By Pells Wyatt

Group projects are bad. Chantay Peoples thinks group projects done via Zoom are the worst.

Under normal conditions, the sophomore Philosophy major said students involved in group projects worry about the least energetic contributor. 

“It is a bit frustrating because your grade is tied to unknowns,” she said. “[Like] not knowing whether or not the person you’ve been grouped with has the discipline or concern to complete a project.” 

But she insists all the problems are worse when group projects are done virtually. 

Peoples is experiencing that with an online class she is taking this semester.  Her group was assigned the topic: “Effects of effective communications among groups on a project.”

“Talk about irony,” she said. 

The problems associated with groups multiplied since the class is virtual.

“None of us have ever met each other,” she said. “The group has five people in it. Two of the five barely respond when reached out to.”

Peoples said the instructor has contributed to the challenges. 

“We often have questions about the specifics of the papers because we are unclear with some of the directions,” she said. “[But] we also have a professor that does not respond to the emails we send.

“Usually, all we get is the sound of silence, between the teacher and the group,” she said. 

Peoples said she has sought help about the group communication issues from the instructor, but gotten little reaction.

 “We have shared our frustration with the professor, about the overall lack of cooperation of the other group members,” she said. 

The professor responded by saying, “we know what is expected,” she said.

Peoples remains hopeful that things turn around before the group project must be submitted later this month.

“I must believe that somehow this thing is going to come together because all our grades will depend on it,” she said.