Directory UMM :Data Elmu:jurnal:I:International Journal of Educational Management:Vol13.Issue1.1999:

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Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f Curtin Unive rsity o f Te c hno lo gy, Pe rth, Australia

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Christine Ho gan Se mi-auto no mo us study gro ups

Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f Educ atio nal Manage me nt 1 3 / 1 [1 9 9 9 ] 3 1 –4 4

UK t h a t t a u gh t or ga n isa t ion a l beh aviou r. I descr ibed ou r pr oblem s a n d ph ilosoph y a n d a sk ed a bou t t h eir t ea ch in g/ lea r n in g st r u ct u r es. T h e r e plies wer e va r ied. Ma n y lecct u r -er s sen t t h eir con dolen ces r e ga r din g ou r la r ge st u den t n u m ber s, ot h er s h a d a lr ea dy ch a n ged t o a m a ss lect u r e for m a t . Two u n iver sit ies sen t in for m a t ion a bou t t h eir t ea ch in g st r u ct u r es wh ich a ppea led t o ou r t ea ch -in g-lea r n -in g ph ilosoph y.

P r ofessor La r r y Mich a elson , of t h e Un iver -sit y of Ok la h om a , sen t h is idea s for “t ea m lea r n in g” in a m a ss lect u r e for m a t w h ich in volved “in for m a t ive t est in g”. In t h is m odel st u den t s:

• a t t en ded a n u m ber of m a ss lect u r es (in gr ou ps of a bou t 280);

• com plet ed r ea din gs ea ch week ;

• sa t for m a t ive a s well a s su m m a t ive m u lt i-ple-ch oice t est s. T h e t est s wer e com plet ed in dividu a lly a n d t h en in set t ea m s of seven st u den t s. In t h e la t t er m ode st u den t s h a d t o discu ss a n d fi gh t for t h eir idea s. Ma r k in g w a s com plet ed on t h e spot w it h t h e h elp of a n elect r on ic sca n n er.

Associa t e P r ofessor Bor is Ka ba n off of t h e Un iver sit y of N ew Sou t h Wa les sen t h is idea s on “syn dica t e gr ou ps” u sed w it h MBA st u -den t s. In h is m odel, gr a du a t e st u -den t s wer e divided in t o gr ou ps of 7-10 pa r t icipa n t s. E a ch week on e m em ber fr om ea ch gr ou p a t t en ded a “t r a in t h e t r a in er ” wor k sh op a n d w a s sh ow n h ow t o r u n a n exer cise by a cou r se in st r u ct or. T h is st u den t t h en fa cilit a t ed h is/ h er gr ou p for on e m eet in g w it h ou t t h e lect u r er pr esen t .

Planning the change

Aft er lon g con ver sa t ion s w it h collea gu es a n d discu ssion s w it h st a ff a t Cu r t in , we decided t o m odify t h e N ew Sou t h Wa les m odel t o su it t h e n eeds of ou r u n der gr a du a t e st u den t s. I n e got ia t ed w it h m y h ea d of de pa r t m en t , P r o-fessor Geoff Sou t a r, t o a llow u s sem est er on e, 1991, for in -de pt h pla n n in g a n d pr e pa r a t ion . He gave u s h is fu ll su ppor t . Wit h t h e lea r n in g of so m a n y st u den t s a t st a k e, we k n ew we h a d t o be fu lly pr e pa r ed a n d n eeded t o for esee, wh er e possible, ever yt h in g t h a t cou ld possi-bly go w r on g a n d h ave con t in gen cy pla n s.

Ou r goa l w a s t o in t r odu ce t h e in n ova t ion in Sem est er 2, 1991 (u n for t u n a t ely t h e sem est er wh ich in volved t h e la r gest st u den t n u m ber s). I br ok e t h e n ew s t o st a ff a t ou r fi n a l Ch r ist -m a s -m eet in g in 1990. T h er e wer e t h e u su a l r ea ct ion s of “wh y ch a n ge a good t h in g?”. I h a d t o a gr ee w it h t h em . T h e r esu lt s of in t er -view s con du ct ed by P r ofessor Geoff Sou t a r a n d St eve Myer s in dica t ed t h a t st u den t s r a t ed MP 152 a s t h e m ost st im u la t in g a n d en joya ble

u n it in fi r st yea r. E a ch sem est er we wer e r eceivin g ver y posit ive st u den t eva lu a t ion s r e ga r din g t h e “In t er a ct ive Wor k sh ops” a n d t h e “Ma n a ger Ca se St u dy” a ssign m en t s. I cou ld u n der st a n d t h e r elu ct a n ce of st a ff t o ch a n ge a s t h ese wor t h wh ile a n d pr a ct ica l a ssign m en t s wou ld h ave t o be elim in a t ed.

In J a n u a r y 1991, a sm a ll gr ou p of u s (P a m ela Hedges, Ker r y Pedigo, Ren u Bu r r, Ta s Bedfor d a n d m yself) ga t h er ed on a week ly ba sis. T h e descr ipt ion h er e does n ot do ju s-t ice s-t o s-t h e cr ea s-t ive s-t h in k in g a n d ch ess-t -bea s-t in g t h a t ou r m eet in gs in volved. I r em em ber n u m er ou s cu ps of coffee, In dia n sn a ck s a n d E ccles ca k es, gu ffaw s of la u gh t er a n d a t t im es qu iet desper a t ion . We even h a d com pla in t s for m a k in g t oo m u ch n oise a s n ew idea s wer e gen er a t ed a n d bu ilt u pon ! Cr ea t ivit y is n ot a qu iet pr ocess! We m et on t welve differ en t occa sion s w it h va r yin g a m ou n t s of en er gy, opt im ism a n d self-qu est ion in g. E ven t u a lly t h e idea of “Sem i-a u t on om ou s St u dy Gr ou ps” (SAS) evolved.

We defi n ed SAS gr ou ps a s:

a gr ou p of n o m or e t h a n eigh t st u den t s w h o a gr ee t o m eet for on e h ou r per week in or der t o com plet e given lea r n in g object ives t oget h er w it h ou t t h e pr esen ce of a lect u r er.

Staf f aims

Ou r a im s wer e t o: • save m on ey;

• in cr ea se t h e a bilit y of st u den t s t o lea r n fr om t h eir ow n exper ien ces n ot ju st fr om book s;

• en a ble st u den t s t o r ela t e or ga n isa t ion a l beh aviou r t h eor ies t o t h eir wor ld;

• cr ea t e a lea r n in g en vir on m en t for st u den t s wh er e t h ey cou ld h ave som e fu n a n d m a k e fr ien ds;

• m a in t a in st a n da r ds of fi n a l m a r k s (i.e. a ssign m en t s a n d exa m );

• in cr ea se st u den t a u t on om y over t h e lea r n -in g pr ocess so t h a t t h ey wou ld r ea lise t h a t t h ey cou ld lea r n fr om ea ch ot h er w it h ou t t h e pr esen ce of t h e lect u r er ;

• in cr ea se t h e r a n ge of sk ills st u den t s ca n u se in gr ou p in t er a ct ion .

Staf f development

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St a ff m eet in gs a lso in clu ded se gm en t s wh er e in dividu a ls dem on st r a t ed in n ova t ive t ea ch in g st r a t e gies, voiced pr oblem s a n d discu ssed possible solu t ion s w it h t h e gr ou p. T h er e w a s a lw ays plen t y of deba t e a n d su p-por t . T h e m eet in gs wer e peer lea r n in g ses-sion s a n d in m a n y w ays t h ey m ir r or ed t h e st u den t s’ SAS gr ou p m eet in gs.

At t h e en d of t h e st a ff m eet in g I a sk ed ever yon e t o n ot e dow n t h eir t h ou gh t s, feel-in gs a n d feel-in t en ded a ct ion s. It w a s feel-in t er est feel-in g t o see t h a t even st a ff wh o h a d t a u gh t t h is su bject m a n y t im es befor e wer e st im u la t ed by t h e ch a n ges:

I’m gr a t efu l t h a t a ft er yea r s of pa r t -t im e lect u r in g st u den t s a r e get t in g pr a ct ica l con ce pt s a n d su ppor t … I’m goin g t o k ee p a lect u r er ’s log.

An ot h er st a ff m em ber w a s con cer n ed a bou t st u den t s:

How w ill t h e st u den t s r ea ct ? Will t h ey be a s en t h u sia st ic a s we a r e a n d w ill t h ey ca r r y it t h r ou gh t o t h e en d?

An ot h er com m en t ed:

Ch r is a n d h er w ild idea s, sh e a lw ays h a s som et h in g n ew, excit in g a n d t er r ifyin g u p h er sleeve; m ixed a dm ir a t ion , awe, exa sper -a t ion , en vy, pr ide in h er cou r -a ge -a n d r esou r cefu ln ess.

Yet a n ot h er w r ot e:

I a m deligh t ed a t t h e w ay we developed t h e idea s a n d st r u ct u r es of SAS gr ou ps….wh ich w a s in t er a ct ive a n d cr ea t ive…. I’m n er vou s lik e st a ge fr igh t befor e goin g on . Su r e it ’ll be a lr igh t on t h e day.

I w r ot e:

I feel r espon sible for br in gin g in t h e idea s a n d pr om ot in g it t h er efor e “yik es” w ill it wor k ? So I m u st n ot lin k u p m y e go w it h it s su ccess or fa ilu r e. We h ave t h e st r on gest st a ff ever a n d if it doesn ’t wor k w it h su ch com m it t ed people well t h en it ju st isn ’t t o be … we’ve cer t a in ly t r ied ou r best so fa r.

N ew pa r t -t im e st a ff r ea ct ed in differ en t w ays: I wor k ed a s a st u den t in TAF E in a n exper i-en t ia l cou r se so I feel com for t a ble a bou t t h e con ce pt u a l fr a m ewor k .

I feel over loa ded, pr e pa r a t ion t im e!!!! h eavy a n d a n xiou s a bou t t h e n ew n ess for m e a n d t h e st u den t s … bu t I’ll pr e pa r e well.

In t h e fi r st week , lect u r er s wh o h a d cla sses on Wedn esday r a n g u p t o fi n d ou t h ow st u den t s h a d r ea ct ed in t h e cla sses on t h e pr eviou s Mon day. T h er e w a s a sen se of excit em en t m ixed w it h a ppr eh en sion .

Class structure

We decided to k eep to cla ss sizes of 32 stu den ts. Th is w a s beca u se stu den ts h a d com m en ted in

th e pa st th a t it h a d been ver y h elpfu l to in ter -a ct w ith th e s-a m e lectu r er -a n d stu den ts e-a ch week . Th ey developed a sen se of belon gin g a n d som e str on g fr ien dsh ips wer e for m ed in th ese cla sses. We a lso k n ew fr om pr eviou s eva lu a -tion s th a t stu den ts fou n d th r ee h ou r s too lon g, n o m a tter h ow m u ch we tr ied to va r y cla ss a ctivities. Hen ce th e cla ss con ta ct tim e w a s m odified a n d stu den ts m et w ith th eir lectu r er for th r ee h ou r s for th e fir st a n d la st two week s of th e 13-week sem ester. In week s th r ee to eleven , stu den ts m et th eir lectu r er for a two h ou r lectu r e/ wor k sh op a n d th eir SAS gr ou p for on e h ou r (see F igu r e 1 a n d Ta ble I).

We divided ea ch cla ss in t o fou r SAS gr ou ps of eigh t st u den t s. In week s on e a n d t wo, a m on g m or e for m a l wor k , a va r iet y of icebr ea k er a ct ivit ies wer e u sed t o en a ble st u -den t s t o get t o k n ow on e a n ot h er. St u -den t s wer e a sk ed t o ch oose a “st u dy bu ddy” t o su p-por t a n d wor k w it h du r in g t h e sem est er. T h ey wer e in for m ed t h a t t h ey:

• wou ld h ave t o ch oose t h eir ow n SAS gr ou p m em ber s in week t h r ee (com pr isin g fou r set s of bu ddies);

• wer e r espon sible for fi n din g people w h o wer e m ot iva t ed a n d wh o t h ey t h ou gh t t h ey cou ld wor k w it h .

We w a n t ed t o m a k e s u r e t h a t s t u d en t s m a d e t h es e ch oi ces for t h em s elves s o t h a t t h e r es p on s i b i li t y for t h e d eci s i on w a s t h ei r ow n .

Meeting one

In week t h r ee, st u den t s h a d t h eir fi r st SAS m eet in g. T h is w a s a pla n n in g m eet in g for on e h ou r. T h e m eet in g for m a t w a s descr ibed in “ORGSBE ” (t h e st u den t gu ide) a n d it w a s con du ct ed in cla ss t im e. T h e lect u r er on ly in t er ven ed if a sk ed. T h e goa ls of t h is m eet in g wer e t o:

• a gr ee on w h er e a n d wh en t o m eet for on e h ou r per week ;

Eac h c lass c o ntains 3 2 stude nts and will be divide d into 4 Se mi-Auto no mo us Study Gro ups (SAS)

8 Stude nts

8 Stude nts Figure 1

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• decide w h o wou ld fu lfi l t h e r ole/ s of fa cilit a -t or, fa cili-t a -t or ’s bu ddy, -t im ek ee per, scr ibe on a r ot a t ion ba sis ea ch week ;

• n e got ia t e desir a ble gr ou p n or m s; • pr edict pot en t ia l pr oblem s a n d h ow t h ey

wou ld dea l w it h t h em ; • a gr ee on gr ou p goa ls; • st a t e in dividu a l goa ls;

• a gr ee on a n SAS gr ou p r e pr esen t a t ive wh o wou ld lia ise w it h t h e lect u r er if n ecessa r y; • en a ble st u den t s t o exch a n ge a ddr esses a n d t ele ph on e n u m ber s in ca se t h ey n eeded t o con t a ct on e a n ot h er du r in g t h e sem est er ; • a gr ee on a n a m e for t h e SAS gr ou p. T h e lect u r er m et t h e fi r st fou r fa cilit a t or s a t t h e en d of cla ss a n d discu ssed t h e follow in g week ’s exer cise w h ich t h ey h a d t o fa cilit a t e. Object ives a n d st r a t e gies wer e ou t lin ed in “ORGSBE ”, t h e st u den t gu ide. T h e lect u r er a n swer ed a n y qu est ion s a n d en cou r a ged t h em .

Interactive meeting structure

SAS gr ou p s w er e or ga n i s ed u s i n g t h e r oles a n d r es p on s i b i li t i es a d a p t ed fr om t h e wor k on i n t er a ct ive m eet i n gs by Doy le a n d St r a u s (1976). We h a d d eci d ed t h a t s t u d en t s s h ou ld n ot b e exp ect ed t o wor k on t h ei r ow n w i t h ou t s om e s t r u ct u r es a n d gu i d eli n es t o s u p -p or t t h ei r effor t s. We w a n t ed t o give t h em a wor t h w h i le a n d s u cces s fu l lea r n i n g exp er i -en ce i f p os s i ble, w i t h ou t over p r ot ect i n g t h em fr om t h e r ea li t i es of h av i n g t o fen d for t h em s elves.

In t h e p a s t , t h e r es p on s ib ilit y for t h e s u c-ces s of a gr ou p or a m eet in g h a s fr eq u en t ly r es t ed s olely w it h on e lea d er or ch a ir p er s on . (s ee F igu r e 2). Wit h t h is h ier a r ch ica l s t r u c-t u r e c-t h e r ole of lea d er ca n b e ver y d a u n c-t in g.

It is a ls o ea s y for p a r t icip a n t s t o b e n on -coop er a t ive a n d la t er bla m e t h e lea d er. Als o in a s p or t s ga m e w e d o n ot a s k on e p er s on t o u m p ir e, s cor e, d efen d , a t t a ck , yet in m eet in gs w e exp ect t h e lea d er t o d o a ll of t h es e t h in gs . Doy le a n d St r a u s (1976) a r gu e t h a t t h e r oles s h ou ld b e s h a r ed a n d s h ou ld s u p p or t on e a n ot h er. T h is cr ea t es a m or e st a ble, in t er a c-t ive m od el (s ee F igu r e 3).

T h e r oles of t h e fa cilit a t or wer e t o: • pr e pa r e a n d fa cilit a t e on e exer cise

descr ibed in “ORGSBE ”; • k ee p pa r t icipa n t s on t a sk ;

• en su r e t h a t ever yon e h a d t h e ch a n ce t o spea k if t h ey w ish ed;

• k ee p t h e gr ou p t o t h e n or m s s et i n m eet i n g 1;

• h elp t h e gr ou p t o r en e got ia t e t h ese n or m s if n ecessa r y;

• a sk qu est ion s in or der t o pr obe, r efl ect , con fr on t a n d cla r ify;

• list en t o posit ive a n d con st r u ct ive feedba ck fr om t h e r est of t h e gr ou p;

• su m m a r ise k ey lea r n in g poin t s a n d h a n d in m eet in g m in u t es a n d peer eva lu a t ion for m s t o t h e lect u r er a t t h e n ext cla ss (see “ORGSBE ” for for m a t ).

T h e m eet in g m in u t es pr ovided t h e lect u r er w it h a m ea n s of m on it or in g:

• wh a t w a s h a ppen in g in t h e gr ou p; • a bsen t ees a n d r ea son s;

• difficu lt ies a n d h ow t h ey wer e over com e. T h e peer eva lu a t ion for m s en a bled t h e lect u r er t o m on it or :

• t h e t ype of posit ive feedba ck given t o t h e fa cilit a t or ;

• t h e w ay in wh ich st u den t s expr essed con st r u ct ive/ ch a n ge feedba ck t o t h e fa cilit a t or.

T h e r oles a n d r espon sibilit ies of t h e fa cilit a -t or ’s bu ddy wer e -t o:

• su ppor t t h e fa cilit a t or du r in g t h e pr e pa r a -t ion of -t h e wor k sh op;

• st e p in a n d r u n t h e wor k sh op if t h e fa cilit a -t or w a s ill;

• su ppor t t h e fa cilit a t or du r in g t h e wor k sh op if t h er e wer e pr oblem s;

• a ct ively pa r t icipa t e.

T h e r ole a n d t h e r espon sibilit y of t h e t im e-k ee per w a s t o:

• r em in d ever yon e h ow m u ch t im e w a s left for a given sect ion of wor k .

T h e r oles a n d r espon sibilit ies of t h e scr ibe a r e t o:

• list en a ct ively;

• n ot e dow n on bu t ch er pa per t h e m a in poin t s;

• cla r ify spellin g or m ea n in g if n ecessa r y. Table I

Class struc ture

Lecture Semi-autonomous

Weekly topics (hours) study groups

1. Purpose & requirements of M P152 3

2. Organisations 3

3. Effectiveness 3 1 hour planning meeting at

end of 2 hour lec ture

4. Individuals 2 Fac ilitator no 1 – 1 hour

5. Groups 2 Fac ilitator no 2 – 1 hour

6. Stress management 2 Fac ilitator no 3 – 1 hour

7. Communication 2 Fac ilitator no 4 – 1 hour

8. M otivation 2 Fac ilitator no 5 – 1 hour

9. Conflict 2 Fac ilitator no 6 – 1 hour

10. Leadership 2 Fac ilitator no 7 – 1 hour

11. Job/ organisational design 2 Fac ilitator no 8 – 1 hour

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T h e r ole a n d r espon sibilit ies of t h e pa r t ici-pa n t s wer e t o:

• r ea d t h e t opic ch a pt er befor eh a n d; • join in ;

• qu est ion ot h er pa r t icipa n t s’ idea s a n d a ssu m pt ion s;

• list en ca r efu lly;

• open ly discu ss idea s a n d expr ess opin ion s; • m a k e feelin gs k n ow n , e.g. “Hey, I’m feelin g

left ou t , let m e fi n ish ”;

• give posit ive a n d con st r u ct ive/ ch a n ge feed-ba ck t o t h e fa cilit a t or ;

• su ppor t a n d en cou r a ge t h e fa cilit a t or. T h e la st poin t is im por t a n t beca u se ea ch in dividu a l k n ew h is/ h er t u r n wou ld com e. T h e r oles a n d r espon sibilit ies of t h e lect u r er wer e t o:

• fa cilit a t e a va r iet y of lea r n in g a ct ivit ies (in clu din g lect u r in g) in t h e t wo-h ou r ses-sion s;

• en cou r a ge exch a n ge of lea r n in g bet ween SAS gr ou ps a bou t pr oblem s a n d h ow t h ey over ca m e t h em ;

PARTICIPANTS PARTICIPANTS PARTICIPANTS

CHAIR PERSON Figure 2

Hie rarc hic al me e ting struc ture

FACILTATOR

FACILITATOR’ S

BUDDY PARTICIPANTS TIME KEEPER

SCRIBE Figure 3

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• list en a n d pr ovide per son a l su ppor t for st u den t s on a n in dividu a l ba sis ou t of cla ss t im e wh er e n ecessa r y;

• cou n sel st u den t s wh o h a d difficu lt y a dju st -in g t o SAS gr ou p lea r n -in g;

• give feedba ck t o t h e fa cilit a t or s on t h eir SAS m in u t es a n d feedba ck sh eet s;

• in t er ven e in t h e SAS gr ou p pr ocess if n eces-sa r y bu t on ly a s a la st r esor t .

Group skills

F r equ en t ly gr ou p wor k br ea k s dow n n ot beca u se of la ck of m ot iva t ion bu t beca u se of la ck of sk ills a n d exper ien ce. Gr ou p wor k is on e of t h e m ost com plex for m s of h u m a n in t er a ct ion . In “ORGSBE ”, st u den t s wer e in t r odu ced t o:

• t h e st a ges of gr ou p developm en t (Tu ck m a n a n d J en sen , 1977);

• lea r n in g st yles (Hon ey a n d Mu m for d, 1983); • fi ve con fl ict -h a n dlin g st yles (J oh n son , 1978); • t ea m r oles (Belbin , 1981);

• st r a t e gies for givin g a n d r eceivin g feedba ck (Hopson a n d Sca lly, 1982).

T h ey wer e r equ ir ed t o r ela t e t h ese t h eor ies a n d m odels t o t h e exper ien ces t h ey h a d in t h eir SAS m eet in gs.

Introducing a common goal

All st u den t s (u n less t h ey a r e r ea lly per ver se) w a n t t o pa ss. T h e a ssign m en t s wer e st r u c-t u r ed so c-t h a c-t c-t h ey cou ld on ly a c-t c-t a in m a r k s if t h ey a t t en ded a n d con t r ibu t ed in a ll t h e SAS m eet in gs a n d t h er e w a s a join t effor t fr om ever yon e. Ou r fi n din gs su ppor t ed t h e r esea r ch of Ar on son a n d Osh er ow (1980), i.e. t h a t st u den t s fr om differ en t ba ck gr ou n ds ca n wor k t oget h er wh en t h ey h ave a com m on or su per or din a t e goa l.

On e st u den t com m en t ed:

I h ave been a t Cu r t in for t wo yea r s a n d t h is is t h e fi r st t im e I h ave r ea lly t a lk ed t o t h e Asia n st u den t s.

Conflict resolution

Th is topic is n ot dea lt w ith u n til w eek n in e of th e cou r se. We a n ticipa ted th a t “stor m in g” wou ld occu r befor e th en a n d th er efor e we wou ld h ave to tea ch con flict r esolu tion sk ills on a “n eed to k n ow ” ba sis (stor m in g is a sta ge of gr ou p developm en t descr ibed by Tu ck m a n a n d J en sen (1977) wh er e th er e is con flict a n d str u ggle for power, sta tu s a n d a u th or ity). In deed in on e of m y gr ou ps “stor m in g” occu r r ed a t th eir secon d m eetin g. I im m edi-a tely told oth er stedi-a ff m em ber s edi-a s I did n ot w a n t th em to th in k th a t pr oblem s wou ld be

a ttr ibu ted to th em . At th e secon d SAS gr ou p m eetin g two m a le stu den ts h a d n ot co-oper a ted w ith a qu iet fem a le fa cilita tor. Th en a t th e en d of h er wor k sh op th ey gave h er feed-ba ck th a t sh e h a d n ot been a sser tive en ou gh . Th e SAS r epr esen ta tive ca m e to m y office. We discu ssed th e pr oblem a t len gth a n d a fter a cou ple of discu ssion s h e wor k ed ou t a m edia -tion pr ocess w ith wh ich h e felt com for ta ble to con fr on t th e beh aviou r a t th e n ext m eetin g. He a sk ed th e gr ou p to discu ss th r ee m a in qu es-tion s a n d th ey gen er a ted th e follow in g da ta : • Wh a t a r e ou r n eeds?

Good m a r k s, m ot iva t ion , st ay on t a sk , con st r u ct ive cr it icism , en t h u sia st ic pa r t icipa t ion , com m u n ica t ion , h ave fu n , lea r n , con -cen t r a t e.

• Wh a t a r e ou r fea r s?

Con fl ict , bick er in g, r eject ion , fr u st r a t ion , cr it icism , differ en ces, exa m s, fa ilu r e. • Wh a t a r e ou r r esolu t ion s?

E n t h u sia st ic pa r t icipa t ion , n o gr ou pt h in k , m or e effor t , be posit ive, open m in d, en joy, per son a l h ost ilit ies ou t side gr ou p, com m u -n ica t io-n , com pr om ise, -n ew t im e/ ve-n u e, st op com pla in in g, posit ive a t m osph er e. T h ey plot t ed on a sca le of 1-10 in dividu a l per ce pt ion s of t h e follow in g dim en sion s a n d a gr eed t o m on it or ch a n ges:

bein g pr e pa r ed 1 . . . 5 . . . 10

pa r t icipa t ion 1 . . . 5 . . . 10

co-oper a t ion 1 . . . 5 . . . 10

or ga n isa t ion 1 . . . 5 . . . 10

com m u n ica t ion 1 . . . 5 . . . 10

a t t it u de 1 . . . 5 . . . 10 As a r esu lt of t h eir m eet in g t h ey decided t o: • ch a n ge t h eir m eet in g t im e;

• ch a n ge t h eir m eet in g ven u e; • a dopt t h e n a m e “Get Sm a r t ”; • a ll m a k e a n effor t .

T h eir jou r n a ls in dica t ed im pr ovem en t s, t h ou gh a s in r ea l life t h e jou r n ey w a s n ot a lw ays sm oot h .

T h e fem a le st u den t spok e t o m e a n d st a t ed t h a t sh e h a d been ver y h u r t by t h e exper i-en ce. We discu ssed issu es on a few occa sion s. I w a s con cer n ed a bou t h er bu t w a s deligh t ed t o n ot e h er r espon se a t t h e en d:

I a m pr ou d t h a t I w a s a ble t o fi n ish t h e cou r se a n d I t h in k I gr ew a s a r esu lt … I h ave seen im pr ovem en t s in m y a sser t ive-n ess, coive-n fi deive-n ce a ive-n d I u se a lou der voice.

T h is seem s t o su ppor t t h e st a t em en t by F r iedr ich N iet zsch e a s qu ot ed in F r a n k l (1959, p. 82):

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T h e t wo m a le st u den t s h a d m ot iva t ion a l pr oblem s fr om t h e be gin n in g of t h e sem est er. T h ey r ea lly wer e n ot su r e wh y t h ey wer e st u dyin g; a n d t h ey a ppea r ed som ewh a t im m a t u r e a n d t h er efor e seem ed t o w a n t t o be t old w h a t t o do. It w a s exa ct ly t h ese sor t s of st u den t s t h a t we w a n t ed t o get t h r ou gh t o so t h a t t h ey wou ld t a k e m or e r espon sibilit y for t h eir ow n lea r n in g.

We in for m ed st u den t s t h a t if t h ey r a n in t o difficu lt ies in t h eir SAS gr ou ps it wou ld be bet t er t o con fr on t t h em ea r ly on a n d t h a t if t h ey cou ld n ot solve t h em t h en t h ey cou ld a sk t h eir lect u r er for gu ida n ce. In som e gr ou ps, h owever, st u den t s wer e in clin ed t o ign or e dysfu n ct ion a l beh aviou r a n d h ope it wou ld go aw ay.

Dealing with absenteeism

Stu den ts wh o wer e com m itted to in ter -sta te tea m spor tin g en ga gem en ts soon r ea lised th at th ey wou ld n ot be a ble to m a in ta in th e level of com m itm en t n ecessa r y to th eir SAS gr ou p. Th ey tr a n sfer r ed to a n exter n a l m ode of stu dy a n d th e SAS gr ou ps con cer n ed r eor ga n ised th eir r oles. Som e stu den ts welcom ed th e ch a n ce of a secon d ch a n ce to fa cilitate th eir gr ou p.

On e of m y st u den t s w a s in volved in a Cu r t in pr om ot ion excu r sion t o t h e USA. Sh e discu ssed t h is w it h m e a n d h er peer s a n d t h en decided t o see if h er a bsen ce wou ld h ave a n y im pa ct on t h e gr ou p clim a t e. Sh e left h er collea gu es w it h a qu est ion n a ir e wh ich con -t a in ed -t h e follow in g qu es-t ion s:

• Wh a t did you n ot ice a bou t m y a bsen ce? • Wh a t wer e t h e a dva n t a ges a n d disa dva n

-t a ges of m y a bsen ce?

• An y com m en t? Sn ippets of in ter est? Gossip? T h e ext r a in for m a t ion sh e ga in ed w a s w r it -t en u p in h er jou r n a l.

Dealing with latecomers

P u n ct u a lit y t en ds n ot t o be a st u den t for t e. At t h eir fi r st SAS m eet in g, m ost gr ou ps cit ed pu n ct u a lit y a s a desir a ble gr ou p n or m . T h ey soon beca m e ver y im pa t ien t w h en t h eir peer s let t h em dow n . I w a s r a t h er in t er est ed by on e of m y st u den t s wh o w r ot e in h is r e por t :

F r ed, w h o w a s t h e fa cilit a t or t h is week , w a s la t e. “How cou ld h e let u s dow n we m u r -m u r ed?” His bu ddy w a s u pset , bu t a sk ed t o w a it t en m in u t es. We st a r t ed t o get wor r ied, h e h a d n ever don e t h is befor e. E ven t u a lly h e r u sh ed in pa n t in g a n d r ea lly u pset , h is ca r h a d br oken dow n . We listen ed a n d com m iser -ated a n d th en fin ed h im $5 (ou r a gr eed pen a lty of 50 cen t s a m in u t e). Aft er a ll it w a s h is job t o m a in t a in h is ca r t o get t o h er e on t im e.

Dealing with outcasts

In ca se a stu den t w a s expelled fr om a gr ou p for in toler a ble or r epea ted “poor ” beh aviou r we h a d pla n n ed a n a lter n a tive essay a ssign m en t. Th is involved a n a n a lysis of a va r iety of m eth -ods to dea l w ith difficu lt em ployees in ca se a stu den t w a s expelled fr om a gr ou p. We a gr eed a t a sta ff m eetin g th a t th is exer cise w a s on ly to be u sed a s a la st r esor t. We did n ot tell stu -den ts a bou t th is a s we th ou gh t th a t it m igh t en cou r a ge poor beh aviou r by stu den ts wh o cou ld n ot be both er ed to wor k in a tea m . In on e cla ss, two stu den ts wh o h a d r epea tedly ca u sed tr ou ble in th eir SAS gr ou p wer e expelled in week five a n d com pleted th is a ssign m en t.

Transference of learning

T r a n s fer en ce of lea r n in g ca n b e a “h it a n d m is s ” a ffa ir. Som e s t u d en t s cla im t o b e a ble t o lea r n fr om exp er ien ce, yet oft en t h e r efl ec-t ion is s u p er fi cia l a n d ec-t h e lea r n in g ec-t r a n s i-t or y. T r a n s fer en ce w ill n oi-t i-t a k e p la ce u n les s s t u d en t s b ecom e a u t on om ou s in u s in g a s t r a t e gy t o en a ble t h em t o r efl ect d ee p ly a n d m a k e t h eir lea r n in g r ea l. A cen t r a l t h em e of ou r t ea ch in g h a s b een t h e exp er ien t ia l lea r n -in g m od el d evelop ed by Kolb (1984) (F igu r e 4). By con s t a n t ly t a k in g s t u d en t s t h r ou gh t h e fou r s t a ges of t h e m od el a ft er cla s s r oom exer -cis es, w e h op ed t h a t t h ey wou ld con t in u e t o lea r n fr om a n d va lu e t h eir ow n life exp er i-en ces d u r in g t h e r es t of t h eir u n iver s it y life a n d t h eir ca r eer s. St u d en t s q u ick ly m em o-r is ed t h e m n em on ic “E RGA” w h ich s t a n d s for t h e fi r s t let t er s of: E xp er ien ce, Refl ect , Gen er a lis e, Ap p ly. A m od el is m or e lik ely t o b e a p p lied if it ca n b e r eca lled a t w ill. St u -d en t s w er e r eq u ir e-d ea ch w eek t o a p p ly t h e

EXPERIENCE CONCRETE

ACTIVITY

APPLY ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION

REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION

GENERALISE ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALISING

Source: Ko lb (1 9 8 4 ) Figure 4

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m odel t o t h eir SAS m eet in g a n d com plet e a m odifi ed m in d m a p of th e Kolb lea r n in g m odel (F igu r e 5).

Learning log/ creative journal

assignment

Follow i n g t h e Kolb exp er i en t i a l lea r n i n g m od el, s t u d en t s w er e r eq u i r ed t o r eflect on t h ei r exp er i en ces a n d k ee p a lea r n i n g log/ jou r n a l u s i n g a n u m b er of cr ea t ive s t r a t e-gi es.

T h e log en a bled t h em t o r eflect a n d r ecor d : • w h a t t h ey lea r n t a b ou t t h em s elves i n t h e

va r i ou s r oles ;

• w h a t t h ey lea r n t a b ou t ot h er s ;

• h ow t h ey d ea lt w i t h n oi s y a n d q u i et gr ou p m em b er s ;

• h ow t h ey d ea lt w i t h con fli ct ; • h ow t h ey m a n a ged t i m e a n d s t r es s ; • t h e s t a ges of gr ou p d evelop m en t ;

• t h ei r feeli n gs : a n ger, fr u s t r a t i on s, joy s a n d fea r s.

St u d en t s w er e ver y op en i n t h ei r jou r n a l w r i t i n g con s i d er i n g t h ey k n ew t h a t lect u r -er s wou ld b e r ea d i n g t h em . Lect u r -er s h a d t o t a k e ca r e t o r es p ect s t u d en t s ’ p r iva cy a n d i f jou r n a ls w er e b ei n g m a r k ed t h ey w er e r et u r n ed on ly t o t h e ow n er i n p er s on .

At t h e en d of t h e s em es t er, s t u d en t s w er e r eq u i r ed t o w r i t e a for m a l r e p or t d es cr i b i n g t h e a dva n t a ges a n d d i s a dva n t a ge of SAS gr ou p s a n d r ela t e t h i s t o t h ei r r es ea r ch fi n d -i n gs on s em -i -a u t on om ou s wor k gr ou p s -i n t h e li b r a r y.

Som e st u den t s fou n d t h e jou r n a l t ediou s. It a ppea r ed t h a t t h ey wer e n ot u sed t o a ssign -m en t s t h a t r equ ir ed con t in u ou s a t t en t ion .

SAS meetings

T h er e wer e t en SAS m eet in gs (on e pla n n in g m eet in g, eigh t w it h a differ en t fa cilit a t or ea ch week a n d a fi n a l celebr a t ion fi lm m eet -in g). St u den t s wer e given lea r n -in g object ives for ea ch m eet in g in “ORGSBE ”. For t h e fi r st fou r m eet in gs st r u ct u r ed exer cises wer e su pplied; for t h e la st fou r m eet in gs t h e fa cilit a cilit or s wer e a sk ed cilit o develop cilit h eir ow n exer -cises a n d discu ss t h eir idea s w it h t h e lect u r er befor eh a n d. Lect u r er s wer e divided on t h eir a ppr a isa l of t h is sin ce som e st u den t s cr ea t ed excellen t a ct ivit ies wh ile ot h er s sh owed lit t le in it ia t ive. In 1992, we h ave given exer cises in a ll m eet in gs wh ile givin g st u den t s t h e opt ion a n d en cou r a gem en t t o t r y ou t t h eir ow n exer -cises if t h ey w ish .

Mid-semester staf f meeting

At m idsem est er, I gave m y st u den t s a n eva lu -a t ion qu est ion n -a ir e. T h e r esu lt s seem ed qu it e posit ive, t h ou gh t h e m a le st u den t s in t h e SAS gr ou p m en t ion ed ea r lier wer e st ill h avin g som e difficu lt ies a t t im es, t h ou gh t h ey wer e m a k in g a n effor t t o con t r ibu t e t o t h e gr ou p. At t h e m id-sem est er st a ff m eet in g, t h er e wer e m ixed r espon ses fr om st a ff. Som e wer e feelin g a ppr eh en sive. T h er e w a s a sen se t h a t t h e st u den t s st ill h a d n ot fu lly r ea lised wh a t

Apply Re fle c t

Expe rie nc e

Ge ne ralise Topi

c

Aim

Feel Thin

k

Wha t c a

n I a pply

?

How ?

W ha

t d id

I l_ea rn_?

Ob ser_vat

ion_s Ac

tio_ns

Inte nde d Ac tio ns

Whe n?

Wh ere

?

At the e nd o f e ac h SAS wo rksho p, use Ko lb’ s mo de l as a basis fo r a mind map. At a late r date yo u may wish to c o me bac k to the “ Apply” bo x and add yo ur e xpe rie nc e s. Yo u c o uld use this to re fle c t o n inc ide nts at ho me / wo rk/ c o lle ge .

Figure 5

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t h is w a s a ll a bou t . Do n ot t h in k t h a t ou r st a ff m eet in gs wer e ca lm , com pla cen t a ffa ir s. In deed t h er e w a s cer t a in ly n o eviden ce of “gr ou p t h in k ” (J a n is, 1971) a s st a ff r a ised t h eir con cer n s, sh a r ed pr oblem s a n d h ow t h ey h a d solved t h em a n d qu est ion ed w h er e we wer e goin g.

Last SAS meeting

A t en t h m eet i n g w a s p la n n ed t o en a ble t h e SAS gr ou p t o celeb r a t e a n d d i s b a n d . (It a ls o gave s om e flexi b i li t y i n t h e s y s t em i n ca s e a n ext r a wor k s h op w a s n eed ed ). Qu es t i on s w er e given on t h e fi lm Dea d Poets S ociety. T h i s en a bled s t u d en t s t o r ev i s e m a n y of t h e t op i cs i n t h e cou r s e a n d r ei n for ced t h e m es s a ge of a u t on om y w i t h s ay i n gs li k e “Ca r p e d iem : s ei ze t h e d ay ”. M a n y s t u d en t s r e p or t ed t h a t even t h ou gh t h ey h a d s een t h e fi lm b efor e, i t h a d gr ea t i m p a ct on t h ei r t h i n k i n g. M a n y gr ou p s celeb r a t ed w i t h n u m er ou s r efr es h -m en t s p a i d for by t h e a ccu -m u la t i on s i n t h ei r “fi n e b oxes ” (p en a lt i es for b r ea k i n g gr ou p n or m s for p u n ct u a li t y a n d p r e p a r ed n es s ).

Strategies used to encourage

deep learning

Bi ggs a n d Telfer (1987) a n d M a r t on a n d Sla jo (1976) h ave m a d e d i s t i n ct i on s b et w een va r i -ou s t y p es of lea r n i n g. “Dee p ” lea r n i n g i s i n t r i n s i ca lly m ot iva t ed , w h er e s t u d en t s t r y t o u n d er s t a n d t h e m ea n i n g of t h ei r wor k . “Su r fa ce” lea r n i n g t en d s t o b e ext er n a lly m ot iva t ed a n d s t u d en t s t en d t o a s s u m e a m em or i s i n g or r e p r od u ct ive lea r n i n g s t r a t -e gy. “Ach i -ev-em -en t ” l-ea r n i n g i s b a s -ed on h i gh a s p i r a t i on s a n d s t u d en t s a d op t ei t h er or b ot h of t h e a b ove s t r a t e gi es a n d t r y t o m a k e t h e b es t u s e of t h ei r t i m e a n d s t u dy s k i lls.

Wa t k i n s a n d H a t t i e (1985) i n d i ca t e t h a t s u r fa ce a p p r oa ch es w er e m os t fr eq u en t ly u s ed s u cces s fu lly a t p r i m a r y a n d s econ d a r y level a n d t h a t few s t u d en t s fou n d i t n eces -s a r y t o m od i fy t h ei r -s t r a t e gi e-s a t u n iver -s i t y level. Bi ggs (1982) r e p or t ed t h a t u n iver s i t y s t u d en t s w er e m or e li k ely t o u s e a d ee p a n d / or a ch i ev i n g a p p r oa ch t h a n s t u d en t s fr om colle ges of a dva n ced ed u ca t i on . M a n y of ou r M P 152 s t u d en t s w er e fa ci n g t h e n eed t o ch a n ge t o “d ee p ” lea r n i n g for t h e fi r s t t i m e, s o i t i s t o b e exp ect ed t h a t s om e w i ll fi n d i t d i ffi cu lt or n ot u n d er s t a n d t h e r a t i o-n a le b eh i o-n d t h e ch a o-n ge.

As on e st u den t com m en t ed:

I t h ou gh t SAS gr ou ps wer e in t r odu ced so lect u r er s didn ’t h ave t o do so m u ch wor k .

St r a t e gies wh ich wer e u sed t o en cou r a ge dee p r a t h er t h a n su r fa ce lea r n in g in clu ded: • T h e lea r n in g log/ crea tiv e jou r n a l. St u den t s

wer e a sk ed t o r efl ect on t h eir ow n lea r n -in g/ lea r n -in g pr ocesses a n d m et a cogn it ion on a n on goin g ba sis.

• M in d m a p p in g stra tegies. St u den t s wer e t a u gh t t o m in d m a p in or der t o en cou r a ge t h em t o see t h e wh ole pict u r e a n d m a k e con n ect ion s bet ween con ce pt s a n d t h eir ow n idea s.

• S A S g r ou p s. St u den t s wer e en cou r a ged t o t a k e r espon sibilit y for t h eir ow n lea r n in g; gen er a t ion a n d m a in t en a n ce of gr ou p n or m s.

• Peer g r ou p fa cilita tion . St u den t s soon r ea lised t h a t t h ey h a d t o be com plet elya u fa it w it h a t opic befor e t h ey cou ld fa cilit a t e a n a ct ivit y on it .

• Peer ev a lu a tion a n d feed b a ck . St u den t s wer e t a u gh t h ow t o give t h e fa cilit a t or posi-t ive a n d con sposi-t r u cposi-t ive/ ch a n ge feedba ck a fposi-t er t h e SAS wor k sh op.

• Defi n ition s. St u den t s wer e en cou r a ged t o w r it e defi n it ion s of con ce pt s in t h eir ow n wor ds.

• E x p er ien ces. St u den t s wer e en cou r a ged t o t a k e pr ide in a n d u se t h eir ow n exper ien ces in t h eir jou r n a l a n d r e por t . T h ese exper i-en ces wer e t h i-en com pa r ed t o m odels a n d t h eor ies.

• Pr oblem solv in g. St u den t s wer e t a u gh t t o expect som e pr oblem s in gr ou ps a s “n or -m a l” a n d en cou r a ged t o pla n t o pr even t t h em occu r r in g or if t h ey did t o t a k e a ct ion t o solve t h em .

• F ilm a n a lysis. Ob s er va t i on lea r n i n g of t h e Dea d Poet’s S ocietyi n volved s t u d en t s i n s eei n g t h e d i ffer en ce b et w een d ee p a n d s u r fa ce lea r n i n g exa m p les i n t h e s ch ool a n d i n a t ea ch er w h o en cou r a ged s t u d en t s t o t h i n k for t h em s elves a n d t a k e p r i d e i n t h ei r ow n w r i t i n g, d r ea m s a n d goa ls.

Attitude change

T h er e w a s a ch a n ge i n t h e a t t i t u d e of s om e s t u d en t s a s t h e s em es t er p r ogr es s ed . In m y cla s s I ob s er ved a d i s t i n ct n oi s e of “p en n i es d r op p i n g” la t er i n w eek eleven w h en w e r ela t ed s em i -a u t on om ou s s t u dy gr ou p s t o s em i -a u t on om ou s wor k gr ou p s a n d or ga n i s a t i on a l ch a n ge. On e s t u d en t com m en t ed i n a m i d s em es t er eva lu a t i on q u es -t i on n a i r e:

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On e st u den t w r ot e in h er r e por t :

Oh ! It ’s daw n in g on m e a s I w r it e t h e r e por t – we wer e livin g t h e t h eor y, livin g a s SAS-SAW gr ou ps.

As a r esu lt of t h e SAS gr ou ps I h ave m a de som e sign ifi ca n t per son a l ch a n ges; I gave u p dr in k in g; t r y n ot t o be so ou t spok en ; sh a r e m y dee per feelin gs.

An even in g st u den t com m en t ed: In it ia lly I w a s ver y sce pt ica l of t h e SAS gr ou p sit u a t ion . I t h ou gh t t h e sit u a t ion w a s t oo con t r ived t o a ccu r a t ely sim u la t e a r ea lis-t ic office/ wor k silis-t u a lis-t ion . Alis-t lis-t h is slis-t a ge of lis-t h e cou r se, week 8, I fi n d t h e SAS gr ou p of in cr ea sin g ben efi t a n d look for w a r d t o t h em . T h e r ea son s for t h is a r e:

• n igh t / P T st u den t s do n ot u su a lly h ave a s m u ch com m u n ica t ion w it h t h eir fellow st u den t s;

• gr ou p sit u a t ion h elps u s iden t ify ot h er people’s pr oblem s a n d discu ss ou r ow n ; • com m on goa l – t o a ch ieve a h igh m a r k ; • th e m ix of per son a lities a n d a ttitu des h elp

u s appr eciate ou r in dividu a lities w ith in th e gr ou p; a n d a pply th e th eor y we a r e lea r n in g.

End of semester student evaluation

findings

At t h e en d of sem est er t wo, a n eva lu a t ion qu est ion n a ir e w a s dist r ibu t ed. St a ff wer e a sk ed t o a dm in ist er t h e qu est ion n a ir e a t t h e la st cla ss. In a ll, 716 st u den t s wer e en r olled in t er n a lly a t Cu r t in a t t h e en d of sem est er, 679 sa t t h e exa m . A t ot a l of 476 qu est ion n a ir es wer e com plet ed a n d a n swer s t o qu est ion on e a n d fi ve wer e col-la t ed on t h e w h ole sa m ple. T h e su m m a r y of a n swer s t o qu est ion on e a r e su m m a r ised in Ta ble II. Re ga r din g t h e open -en ded qu est ion s, a r a n dom sa m ple of 42 per cen t wer e colla t ed.

Key learning from SAS groups

Th e follow in g sta tistics r ela te to th e sa m ple. P lea se n ote th a t som e stu den ts gave m or e th a n on e r ea son , oth er s did n ot give a n y r ea son . • 72 per cen t : bein g a m em ber of a n SAS gr ou p

en a bled u s t o lea r n a bou t gr ou p dyn a m ics. • 27 per cen t : m et w ide cr oss-sect ion of people;

lea r n t t o a ppr ecia t e ot h er people’s poin t s of view.

• 10 per cen t : lea r n t a bou t a u t on om ou s lea r n -in g a n d t a k -in g r espon sibilit y for self-m ot i-va t ion .

• 6 per cen t : did n ot give r ea son s. Com m en t s in clu ded:

I fou n d ou t h ow h a r d it is t o r u n a n d pr e pa r e a m eet in g a s fa cilit a t or.

T h e t h in gs I lea r n t in 152 w ill st ay w it h m e for t h e r est of m y life.

I lea r n t a lot . It gave m e a n ew in sigh t in t o m a n a gem en t t h a t I h aven ’t seen befor e. T h is u n it is gea r ed for life ou t side u n iver sit y. It pu t t h e st u den t s in ch a r ge of ou r lea r n in g a n d it feels gr ea t ! I lea r n t m or e in t h e SAS gr ou p t h a n in cla ss.

T h e best w ay t o st u dy OB is t o a ct u a lly be pa r t of a m in i-or ga n isa t ion . SAS gr ou ps gave u s t h is oppor t u n it y.

Disadvantage of SAS groups

• 29 per cen t : t oo t im e con su m in g. • 18 per cen t : t oo disor ga n ised a n d/ or

in for m a l.

• 38 per cen t : let dow n a t t im es by in dividu a ls beca u se of a bsen t eeism , in su fficien t in pu t a n d feedba ck a n d/ or gr ou pt h in k a n d avoid-a n ce of con fr on t in g gr ou p pr oblem s. • 5 per cen t : m a de t h e wor k loa d t oo h eavy. • 8 per cen t : did n ot give a r ea son .

Com m en t s in clu ded:

P r oba bly som e gr ou pt h in k w it h som e m em -ber s wh o don ’t w a n t t o r ock t h e boa t . Som et im es w h en t h e SAS gr ou p is ou t t o h ave fu n m or e t h a n a lea r n in g pr ocess – n o on e t a k es t h in gs ser iou sly a t t im es.

Main learning goals from

lecturers’ perspective

St u den t s wer e a sk ed w h a t t h ey t h ou gh t wer e t h e goa ls of SAS gr ou ps fr om t h eir lect u r er s’ per spect ive.

• 36 per cen t : lect u r er s w a n t ed u s t o pa r t ici-pa t e in exper ien t ia l lea r n in g so t h a t t h ey cou ld r ela t e m a n a gem en t a n d gr ou p t h eor y t o t h e r ea l wor ld.

• 27 per cen t : gr ou p sk ills, i.e. pa r t icipa t ion , fa cilit a t ion et c.

• 10 per cen t : h elp t h em lea r n self-m ot iva t ion , a u t on om y a n d r espon sibilit y.

• 4 per cen t : a pply a n ew t ea ch in g t ech n iqu e. • 14 per cen t : a ch ieve cou r se goa ls.

• 3 per cen t : ot h er. • 7 per cen t : n o a n swer.

Reactions if asked to participate in

group work in future

T h e st a ff wer e in t er est ed t o fi n d ou t if t h e SAS gr ou p exper ien ce wou ld in fl u en ce st u -den t s’ r ea ct ion s wh en con fr on t ed w it h gr ou p wor k in t h e fu t u r e. Of t h e t ot a l 476 r espon ses: 1 69 per cen t r e plied t h a t t h ey wou ld be pr

e-pa r ed t o e-pa r t icie-pa t e in gr ou p wor k lik e t h is in t h e fu t u r e. Rea son s given wer e: • 25 per cen t : it w a s a posit ive, m ot iva t in g

w ay t o lea r n .

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• 6 per cen t: th ey cou ld sh a r e idea s, th e wor k loa d, m u tu a l h elp a n d r espon sibility. • 6 per cen t : m et n ew people a n d m a de

lon g-t er m fr ien ds.

• 4 per cen t: lea r n t a sser tiven ess, bu ilt con fi-den ce a n d lea r n t com m u n ication s sk ills. 2 22 per cen t r e plied n e ga t ively. T h e t wo

m a jor r ea son s given wer e: • 20 per cen t : pr efer t o wor k a lon e.

• 10 per cen t : did n ot en joy t h e exper ien ce; pr efer m or e or t h odox a ppr oa ch . • 20 per cen t : SAS gr ou ps a r e t oo t im e

con su m in g.

• 3 per cen t : n ot a ppr opr ia t e t o a ll u n it s. Rea son s given in clu ded:

• ea sier goin g t o lect u r es a n d t a k in g n ot es; • t h e gr ou p w a st ed t im e ch a t t in g;

• t oo dem a n din g.

T h e m a jor it y of st u den t s w h o r e plied n e ga -t ively expla in ed -t h a -t -t h ey pr efer r ed -t o wor k a lon e. Som e st u den t s per ceived t h ey wer e m or e “a u t on om ou s” w h en t h ey st u died a lon e wh er ea s lect u r in g st a ff h a d a br oa der m ea n -in g of t h is con ce pt . On e st u den t clea r ly saw t h e peer com m it m en t a s a pr oblem :

I pr efer t o k n ow befor eh a n d wh a t ea ch lec-t u r e/ m eelec-t in g in volves so if I decide lec-t o sk ip ilec-t or I’m sick , I ca n ca t ch u p m yself. In a n SAS gr ou p, if you ’r e n ot t h er e you a r e u n a ble t o lea r n t h e a ct ivit ies a n d you a lso let dow n t h e ot h er gr ou p m em ber s by n ot bein g pr esen t by r edu cin g gr ou p in pu t a n d pa r t icipa t ion .

An ot h er com m en t ed:

I h ave been con dit ion ed t o st u dy n or m a lly a n d t h a t ’s w h a t wor k s for m e. Aft er t wen t y yea r s wh y do you w a n t m e t o ch a n ge n ow ? Table II

SAS gro ups – summary statistic s. To tal sample : 4 7 6 surve ys

Agree Disagree Unsure/ DK

Self No. (%) No. (%) No. (%)

Learnt more about myself 3 5 8 [7 5 ] 5 6 [1 2 ] 6 2 [1 3 ]

M ade new friends 4 5 3 [9 5 ] 1 3 [3 ] 1 0 [2 ]

Learnt more about old friends 1 9 0 [4 0 ] 1 7 4 [3 6 ] 1 1 2 [2 4 ]

Felt at risk at first 2 8 9 [6 1 ] 1 3 8 [2 9 ] 4 9 [1 0 ]

Learnt to speak up in a group 3 5 6 [7 5 ] 8 0 [1 7 ] 4 0 [8 ]

Can remember experiential exercises more easily 3 1 3 [6 7 ] 7 0 [1 5 ] 9 3 [2 0 ]

Learnt to further develop trust in other students 2 9 4 [6 2 ] 7 6 [1 6 ] 1 0 6 [2 2 ]

Learnt to facilitate a group 3 9 2 [8 3 ] 4 0 [8 ] 4 4 [9 ]

I took responsibility for my own learning 3 8 0 [8 0 ] 4 0 [8 ] 5 6 [1 2 ]

Relate organisational behaviour theories to real world 2 9 2 [6 1 ] 8 0 [1 7 ] 1 0 4 [2 2 ]

Group behaviour/ other

Learnt about people I wouldn’t normally be exposed to 3 7 7 [7 9 ] 6 3 [1 3 ] 3 6 [8 ]

Learnt about group behaviour 4 3 4 [9 1 ] 2 6 [6 ] 1 6 [3 ]

M ixed with students from different cultures 3 5 0 [7 4 ] 1 0 6 [2 2 ] 2 0 [4 ]

Showed up immature students 1 6 4 [3 4 ] 2 0 9 [4 4 ] 1 0 3 [2 2 ]

Watched power struggles 1 5 0 [3 2 ] 2 4 8 [5 2 ] 7 8 [1 6 ]

Saw how my behaviour affects others 3 0 6 [6 4 ] 6 7 [1 4 ] 1 0 3 [2 2 ]

M ixed with students of different age groups 4 7 5 [9 9 .8 ] 0 [0 ] 1 [0 .2 ]

Confront people exhibiting dysfunctional behaviour 1 9 2 [4 0 ] 1 2 2 [2 6 ]

Fun 1 6 2 [3 4 ] 0 [0 ] 1 [0 .2 ]

Chance to observe different personalities 4 7 5 [9 9 .8 ] 7 [1 ] 7 [1 ]

Gave me experience in dealing with contact 1 5 0 [3 2 ] 6 7 [1 4 ]

Deal with people with dominating personalities 1 6 2 [3 4 ] 0 [0 ] 1 [0 .2 ]

Others took responsibility for their own learning 2 5 9 [5 4 ] 5 5 [1 2 ] 1 1 5 [2 4 ]

Learnt to include quiet people 4 7 5 [9 9 .8 ] 0 [0 ] 1 [0 .2 ]

3 0 6 [6 4 ] 4 7 5 [9 9 .8 ]

Task/ organisation

Unorthodox/ unusual way of learning 3 4 8 [7 3 ] 7 3 [1 5 ] 5 5 [1 2 ]

Learnt to be task oriented 3 5 9 [7 5 ] 6 0 [1 3 ] 5 7 [1 2 ]

Learnt to manage myself 3 4 2 [7 2 ] 8 1 [1 7 ] 5 3 [1 1 ]

Learnt to manage ourselves 3 4 1 [7 2 ] 5 8 [1 2 ] 7 7 [1 6 ]

Gave me experience in planning 3 6 4 [7 6 ] 6 6 [1 4 ] 4 6 [1 0 ]

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Yet a n ot h er r e plied:

I pr efer “for m a l” lea r n in g, a lt h ou gh it m ay be bor in g.

On e’s lea r n in g sh ou ld on ly be de pen den t on on eself, n ot on ot h er s.

SAS gr ou ps t ook u p a gr ea t a m ou n t of m y t im e; I’ve got ot h er u n it s t o t a k e ca r e of. N ot su bst a n t ive; t oo u n r ea l!!

Fou n d it bor in g.

3 9 per cen t r e plied t h a t t h ey wer e n ot su r e. Rea son s given wer e:

• it wou ld de pen d on h ow well t h e u n it w a s or ga n ised;

• it wou ld de pen d on t h e people I w a s w it h . Com m en t s in clu ded:

It de pen ds on t h e or ga n isa t ion of t h e u n it . T h is u n it w a s pr oper ly or ga n ised, bu t I ca n see m a jor pr oblem s wh er e or ga n isa t ion is n ot st a n da r d.

It de pen ds on w h a t t h e u n it w a s a n d w h o w a s in t h e gr ou p. I fou n d it difficu lt t o en joy it w it h people m u ch older t h a n m e.

I’m u n su r e bu t du e t o MP 152 I h ave becom e m or e lik ely t o en joy it . In ot h er wor ds I h ave en joyed SAS gr ou ps m or e h er e t h a n in ot h er en vir on m en t s.

Student choice as SAS members

Stu den t r espon ses wer e con tr a dictor y h er e. Wh er e a stu den t wor k ed w ith fr ien ds a n d th ey stayed on ta sk , th ey r ecom m en ded stayin g w ith fr ien ds. Wh er e th ey wor k ed w ith fr ien ds bu t fr equ en tly wen t in to “fl igh t” m ode, i.e. by ch a ttin g or socia lisin g th ey r ecom m en ded tea m in g u p w ith str a n ger s. Stayin g on ta sk , h owever, w a s ever ybody’s r espon sibility. 1 49 per cen t com m en t ed t h a t lect u r er s

sh ou ld a lloca t e gr ou ps sin ce:

• in t h e r ea l wor ld you do n ot ch oose you r cowor k er s;

• it gives t h e oppor t u n it y t o m eet n ew people;

• fr ien ds t en d t o st ick t oget h er a n d a r e n ot pr odu ct ive.

2 42 per cen t r e plied t h a t st u den t s sh ou ld ch oose t h eir ow n gr ou ps sin ce: • it wou ld fu n ct ion bet t er ;

• fr eedom of ch oice a s a du lt s a n d m or e r espon sibilit y;

• cou ld lea d t o r esen t m en t .

3 8 per cen t wer e u n decided or did n ot com m en t .

On e yea r a go som e OB lect u r er s t r ied a lloca t in g st u den t s in t o t ea m s for gr ou p wor k ; h ow -ever, over a ll, we decided a ga in st it a s if a n d/ or wh en “t h in gs” wen t w r on g st u den t s wer e qu ick t o bla m e t h e lect u r er for pu t t in g t h em w it h a “ba d” gr ou p.

Words of advice to the next SAS

group

T h er e wer e m a n y wor ds of a dvice:

1 36 per cen t : get fu lly in volved; t h e m or e you pu t in t o it t h e m or e you get ou t of it . 2 18 per cen t : k ee p t h e lea r n in g log u p t o

da t e, do n ot fa ll beh in d.

3 16 per cen t : select gr ou ps ca r efu lly. 4 12 per cen t : sor t ou t con fl ict s ea r ly; ch eck

gr ou p n or m s; m a k e you r gr ou p wor k . 5 10 per cen t : pr e pa r a t ion w a s t h e k ey, a lw ays

r ea d t h e ch a pt er befor e t h e SAS m eet in g.

Standards of overall results

In com pa r in g t h e over a ll r esu lt s bet ween Sem est er 2, 1990, a n d Sem est er 2, 1991, t h er e wer e in t er est in g fi n din gs. N o exa m qu est ion s focu sed solely on SAS gr ou ps a s t h is wou ld h ave been u n fa ir t o cou n t r y, Su n w ay a n d AIUS st u den t s. Ma n y st u den t s, h owever, u sed exa m ples fr om t h eir SAS exper ien ce t o a n swer essay qu est ion s a n d t h e ca se st u dy. T h e r esu lt s wer e a s follow s:

• 1990: 86 per cen t pa ssed; n on e defer r ed. • 1991: 84 per cen t pa ssed; 2 per cen t t ook a n d

pa ssed defer r ed exa m s.

T h er e a ppea r s t o be a gr ow in g t r en d in st u -den t st u dy m a n a gem en t t o get a m edica l cer t ifi ca t e a n d a sk for a defer r ed exa m . T h r ee per cen t wer e pu t on h old or w it h dr ew in bot h yea r s.

Of t h ose t h a t pa ssed t h er e w a s a n im pr ove-m en t in ove-m a r k s:

• 1990: 41 per cen t of t h ose w h o pa ssed obt a in ed gr a de 7 or over.

• 1991: 49 per cen t of t h ose w h o pa ssed obt a in ed gr a de 7 or over.

Financial gains

T h e p a r t -t i m e lect u r i n g bu d get for Sem es t er 2 wou ld n or m a lly b e $26,215. T h e SAS i n n o-va t i on b r ou gh t a s av i n g of $6,140. T h er e w a s a ls o a s av i n g i n fu ll-t i m e lect u r er s ’ cla s s con t a ct t i m e, t h ou gh I t h i n k t h i s i n n ova t i on clea r ly t ook u p t h a t i n i t i a l “s aved ” t i m e.

Unexpected outcomes

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End of semester staf f meeting

P r ofessor Geoff Sou ta r, th e h ea d of depa r tm en t, m a de a n open in g a ddr ess a n d con gr a tu la ted sta ff on th eir in itiative a n d en ter pr ise. After h e left we discu ssed th e plu ses, m in u ses a n d in ter -estin g poin ts abou t th e SAS in n ovation . We deba ted th e sequ en ce of topics a n d con cepts a n d m a n y su ggestion s wer e m a de for n ext sem ester. Most of th ese su ggestion s h ave been ca r r ied for w a r d a n d, in 1992, sta ff a n d stu den ts decide on a n ew text.

Personal observations

In a ddit ion t o t h ese fi n din gs I wou ld lik e t o a dd m y per son a l obser va t ion s:

• Sem i-a u t on om ou s wor k gr ou ps do n ot m ea n less wor k for st a ff. In dir ect ly, a t lea st a t t h e be gin n in g, t h ey r equ ir e a gr ea t dea l m or e effor t , sk ills, co-oper a t ion a n d m u t u a l qu es-t ion in g a n d su ppor es-t .

• St u den t s wh o t im e t a bled t h eir SAS m eet -in gs for m id even -in g r e por t ed sign ifi ca n t loss of con cen t r a t ion t h e n ext day. • P a r t -t im e even in g st u den t s fr equ en t ly

opt ed t o h ave t h eir SAS m eet in g on t h e sa m e n igh t a s t h eir t wo-h ou r wor k sh op w it h t h eir lect u r er. T h is w a s t h eir decision ; h owever, it fr equ en t ly m ea n t a ver y t ir in g even in g.

• St u den t s wh o h a d m a n y t ea m spor t in g com m it m en t s du r in g t h e sem est er qu ick ly t r a n sfer r ed t o ext er n a l st u dy m ode w h en t h ey r ea lised t h a t t h ey cou ld n ot k ee p u p w it h t h eir SAS gr ou p com m it m en t s.

Developments in Semester 1, 1992

Modifi ca t ion s ba sed on obser va t ion s a n d eva lu a t ion s a r e a lr ea dy in pla ce for t h e com -in g sem est er :

• Ta s Bedfor d w ill be im plem en t in g som e of t h ese st r a t e gies w it h ext er n a l or ga n isa -t ion a l beh aviou r s-t u den -t s wh o w ill be in volved w it h in t er a ct ive t ele ph on e con fer -en cin g in Sem est er 1, 1992.

• St u den t s w ill be in t r odu ced t o t h e con ce pt s of “dee p”, “su r fa ce” a n d “a ch ievem en t ” lea r n in g.

• St u den t s w ill be a sk ed t o set goa ls a n d est i-m a t e t h eir en d of sei-m est er i-m a r k t h ey a r e a im in g t o a ch ieve. Lect u r er s w ill com pa r e t h is t o t h e fi n a l r esu lt s.

• A n ew t ext w ill be ch osen for Sem est er 2, 1992.

• Im pr ovem en t s h ave been m a de t o t h e layou t a n d con t en t of “ORGSBE ” in clu din g clea r er jou r n a l gu idelin es. T h e r e por t com pon en t h a s been sh or t en ed. F u r t h er jou r n a l w r it in g st r a t e gies w ill be developed in 1992 (Holly, 1984; Mu m for d, 1987; P r ogoff, 1975;

Ra in er, 1980). T h e feedba ck sh eet t h a t st u -den t s give t h e fa cilit a t or ea ch week h a s been im pr oved t o en a ble st u den t s t o give m or e det a iled a n d con st r u ct ive feedba ck . • A video sh ow in g la st sem est er ’s st u den t s fa cilit a t in g a n SAS gr ou p w ill be sh ow n a t t h e be gin n in g of t h e sem est er. It is h oped t h a t t h is w ill speed u p t h e u n der st a n din g of con ce pt s t h a t a r e n ew t o st u den t s.

• A video sh ow in g t r a ck ga n gs wor k in g a s sem i-a u t on om ou s wor k gr ou ps a t West r a il w ill be sh ow n in week 11 w h en t h e t opic of job/ or ga n isa t ion a l design is cover ed. • Sta ff in cou n tr y cen tr es a n d Su n w ay w ill be

n otified of th e ch a n ges in cou r se str u ctu r e. Wh er e possible in du ction w ill ta k e pla ce du r in g Sem ester 1, wh en cou n tr y sta ff m em -ber s com e to Per th or th r ou gh “P ictu r eTel” in ter a ctive video. In som e cou n tr y cen tr es, cla ss sizes m ay be too sm a ll to a llow th e for m a tion of m or e th a n on e SAS gr ou p.

Conclusion

SAS gr ou ps h ave n ow been su ccessfu lly u sed ever y sem est er u p u n t il t h e pr esen t , i.e 1996. Sin ce t h e t im e of w r it in g t h is a r t icle docu -m en t in g t h e in it ia t ion of t h e pr oject so-m e ch a n ges h ave been m a de t o t h e over a ll u n it design by Pedigo a n d Hedges (1994, 1996), n a m ely:

• T h e in t r odu ct ion of por t folios in m id-1992 t o u n it e SAS gr ou p m em ber s in a su per or di-n a t e goa l a di-n d t o r ew a r d a gr ou p pr oject a t t h e en d of t h e u n it . It w a s obser ved t h a t ea ch SAS gr ou p w a s u n iqu e a n d t h e idea of a por t folio w a s t o give a gr ou p m a r k t o u n it e t h e m em ber s r igh t u p u n t il t h e en d of sem est er w it h a com m on pu r pose. T h e por t folio in clu des a n y docu m en t s t h a t r e p-r esen t t h e SAS gp-r ou p. E a ch gp-r ou p pp-r esen t s t h eir da t a t o t h e r est of t h e cla ss a t t h e la st lect u r e. Por t folios in clu de per son a l st or ies, pict u r es, ca r t oon s m in d m a ps, video clips. T h is in n ova t ion h a s been ver y su ccessfu l a n d gr ea t fu n !

• T h e r edu ct ion in size of SAS gr ou ps t o six in st ea d of eigh t pa r t icipa n t s in 1996 t o sim -plify t h e gr ou p dyn a m ics.

T h e r es u lt s of t h i s i n n ova t i on a n d t h e over -a ll r e-a ct i on s of s t u d en t s -a n d s t -a ff -a r e en cou r a gi n g. A s i gn i fi ca n t n u m b er of s t u -d en t s i n -d i ca t e-d t h a t t h e SAS exp er i en ce w a s wor t h w h i le, con t r i bu t ed t o t h ei r lea r n i n g a b ou t m a n a gem en t a n d p r a ct i ca l gr ou p s k i lls d evelop m en t a n d h elp ed t h em m a k e fr i en d s.

St u den t com m en t :

Top m a r k s!!! Wh y don ’t you t ell ot h er lect u r -er s a bou t it ?

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Videos

S A S Gr ou p s(1991), pr odu ced by Clive J on es a n d Ch r ist in e Hoga n w it h t h a n k s t o SAS st u den t s wh o volu n t eer ed t h eir ser vices, Cu r t in Bu si-n ess Sch ool, Cu r t isi-n Usi-n iver sit y of Tech si-n ology, Per t h .

Westra il Work Ga n gs: S em i-a u ton om ou s W ork Gr ou p s in A ction(1992), pr odu ced by Clive J on es a n d Ch r ist in e Hoga n w it h t h a n k s t o Cess Pea r son a n d West r a il em ployees, Cu r t in Bu sin ess Sch ool, Cu r t in Un iver sit y of Tech -n ology, Per t h .