3 Approaches to Writing Group Essays in University

To think of it, I have only done one group essay before entering university: A-Level PW. In JC, the mode of assessment was invariably timed tests and exams. There were group presentations, yes, but never group papers. It might as well be the case, because turning out essays alone was difficult enough, let alone with others. At that age, I see 3 difficulties:

1. Low passion for words
2. Low clarity of mind
3. Low readiness for disagreements
   

I was from the Science stream btw. The Arts stream might be more well-equipped, but I believe they need not write group essays either (correct me if I’m wrong!). The arts curriculum then seemed to prioritize independence of thought over collaboration. It’s for the better, at least for me. Despite my writing passion, I kept messing my GP essays!

Since entering NUS as a Sociology major, I have co-written 3 group essays and 2 pair essays. They were hardly easy affairs; if anything, it felt like more work than individual essays. The autonomy must be shared and the responsibility split. Unlike short-answer assignments, we can’t just work independently and cross-check answers. At least it’s not that direct lah.

Difficulties this semester have prompted me to relook a small section in The Craft of Research on working in groups. Aptly, the book is authored by a group of three. They briefly discussed three approaches (power of three eh?) to writing a paper:

1. Divide & Delegate
2. Work Side-by-Side
3. Take Turns

They are pretty self-explanatory, but we don’t often think about them consciously. At least I don’t. For starters, the 2^nd option doesn’t even come to mind, because hello~ we just met? How can all of us magically work on the same page at the same time?! Group discussions often go the way of the most vocal, and disadvantages those who are still assimilating half-formed ideas. Yes, it’s the approach that can make the most out of individuals, necessary time and again in long-term projects where collaboration must be tight-knit. But it takes commitment and compatibility in working styles, which is hard to foster in a single module.

Different ideas, different personalities.

All my group projects have adopted the 1^st option, because it splits responsibility cleanly and gives each of us partial autonomy. It saves work too. But problems loom. Before delegation, there needs to be a structure in place. A definitive one, as it reduces the risk of incoherence. But if you have written regularly or seriously (without time conditions), you probably realize that a) thoughts may come along and force you to rethink your structure, or b) you spend a great deal of time revising your outline till it feels right. Once we delegate, we no longer have the autonomy to revise the terms under which everyone else is working on.

So is it just about accepting our fair share of difficulty? Not quite. There was this project where we made a 4-way split and are each responsible for about 900 words. When I sat down to analyze my portion, I realized it was the crux of the paper. Ideally, it should take up half the paper and done by 2 members. But what to do? Pressed for time, I did what I could. Another member put comments for improvement on Google Docs. I knew it was not thorough, but I was angered because it was a disproportionate burden unfairly flung on my shoulders. I couldn’t do much, none of them worked on it meaningfully, and the tutor wrote what I thought of. We did okay, but I hope I won’t need to work with them ever again.

The pie may be split, but what about the peas?

There was another project where I had to work with 3 non-Sociology majors. Things turned bright after a slow start. They understood my remarks on sociological methodology and we went about our Internet-based qualitative research. It soon unraveled, because they didn’t collate data in the way I half-explained-half-presumed they would. And the delegation again saw me taking on half the work. This time I knew, but I also knew I needed to, to make sure we meet requisite standards. I had to scour others’ content myself to be convinced and convincing in my arguments. In return I left the coordination to another. In the end, I was unhappy at fluffy portions, the coordinator was unhappy at the unresponsiveness, and one member did almost nothing because she was confused but didn’t say. We didn’t punish her.

Do similar problems of work delegation affect you too?

The 3^rd option – taking turns – works on respect and trust. It is made complex with real-time technology like Google Docs. It saves a lot of time and hassle, but there is no order at times. I operate on the assumption that once a draft is out, all editing is done on it. It turns out I was wrong! Twice, as I was working on correcting grammatical errors, I suddenly see the entire chunk copied and replaced. Before my eyes! I was astounded. And I had to do it all over again. I could live with having sentences erased or reconfigured, because that’s necessary for coherence. But not when someone takes it into his own hands without warning. That’s just not very courteous or respectful.

Could the 3^rd option be used in totality? I doubt so, because it would be unfair to have someone work out an entire first draft alone. I say this as someone who works far better with a framework in place, i.e. someone who’d benefit from a ready-made full first draft. It makes no sense because academic writing requires literature review, which is a lot of work. If we rule this option out, we are back to square one: Delegate and deal with incoherence and unfairness.

To sum up:

1. Divide & Delegate (research/drafting phase, but messier than it seems)
2. Work Side-by-Side (best interspersed across phases, but needs compatibility)
3. Take Turns (editing phase, but make no presumptions)

I have addressed the 3 methods of collaboration mainly from my own perspective, to see how practicable they are in the constraints of undergraduate courses. But I’m in Sociology! Sociology has a sumptuous palate of modules to pick from, and so all my group work has been done with initial strangers. If you find a band of trusted course mates, consider these options and make your group essays more enterprising and fulfilling!

If you are like me, then suck thumb! On the bright side, these are just approaches. It matters more how one goes about any approach. For a start, I must learn to communicate more with group mates. I will likely write further posts on the dynamics of group projects. Like this post, I will offer my own reflection, because it is harmful to think that any problem can be solved by simple formulas.

If you have good experiences writing group essays, do share them so that it can help whoever reads this post gain further insights into a necessary part of many people’s undergraduate education!

References
Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb & Joseph Williams – The Craft of Research (2nd Edition)
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