Prior research has highlighted that whilst engaging in groupwork can have many benefits, in practice it can also present a range of challenges. We know that our diverse student body includes those that commute to university, juggle work and have caring responsibilities; they may have a learning contract; or as international students are listening, learning, and speaking in a second language. All of these can impact on the logistics and success of in-person group meetings, a crucial component of groupwork. This poster outlines the outcomes of a qualitative study with recent graduates and final year students and their personal recommendations to make groupwork more inclusive, supportive and valued. The research will share from the student’s perspective how social media and digital technology can support group cohesion, trust, and productivity; along with suggestions that could help all students better prepare for a multimodal approach to groupwork.

1. Build
friendships
Strengthen
social skills
Social
integration
and wellbeing
Support
motivation
Brainstorm
ideas
Peer learning
Shared
workload
Increased
productivity
Develop
workplace
skills
Recommendations from the ground: Student led use of social media to foster inclusive groupwork
group cohesion
trust
engagement
productivity
Sue Beckingham @suebecks s.beckingham@shu.ac.uk
UK and Ireland HEIR Network 2022 Annual Conference
1. Benefits of groupwork
2. Barriers to groupwork
Social loafing
and free riders
Group think
Inadequate
communication
Group size
Group
dynamics
Effective use of
social media
supported
group cohesion,
built trust and
increased
productivity
Scheduling
meetings
Mix of in-
person and
online
meetings
Chat space
Ideation
Open and
collaborative
workspace
Responding
to feedback
on work
Reviewing
work
3. Factors inhibiting successful groupwork
Included low motivation, poor attendance,
non contribution, taking over, disorganised,
unbalanced skills set, siloed working.
LITERATURE STUDENT AND RECENT GRADUATE INTERVIEWS
4. Social media enablers
5. Social media used
6. Key life skills developed
Co-operation, communication, empathy,
time management and organisational skills
Lack of opportunity to get to know each
other before groupwork introduced.
Randomly assigned to groups.
!
+ a diverse student body +
+ caring responsibilities, commuter students, part-time work +
Choice to work
synchronously or
asynchronously
Use of emoticons
Shared
workspace