10 Questions for Group Evaluations

At the end of a group project, you may be asked to rate your contribution and your group members’ contributions. It is a great way to reflect on and evaluate what you and your group members have produced. Sometimes in groups, it can be easy to point the finger and state who feel short of their role and responsibilities. It is also important to look at your contributions, how well you worked with others, and did you do your best in the role you were given and with the responsibilities that were assigned to you.

Here are a few questions you may be asked about your performance in the group:

1. Did you reach out to group members as soon as you were placed in a group? - It is crucial to reach out to your group members as soon as you have been assigned to a group. This helps you to get the ball rolling on your project and it also establishes the role and responsibilities of each group member.
2. Did you participate in planning and developing the project? - Participation is key to any successful group. Participation includes voicing your opinions, making suggestions, giving feedback, and most importantly, working on the project to make it a success. Did you take an active role in the project or did you sit back and let others do the bulk of the work?
3. Did you communicate effectively with your group members? - Communication is key to any successful group. For example, ask questions, voice your concerns or talk to group members about your progress in your assigned role. We all have other responsibilities in our lives and communicating your schedule conflicts etc. is a great way to get advice and help, if necessary. 
4. Did you show interest and enthusiasm in the group project? - Interest and enthusiasm are sometimes not there for a certain topic or group assignment. However, interest and enthusiasm can be displayed in other ways such as being invested in completing a successful project.
5. Did you participate in discussions concerning the project? - There are bound to be group discussions and sometimes even voting on different ideas. Did you participate or show a lack of interest. Your participation counts and your voice counts. Therefore, ensure you participate in every phase of your project.
6. Did you have a supportive and cooperative relationship throughout the group project? - You may be in a group with people you do not know and after working with them you may know them better and form lasting relationships. It is important to support your group members and cooperate with them. However, if there is something that you do not agree with, please voice your concerns. This does not make you any less supportive or cooperative, especially if is to help your group members grow and perform better at their task.
7. Were you respectful of group members’ ideas and opinions? - Respect is very important. There is no place for being rude or disrespectful to your group members. When they have voiced their ideas or opinions, if you do not agree, there is a nice and respectful way to let them know. Remember to show others the respect that you would want to be shown to you.
8. Did you begin and end the project in a timely manner? - Working in groups gives you the opportunity to work on your time management skills. You will be working with everyone's different schedules so it is imperative to schedule tasks in a timely manner that will allow you to meet your deadline. That is why it is important to start early.
9. Did you pace yourself to complete the group project or was it rushed (done at the last minute? - This point is related to the previous point of time management. When you start early and set a schedule of when tasks have to be completed and who will complete which task, it helps you to pace yourself and others in the group. Waiting until the last minute to rush everything is bound to be stressful and frustrating for all who are involved.
10. Did you contribute significantly to the success of the group project? - Contributing significantly means did you do the best in your role or the responsibilities you had? If you were unable to effectively complete a task, did you seek help from others? Was your task completed effectively? Those are a few questions that will help guide you in answering this question.

Working in a group is not an easy task, however, with the right attitude, effective communication, the desire to do your best work, and hard work, it can be done. Wouldn’t it be ideal if everyone came into a group project with that type of positive mindset?

Take the time to evaluate yourself and be honest with yourself. After asking yourself these questions, you can also reflect on the contributions of your group members as well.