Group Projects for First-year University Students: an evaluation

During the academic year 1992-93, Level 1 students in the biosciences were required to carry out group projects over a two-week period. A class of 120 students, divided into groups of four, was given one of three projects, the assessment of which contributed to their final end-of-semester marks. Students' views of the projects were assessed using a comprehensive questionnaire. The issues addressed include (1) student perceptions of project work; (2) student perceptions of working as part of a small team/group; (3) student perceptions of skills attained during the course of the group project work. The results of this study indicate positive outcomes from such practical work.