I have a bad learning team. And what’s worse is it really fits the description from the despair.com saying about meetings. “None of us is as dumb as all of us.” In looking through and finding this one, I actually stumbled across another one that fits most UOP learning teams even better, Ignorance
So, now that we have established the ideal motivational sayings for my group, I should probably explain why. It really comes down to the fact that non of them have been forced to deliver up to their potential. Everyone on my team has fully accepted the fact that their UOP degree is not really about challenging them intellectually, but more about taking their money and giving them a important piece of paper.
So for our latest course, we have to select some business processes from a selected company for study and analysis. It’s all going to be done with the PFA method (Pulled From Ass) because we don’t have the means or the time to actually do through research, but they can’t even seem to wrap their heads around the high-level concepts. Heaven forbid they actually required to work when they have to complete the simulation part of the assignment. I think that the rest of my team actually believes that “Critical Thinking” is a dirty word.
But as a student who does have the ability to comprehend abstract thought and critical analysis, how do I get the team to understand that. How do you deal with the decision between either letting them fail (and damaging your grade in the process) or carrying them through the class/program? I have carried one of my team members through several classes, because she chooses not to deliver to her ability, and what she does deliver generally falls on the border between plagiarism, and incoherent thought.
15 e-mails have been sent since our last class period, talking only about if we were going to physically meet, or maybe even teleconference. 5 of them tonight that really talked about how everyone was available, but not a single e-mail actually suggested a time or place.
Ignorance really does suit this group, maybe I will buy them that mug for a graduation present.
May 13, 2007 at 8:47 am
Learning teams are academic blackmail. I wasn’t told 30-40% of my grade would depend upon the ignorance of another. We ended up removing a team member for poor quality work. I found out that she has been spoke to before by her previous team members but nothing changed after a year of working with her. Even after emailing administration, nothing was done about her. She has been busted for plagarism and put on academic probation for perfomance but the school continues to allow her to attend. At this point, a degree from UoP is just a means to an end.
July 29, 2007 at 4:23 pm
I cannot imagine having a grade that is based on TEAM PERFORMANCE. Do these other students share your bill? Help YOU buy books?
I just cannot imagine that learning environment.
August 16, 2007 at 6:48 pm
I transfered out of UofPH largely in part to rising tuition, in what seemed like twice a year. I transfered to a local Univeristy where I was shocked to find out I qualified for numerous grants. I was approved for $6000.00 more in financial aid then UofPH ever told me I could get. I felt they just got what was theirs with no care to me. Most of my financial aide out of 16780.00 only 8000.00 was actually loans the rest was grants. The team assignments were killing me and I tried to make sure in my two years at UofPh that I changed my teams continuely. This sometimes helped. So, off to the Tradition State College I went with a 3.5 GPA. My first term I fell below a 2.0 and was put on academic warning, my second term….well, I’m still waiting. I had to quite my job in order to keep up with class load of homework. 30% of my grade was based on multiple choice finals and mid terms. Those lame learning teams are not looking so bad now. For those of us who have jobs and kids the amount of complaints we truely have against UofPH is mild comparitively to what you will be putting in at your local University. I am not slacker and studied my but off with family, friends, co-workers and my kids. So, back to the University of Phoenix I will be going. However, I will be fighting for all the grants that my local University found for me, with no effort to me. This is one place University of Phoenix falters, lack of compasion for the people who have made their school a finacial succes.
August 16, 2007 at 7:43 pm
disenchanted, I agree with you to a point. The traditional university method does require a lot more work. The question that you didn’t answer is, did you get more information? Did you learn more at the state school than at UOP?
My dissatisfaction with UOP has been that I haven’t had to really learn anything. I wouldn’t mind the money or the format if I was really being challenged and learning things, but I am not.
The work load aside, you need to identify which school provides you the best education and is the most reputable in your area. I recently reviewed a resume at my work from a student currently attending UOP. Seeing the 2.5 GPA was enough to toss it out on it’s own. If in your example, a UOP 3.5 = State 2.0, then a UOP 2.5 = State .5??????
Maybe you only had the grade problems becuase you were expecting the same low expectations from the state school that UOP has.
October 14, 2007 at 12:29 am
I have spent the better part of an entire week attepting to get the 3 duds on my team to understand the question — I have failed. I can not be done except t prehaps at gunpoint.
There is one other viable student on the team and we have tried to stear them in a tag team — it can not be done.
Now UOP claims that this is like real life teams, and sad to say after 20 years in the private sector it is true. You will carrry duds for the rest of your life. Now in my last job I refused and made too much of a habit of explianing why we were not doing things correctly and I was fired. I do not mind at all. I would rather die than suffer fools, but it may yet come to that.
So the 3 duds — one is a state employee who will bleed off the rest of us until 20 years after he/she is dead. One wants to teach people computers based on what they have ‘learned’ at UOP, and the the other wants a high paying job with lots of free time. I am betting that he/she will get it. If this is the world I will not mind my death one bit.
January 12, 2008 at 9:14 am
Thanks for information.
many interesting things
Celpjefscylc
July 15, 2008 at 9:42 pm
My negative team experience began shortly after starting the program. By the capstone class, I was an expert on how to CYA. I found that I could work alone and would get better grades through facilitator sympathy than frustrate myself with reining in lazy, troublesome team members. The sad fact that teams in the work environment reflect the same issues keeps me in practice with CYA. The good news is I am finally in a “group” that knows personality conflict and lack of compensation are the norm and are willing to keep their company loyalty and work ethics at the forefront.
July 29, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Those who cannot deal with the neg. team experience and survice will not survive the average workforce. To say every individual in a workplace puts in 100% would be pure and plain B.S. (and I am not saying bachelor of science). There are slackers everywhere. I just leave the names off my papers and let the instructors know why. They get a zero for the assignment and I get the A. I make sure to redo all team assignments prior to submitting to my individual. I will post it for team review 9just to be polite) and turn in for my A. Those who were mediocre yet put their heart in soul into the assignment have the ability to ride on my A coat tails. All Ic are about is the A’s I make on all my assignments and my GPA. I currently hold a 4.0 and I graduate in 2009 (September). Its not that hard as long as you make it known at the beginning no one will just ride the class out on you. You are not mommy or daddy and will not do their homework. I give a huge speech after team assignments are made. Sure it may come off as rude but I know and they know where we all stand.