That couldn't have gone any better

Lynae N.

May 2, 2010 - 9:30 PM

I don't know if you can relate to that sinking feeling that happens when a professor or teacher assigns a group project. In my high school and undergraduate years I was always the lucky one who was the most organized and motivated to get the project done and as a result was stuck doing 80% of the work. I have had a better experience in the CFT program at the UO and I think all of us in the program have been pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in the midst of like-minded people. It is great to assign different sections of work without a power struggle and to be able to trust that everyone will put in their hard work and contribute to make a great project.

Well, guess what. . . I still hate them! Group projects are inevitably more time consuming and more work than doing a project solo. I was not amused when I looked at my syllabi for the term and saw that I had not one, not two, but THREE group assignments for my busy last term of school. My first project consists of a group paper ( a very strange undertaking) on Sexuality and Women with Anorexia Nervosa in Committed Relationships. We spent the last week writing the paper, creating a PowerPoint presentation and role play to enact for the class, making a class hand out on information they might find useful as therapists, and designing a unique intervention to use with this issue if it we encounter it in our work.

The best part about this group project is we never had to meet as a group! In class we quickly decided how we were going to divide up the work, set e-mail deadlines, and sent suggestions back and forth that way. We saved so much time by not negotiating who would do what or complicating our work by trying to all have direct input on every piece. I had no idea that a group project could end up being less work than an individual project but I am very grateful that this was something I could do with a group and share the load.

Thanks in part to the amazingly successful group work, I was able to focus more on my giant thesis-equivalent and turn in a complete first draft for feedback. This paper totals just over 91 pages (without appendices). I was also able to find the different video clips I would like to use for my presentation. In addition to all of this, I had 54 client contact hours this month and am now seeing that there is a good chance I will not have to stay past graduation into the two week grace period to finish up my relational therapy hours. This is also a huge relief! I am now looking forward to the rest of the term, tired and stressed and thankful for the first time that the majority of my other work will be in a group format.