After receiving negative feedback from students and tutors about their
group work experiences in a health subject, strategies to resolve these
collaborative learning issues were considered. The objectives were to
facilitate student ability to resolve group work issues, highlight group
work as an important graduate attribute and to improve perceptions of
the benefits of group work. A literature review assisted in identifying
several strategies that had been used elsewhere to resolve issues
similar to those raised by the students in this study. Consequently a
number of support resources were designed for the revised delivery of
the subject to the next cohort of students. These included a
structured introduction to elements of group work and several
strategies to improve the group work experience. At the conclusion of
the subject students indicated that the group work experience was of
value. The overall response suggested that active tuition in the
elements of group work contributes positively to student
understanding of both the process and group dynamics.
