Ana Pedroso

Any instructor who has assigned group work to students knows that it can be a challenging format. Students resist. They complain. They worry. They engage in “social loafing.” But when group work works, it really works. Students come away from successful group activities with learning that is deeper, more meaningful, and more persistent. Ana Pedroso, a recent philosophy PhD graduate, wanted to use the power of group work in her Winter 2023 offering of Environmental Ethics (PHIL 28). She also needed help with the design of her group activities. So she joined a group herself. 

Pedroso participated in the 2022–2023 cohort of the Digital Instruction Project (DIP), a professional development program facilitated by the TLC and the Center for Digital Scholarship.* The purpose of DIP is to support faculty and graduate student instructors as they design and implement a technology-enhanced assignment for their students. Cohorts meet several times during the program to share their ideas, ask for input, and discuss and refine their assignments. Participants also consult with a librarian or instructional designer on technical matters. 

These cohort meetings helped Pedroso design a multipart assignment in which students explored different philosophical perspectives on non-human animals. Students worked in groups on shared documents in which they explained and compared philosophical positions in classical texts. Their work culminated in group presentations to the entire class. Students then used the analysis they completed in their groups to write individual final papers. 

Pedroso’s design addressed many the challenges that are common to groupwork: She included individual deliverables that had as much weight as the other components of the multipart assignment: oral presentation, textual analysis, and a digital chart; she assigned an individual reflection in which students described the work they did and the work their group mates did; she assigned group roles; and she scheduled time to grade immediately after due dates so that students would have feedback on one part of the assignment that they could use for the next part. 

There were challenges: Group formation was slow; groups didn’t avail themselves of office hours; some groups waited until the last minute to complete their analyses; and power outages almost made presentations impossible. 

But there were successes too. Pedroso was able to interact with students in meaningful ways in spite of the high enrollment in the course (128 students). Students who were engaged in the group work found it easier to produce their individual papers. Students developed skills in analysis and public speaking (some had never made a public presentation). Pedroso noted other positive experiential outcomes. “Students had the chance to go to their ‘first philosophy conference’,” she said. Presentations were timed and active participation from the audience was required in a ‘live’ discussion board during presentations. Additionally, the group work prompted the students to enact dialogues among themselves, a practice that is constitutive of philosophy itself and, of course, very important for knowledge acquisition in general.” 

Pedroso herself gained invaluable experience in active learning and facilitating student groups, which will serve her well in her future academic pursuits. And all of this was a result of a group.

*Note: The 2022-2023 cohort included Pedroso, Heather Shearer (Writing), Jeffrey Erbig (Latin American and Latino Studies), Clara Weygandt (Rachel Carson College), and Gerald Moulds (Computer Science and Engineering).