This link has been bookmarked by 10 people . It was first bookmarked on 31 Jul 2006, by Kevin Wen.
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31 Jul 06
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30 Oct 04
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09 Oct 04
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21 Sep 04
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24 Aug 04
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09 Aug 04
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Earlier this semester, my class worked in small groups on a midterm project. Because the class concerned the way software affects group behavior, we were discussing the way groups interact even as the students were working in groups themselves. Having reviewed theory and practice at the same time, I wanted to write a note summarizing some approaches to group work. (By group, I mean any project involving 3 or more people. Pairs of people do not suffer from most of the difficulties described below.) This note is fairly long, as there is no one-size-fits all summary for the issues groups face, and this advice may or may not be applicable to other situations at ITP. Take it with a grain of salt.
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22 Jul 04
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First, the bad news. Working in groups is not like baking a pie -- there is no recipe for getting it right every time. Groups are fantastically complex entities, and groups will sometimes fail no matter what you do. The good news is that there are a number of things you can do to improve the odds of success. The literature is too large to summarize in any comprehensive way, but here are a dozen things I think I know about working in groups that may help you get more out of group work while you are here. Some of them are things you can do to prepare for group work, some of them are things the group can do together at the outset, and some of them are ongoing habits. They are: 1. Embrace ego. 2. Use the group for having ideas, not just ratifying them. 3. Beware premature optimization. 4. Structure is not tyranny. 5. Decide how to decide. 6. Settle on social software. 7. Get it in writing. 8. Match roles and goals. 9. Talk about the relationship. 10. Accept inequality. 11. There is no substitute for time. 12. Have a drink. You've earned it.
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20 Jul 04
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