Making great teams

Group size is an important consideration. If resources and class size allow, the optimal number of group members for this activity would be 3-5. This will ensure all students are able to actively contribute while avoiding any ‘free-riding’.

For easy-to-follow tips about group selection and initiating collaborative challenges see this useful guide from the University of Sydney

Dynamic Approach

You may also consider a more dynamic approach in which either you or the students devise different roles based on the particular tasks involved in the challenge.

This approach will require your students to create a task list that answers these questions:

• What are the different phases of your project?

• To complete each phase, what steps will you need to take?

• What roles or responsibilities will be necessary in completing these steps?

• Who would be well suited to each of these roles?

• How will you ensure that each group member will contribute equally with no ‘free riders’?

Create a task list.