy the trust, and flush everything you cherished in human connection down the drain, I’ve got a tip for you. Why don’t you try a group project together?

Formerly known as a killer assassin to both the project and the group, it’s still the holy grail of schools, universities, and any education institutions that promise you a cool diploma and a nice job, in turn making your mom proud.

And trust me, people who have survived a group project once are no way doing it twice. So let’s take a look at what it is about these seemingly innocent gatherings meant to do good and only good that make them the most hateable assignments. From being the only cast member in the tearful PowerPoint film to switching groups halfway like a track and field athlete, these are some of the examples that have terrorized generation after generation.

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Queen Jackson.
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some people were being bossy and didn’t listen to other people. They were gonna suggest y’all just shoot him.

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It’s no secret that few things about education irk people as much as group projects do.

In reality, the idea of a group project is really meant to do good—to teach kids and college students responsibility for themselves and their actions. Plus, this model of cooperation is supposed to promote teamwork, but often does the opposite.

In fact, a study by the University of Oklahoma showed that the design of group papers “encourages social loafing, limits group cohesiveness [...] and increases student stress,” reports Psychology Today.

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly, being terrible at group projects seems to be a culturally specific thing. My Russian students do group projects all the time. All the group members do their bit ( you can tell cause sometimes they don't make the font the same) and when I give them a choice they chose to work in groups.

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ognistykamyk
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"First of all I just want you to know I have o boyfriend. Remember I have a boyfriend. It's important having boyfriend"

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There are a number of reasons why group projects may be inherently flawed. Eberly Center at Carnegie Mellon University suggests that it may have to do with “students not understanding teachers’ expectations,” “students having very different knowledge and skills,” “group composition being problematic,” and “grading scheme not promoting meaningful teamwork.”

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Meanwhile, in “group work,” the learning focus is on a content-based objective, but the Redesigning High School initiative suggests that such an approach is destined to fail. “If we want students to learn to collaborate, we need to put them in a situation where they NEED to collaborate.”

As a result, the initiative believes that in order for a group project model to work, students have to be given “big, complex, open-ended problems to solve.”

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nanashi
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

the worst person to be in a group project for me was that girl back in uni who turns up at every meeting, but doing nothing to contribute. not talking, not paying attention. nothing. just silently listening and/or staring at her phone. we tried to get her to participate but it didn't get us anywhere. then at the end presentation we were to list out the tasks each member did and we purposely listed nothing for her. she was pissed at how our professor pointed that out, crying that it's not fair; she went to every meet-up. yeah, that's all you do. you WERE there but at the same time you WERE NOT.

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NamiKoa
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Reading the first few words, I thought she was going to say "... because I know nothing." I guess that would apply to the rest of the group.

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Daria B
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I thought we were friends", sure, then why didn't those "plans" include your friend too?

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Leo Domitrix
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One group project, the three jocks who grabbed me for their group sat around and laughed about how they'd get an A now. I got an A. They got a D. The work was B-minus. Teacher told the angry jocks he split the difference of the real grade between the four of us.

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Mr. Bean
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, and teachers especially choose distracted students to be partners with the best students, so the good student can "rub off" on the distracted student. Meanwhile, the good students just do EVERYTHING! }:-(

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David Viesta
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly, I enjoyed when teachers picked the partners, otherwise I would always be by myself. *sob*

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EM J
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It only gets worse, I have to *work* with some like this, in an actual job. Wish I could just kick him off my life!

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Julesoccer20
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My teacher would put me with kids that didn’t work on purpose so that they would get a better grade and in the hope they would do something... they never did.👍

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Pretty Pangolin
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The last time I had a partner was Constitutional Law, and he was going to major in Criminal Justice. It was so frustrating because I would talk him through each example, guide him to the answer...and still he'd get it wrong. I would much rather work alone and sink or swim on my own merits.

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Jane Petersen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My Master's coursework in a nutshell. It ruined the whole endeavor.

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jtrisn1
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hates when teachers picked our groups because then I can't wander silently while people picked groups and then tell the teacher no one wante dme in their groups so I'd like to do it myself.

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Madison Sweeney
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my teacher always put me in the idiot groups. she said it was because she knew i wouldn't complain.

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Curry on...
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was in a group of three. A couple of times I'd meet the other two in the library to work on our project, but all they wanted to do was gossip and reject my ideas. So I told the professor. He told me to proceed on my own. I got an A, and the other two got an F for their 3 minute useless presentation. To this day, I'd rather work alone.

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Zophra
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Our administration actively encourages teachers to place high and low-performing students into groups for projects with the rationale that "studies show it increases the grades of the lower performing students." Like duh, the motivated kids do all the work and the rest coast to a good grade. I don't know how they can spout this "study" with a straight face.

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Bubbs Art
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In grade six, I remember in science class we had to do crappy foldables. For a project (two partners) we were allowed to pick. Since the class had an odd number of people, my group had me and two others. The other girl didn’t show up/didn’t do much to contribute to the project as she was sick with the flu. My science teacher almost gave us a zero just because she didn’t do her work due to being sick. In the end, I believe the assignment wasn’t graded.. if the girl was sick, she should’ve been exempt from the project while not feeling well and makeup the project once she returns to school.

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Russian Otaku
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds like the teacher thought they gonna fail anyway so I'll just put them off to the side over there

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Patrick James
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Umm, he's not getting an A. He has the historically lowest approval rating ever at this point in a presidency

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LOttawa
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, at least he/she is wanting to participate instead of using jail as an excuse to not do anything.

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Clara Knaub
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

😂 😂 😂 that poor person. In my groups we usually don’t have problems like these. We are allowed t pick our partners and we always pick ones that we get along with. Then we assign roles and everybody does their part.

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Perfumista Perfumista
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We had a team member who contributed nothing, advised the professor. Unfortunately she was the flirty type and the loafer who never showed up was a good looking guy. She accused me and the rest our the team, all girls, of scapegoating.

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Beeps
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’d just copy and paste that into the paper as their contribution.

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Theron Roberts
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i don't get why people have to act like they're better than everybody else just because they searched up "iq test" on google and got a high score on the first link they clicked.

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Leo Domitrix
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you'v ehit the point of group projects, it's past the drop period, isn't it?

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nanashi
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really wish group text was a thing when I was in uni. it saved a lot of stupid time I wasted on going to every one of their dorms, knocking on their door, to ask how's it going with the project, only to be met with those incompetents somehow to have forgotten all about it.

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Troux
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Degrading" is exactly what they are trying to avoid, dumbass!

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Foxxy (The Original)
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is that something mouldy? EDIT: NVM I just realised it is a nugget of weed lol.

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Mari
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly, i don't think this was too bad. they're never said they won't do it, they're just saying that they're indifferent of what topic they do...which honestly i would love the people in my project to say other then argue about it.

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E Menendez
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am not sure why if someone legitimately had an emergency that makes them a bad partner. They did let them know. The person did leave the country and isn't sure they will be back, so...

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