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 many courses, professors assign group projects where students collaborate to complete a task. Proponents argue this teaches teamwork and communication, which are vital workplace skills. However, others claim that individual assignments are a better measure of a student's personal understanding and effort, as group work can lead to unequal participation. Which assessment method do you think is more effective for learning, and why?

Student response 1:

I believe group projects are more beneficial. They prepare us for real-world jobs where teamwork is essential. For instance, you learn to negotiate ideas and share responsibilities. In addition, working with others can expose you to different perspectives you wouldn't consider alone.

Student response 2:

I think individual assignments are more effective. Group projects often have unfair workloads, where one or two students do most of the work. Consequently, the final grade doesn't accurately reflect everyone's contribution. Individual work, however, ensures that each student is assessed on their own knowledge.