Write for an Academic Discussion

A professor has posted a question about a topic and students have responded with their thoughts and ideas. Make a contribution to the discussion.
You will have 10 minutes to write.

Your professor is teaching a class on education.

In your response, you should do the following.

• • Express and support your opinion.
• • Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

Professor’s question:

In our discussion on collaborative learning, we've noted that group projects are a staple of modern university education. Proponents argue that these projects teach essential teamwork and communication skills vital for the workplace. However, critics claim they can lead to unfair workload distribution and that individual assignments are a more accurate measure of a student's understanding. Which approach do you believe is more beneficial for student learning, and why?

Student response 1:

I strongly believe group projects are more beneficial. They prepare students for the professional world by teaching collaboration and compromise. For instance, successfully completing a project with others requires strong communication skills. Because of this, students gain more than just academic knowledge from these assignments.

Student response 2:

I think individual assignments are a better measure of learning. While group work sounds good in theory, it often results in an unequal distribution of tasks. One or two students might do most of the work, yet everyone receives the same grade. Consequently, this can be demotivating.