A Word About Group Projects

Okay, students… who loves group projects! Let’s hear it for group projects!

(Crickets… crickets…)

Okay employers… who puts “Ability to work in a team” at the top of a Forbes Magazine list of 10 skills employers say they seek in new hires?

Employers: (cheering wildly) We do! We do!

Here are the 10 skills employers say they seek, in order of importance:

1. Ability to work in a team
2. Ability to make decisions and solve problems
3. Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work
4. Ability to communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization
5. Ability to obtain and process information
6. Ability to analyze quantitative data
7. Technical knowledge related to the job
8. Proficiency with computer software programs
9. Ability to create and/or edit written reports
10. Ability to sell and influence others

Okay, college professors… who’s willing to risk the wrath of students who dislike group work, in order to give those students experience doing the number one thing employers say they want to see in their new hires — the ability to work as a team? How about asking those students to make decisions and solve problems, and asking those students to plan, organize, and prioritize their work? How about asking those students to communicate with each other, while obtaining and processing information?