Group Projects

[Lime]

What would be the morally right thing to do if your group members don't complete their part of a group project or blow it off (as in making stuff up and trying to pass it as actual, correct work)?

Nobody should have to do forced, unpaid labor that they had no choice in accepting, and yet at the same time it seems cruel to leave your classmates in the dust.

[Ky]

Do the work you are assigned, if not more. Then explain the situation to them and ask for a separate grade.

[Lime]

Ha, when I tried to do that they accused me of being a dick and ruining their grades. Personally, I don't see how they have anyone but themselves to blame. The teacher will look at the project regardless of what I say.

I must say that it did seem like a bit of an asshole move though. I complained to a friend afterwards and he recommended that I confront my group members instead of blasting them in front of the teacher. I feel like he was sincerely trying to help, but such actions seem unlikely to have worked after previous meetings resulted in aforementioned students brushing the matter off as unimportant.

[brainiac3397]

Do your best and get a wonderful grade. Now they owe you one. If they refuse, explain to the teacher their lack of cooperation.

Duh...its in the first pages of "The Art of Manipulation" in the beginners section. Its practicality win-win in most cases(you win a good grade and you win favors for helping others get the grade, and if they refuse to give favors, you win the opportunity to blast their grades to kingdom come)

Note:When I say they owe you one, try not to make it sound like the whole purpose was to have them owe you one but rather just an outcome of you deciding to take on the whole load. It will make them less likely to feel screwed over thouh subtley be aware of it. Let them owe you one, dont make them owe you one(though that was a goal you hoped to achieve).

[xcriteria]

Lime, that's a real dilemma. I'd suggest (if it seems feasible) discussing the issue with your groupmates in those terms.

Ask them about their feelings about school, get meta and philosophical, express your own conflict over whether to even do the project, then, maybe present it as an interesting activity, like Tom Sawyer Whitewashing the Fence

What kind of project is it, anyway?

[Lime]

The project was already done.

The teacher had set up guidelines that we were supposed to follow, and my group ended up not doing any of that. When I asked about it, they simply responded that it didn't matter (and then proceeded to bitch about how I ruined it for them afterwards, even though it supposedly "didn't matter").

[Dead]

Usually when I've had to do group projects, everyone got graded individually, so it didn't really matter what anyone else in the group did.