Should unis ditch group assignments?

2026-02-26 · Source: Artificial intelligence (AI) – The Conversation · Field: Education & Learning — Academic Research & Higher Education, Skill Development & Professional Training, Educational Technology (EdTech) · Depth: Intermediate, quick

Summary

Federal Opposition education spokesperson Julian Leeser has called for Australian universities to eliminate group assignments, arguing they are "unfair" and "cheapen" degrees because one student often carries the workload while others benefit. However, this perspective overlooks the practical and pedagogical value of group work. Universities utilize group assignments not only for efficiency in marking, especially in large courses, but also because they are often mandated by accreditation standards in fields like health professions, where interprofessional practice is critical. Furthermore, group assignments cultivate essential communication, collaboration, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and planning skills, collectively known as "co-regulated learning," which are crucial for modern workplaces and a functioning society, particularly as digital devices and generative AI threaten to diminish these human capabilities.

Key takeaway

For university administrators and curriculum designers evaluating assessment strategies, eliminating group assignments would be a misstep. Your focus should instead be on enhancing and improving group tasks to better recognize the "co-regulated learning" and negotiation phases, ensuring fair assessment of effort. This approach will cultivate critical interpersonal skills increasingly vital in an AI-driven world, rather than diminishing them.

Key insights

Group assignments are vital for developing essential collaboration and co-regulated learning skills necessary for modern workplaces.

Principles

• Collaboration is a core professional competency.
• Co-regulated learning builds crucial life skills.

In practice

• Integrate interprofessional practice into curricula.
• Design assessments recognizing negotiation phases.
• Emphasize human-centric skills in AI era.

Topics

• University Assessment Methods
• Collaboration Skills
• Generative AI Impact
• Co-regulated Learning
• Social Loafing

Best for: Policy Maker, AI Ethicist, Research Scientist

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Artificial intelligence (AI) – The Conversation.