Groupwork is part of university study. Quite a few people worry about it, and some have real problems with it. Below, we look at the main issues people have with group work and offer some practical tips.

Groupwork came up a lot in the Autism&Uni surveys. Some people found it really useful in helping them develop skills needed for work and social life later on. Other people really struggled with it, especially if they felt that they were doing more work than other people.

This is a common issue for neurotypical people, too. There is no perfect way to put groups together or make them work well. Groupwork is an important part of most courses, and a skill needed in most careers, so getting used to it is worthwhile.

What’s good and bad about group work?

What experience do you have with groupwork? Try to remember the good times as well as the more difficult ones. It’s understandable to worry about it if you have had problems in the past, but anticipation is often worse than reality. What do you think are the good and bad points about groupwork?

How might the groups be picked?

There are pros and cons to the different methods tutors can use form groups. In the workplace, you rarely get to choose who you work with, but hopefully the work you do will be related to your strengths and skills.

If people are allocated randomly (or by characteristics such as their surname) to groups, that can seem fairest, but may mean the groups are very uneven without a good mix of skills and interests.

If the tutor creates mixed ability groups, distributing the most competent students across the groups, it may feel like the person who is most capable ends up doing most of the work and bringing up the grades of the others.

If students choose their own groups, this can feel empowering and you can work with people you already know, but more solitary students may struggle to find a group. Friends working together doesn’t always lead to the strongest group for producing coursework.

Ideally, you would choose to work with people based on their strengths and have a variety of different skills and preferences in the group. This will be easier if you know the people, or they communicate clearly about their skills and preferences. It is also important that group members are clear about their expectations of the group and the task.

Strengths and weaknesses

Many people will have a preferred role in a group. Some people are natural leaders, some people are very creative, some are brilliant at taking notes and booking meetings. Others are amazing at making everyone feel part of a team, some people make fabulous slides, and others are good at chasing up unfinished work or public speaking. Most people have a mixture of talents and areas that need more development.

Some autistic students enjoy groupwork more than any other part of their course, as it enables them to work with others with support and a common goal. Others worry a lot about it. Experience with groupwork can help with social and work relationships later on, and most courses include an element of groupwork. It is useful to be proactive and prepare for this.

Knowing what you’re good at and being able to express it well, without being arrogant, is an important part of working with others. It’s also important to know what you are not so good at, so that you can work on improving those areas and perhaps avoid roles where those are the main characteristics.

1. Make a list with two columns: in the left column put the aspects of groupwork you are most worried about, and in the right column write down how you might be able to resolve these issues.
2. Discuss this list with a trusted person at home or uni, like a parent, your disability adviser, a mentor or a tutor.
3. When you see that groupwork is part of one of your modules, talk to the module organiser or tutor about how the groups are decided.
4. If you are particularly concerned about groupwork, speak with a disability adviser. They could add information about this to your Personal Learning Support Plan (PLSP) and / or liaise with your school.
5. Consider telling the group you are autistic and how it affects you – calmly, without getting upset or using it as an excuse for not doing work.

• How do you decide who will be the leader and who does what?
• Would it be useful to ask group members to talk about their strengths and preferences?
• How would you divide up work fairly?
• How will the group communicate? E.g. will you create a chat on Teams, or use university email accounts?
• How often will the group meet? Will it be in person, or remotely via Teams? Is everyone expected to attend all of the meetings?
• How do you stop people messing about and get on with the work without upsetting anyone?
• What about when someone doesn’t turn up?
• What if group members are lazy or not very good?
• How would you handle it if someone doesn’t speak English very well?
• How do you handle different approaches to the deadline?
• How can you pro-actively manage expectations and cope better by addressing things you worry about early?
• When should you talk to the tutor about problems? What steps should you take before approaching the tutor?