Group Work: B2+. Patrick McMahon

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      It is essential to understand what your lecturer wants you to do in any group work assignment. One way of doing this is by asking questions about the assignment. Look at this task for Tourism students.

      For example: Create a two-week adventure package holiday aimed at the young family market (two professional adults, two young children). Produce a marketing brochure to appear in travel agent outlets that includes details of destination, duration, accommodation, activities and costs. You will be asked to present your package holiday to the class and answer questions about it.

      You can use ‘wh-questions’ to help you to analyse the question and understand exactly what is required. It is a good idea to try and come up with questions using all seven question words.

       What? When? Who? Why? Where? Which? How?

      You can also use the following questions stems.

       Can we …? Should we …? Do we have to …?

      The same questions would help you to understand the task when working alone. However, when working in a group, you have the opportunity to discuss them with others in the group and, between you, arrive at a thorough understanding of the task.

      

Exercise 1

      Read the example task on page 28. How many questions can you write to help you to understand the task? Think about the different elements of the task. Some questions have been given to help you.

1 Questions about your group	Who will I work with? Can I …
2 Questions about the brochure	When does the brochure need to be finished by? Should it … How many … Which …
3 Questions about the presentation	How long should the presentation be? Should we … Does … Can we …
4 Questions about the assessment	What percentage of marks goes towards this assignment? How many … What …

       Now check the key for answers and comments on this exercise.

       Understanding the purpose of a task

       Glossary

      aim The aim of something that you do is the purpose for which you do it or the result that it is intended to achieve.

      learning outcome A learning outcome is what a student is expected to know, understand or be able to demonstrate at the end of a period of study.

      fundamental If one thing is fundamental to another, it is absolutely necessary to it, and the second thing cannot exist, succeed, or be imagined without it.

      You will have a better chance of doing the task well if you understand why you have been asked to do it. You should therefore spend some time thinking about the purpose of the task, as well as what you think you will learn from it. You will find it helpful to think about:

       the aims of the module

       the learning outcomes of the module.

      You can usually find the aims and learning outcomes of your module in the documentation that goes with it. Many students do not pay attention to them and miss an important opportunity to learn how to study more effectively.

      Look at the aims and learning outcomes for a module in Healthcare Studies below.

       For example:

Module title	Fundamentals of the Healthcare System
Module aims	To provide a critical overview of the organization and work of the British healthcare system, and to generate an awareness of the research that has been conducted into selected areas of the practice of healthcare
Module learning outcomes	To analyse the functions of a healthcare system in an industrial/ emergent post-industrial society
To describe the conceptual, political and organizational background of the British healthcare system
To critically evaluate the extent to which the present system meets the needs of consumers of healthcare, and, more generally, society

      You should refer to the module aims and learning outcomes while doing your coursework to make sure you are focusing on the correct content. When you review your coursework, you should ask yourself if you have met the outcomes for the work you were set. For coursework in Healthcare Studies you could ask yourself the following questions.

       Have I analysed the functions of the healthcare system?

       Have I shown that I understand the purpose of the healthcare system and described how it is organized and the politics involved?

       Have I evaluated whether or not the healthcare system works well and satisfies patients and society?

       Have I found, read and referred to a wide range of sources in my coursework?

       Tips

       Try to look at assignments that previous students have handed in; these are sometimes kept in the university library or in the faculty office, so you can ask your librarian or lecturer if they are available.

       Use previous assignments carefully; they may not be very good examples of what you have to do.

       Brainstorming

      As already discussed in Chapter 1, brainstorming is a useful technique for coming up with ideas. The technique involves putting forward any ideas connected with the subject you are thinking about; each idea generates other ideas that can be noted down until you have a list of loosely connected ideas. You will be able to use some of these, but you will certainly not use all of them. After brainstorming you would normally decide which ideas you can work with and write them into your plan.

      Look at how this process might work if you decided to brainstorm your ideas in the assignment below.

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