[nabs-l] group projects issues

[Ari Damoulakis]

Hi Ashley
I couldn't agree with you more on group projects and the issues people
have with them. There are many blindness-type related issues.
Like you, when it comes to being an individual and participating in
class, I do participate and get complemented, but their are many blind
issues with group projects that I can think of.
The first issue is when group projects are announced. Lecture rooms
are so huge and so many people are in the classes that the first
problem is finding the people you know from that class. What normally
happens with me is that because obviously you can't look and find your
friends in class, you generally have to wait after class to SMS them
to see if they have a group and whether their group has room etc. If
it is a class where you don't really know anyone, I think your idea is
right, just find people nearer to you and try ask if you can join.
The next problem you then have is if you actually do do that, because
most of the time, even though they know you might be smart in the real
class, somehow many people when having to try actually talk to and
interact with a blind person somehow has a problem. When your group
members are discussing what tasks everyone should be doing you have to
ask one of them "what would you like me to do?" or say "I can do x or
y." If you don't you stand the risk that they just ignore you.
It is interesting to see that your group members interact virtually.
Mostly whenever I've done these things we meet somewhere to discuss.
You are right that most times people don't do things and so on, but to
be really honest with you when it comes to group work at university I
wouldn't really be too worried because this is probably not how things
will work in later life. I'm not talking about the people doing
nothing etc, I'm rather talking about when you get a job. If you get a
job and have to work together as a group you probably won't have to
worry too much because you'd be working with people you would work
with everyday, and they would over time become used to seeing you as
being a capable person, therefore if you have group projects in the
work place they'd help you more. With university you probably just
meet people and work with them once-off, so don't be too worried.
Lecturers probably can also see who worked in the group and who
didn't, but I also don't think they take group assignments as
seriously as individual ones, because intelligent lecturers are not
blind to the problems that university group assignments entail, I'm
not talking about specifically blind here, but sighted people in the
group have many of these problems as well, such as others not doing
work etc.
For group the advice I can try give you is don't overstress yourself,
just relax and do the best you can, because luckily in the real world
the university form of a group assignment where noone knows anyone
else will probably not be bothering you much.
Ari