Reflective Blog 8-2: Critical Incident Analysis

This past year I was involved in an online class, which featured an in depth group project worth 50% of the final course mark. The group consisted of 4 students and the majority of all communications were done through email, texting and telephone conversations. It was a well-known fact that the instructor for this particular class was extremely demanding and possessed a track record for failing students, sometimes more than once.

In the initial planning phase of the project, all 4 team members were enthusiastic to begin the assignment. There were various emails sent that professed everyone’s desire to get an A, not only on the project but on the final course mark. All group members were very motivated and positive about completing the delegated tasks. Over time, the commitment and attention to the group objectives began to sharply decline. Regular team contact (emails, texts and telephone calls) went from every day, down to just once per week. This team went from 4 enthusiastic individuals, down to 2 students who desperately wanted to do well. Two students deviated from the project, dropping out of the class with very little more than a quick email to inform everyone that they were done. I was one of the remaining 2 students and there was a great deal of pressure placed on us to take on the responsibility of completing the remainder of the work. We had to start from square one, going back and re-researching all of the materials, as the two team members failed to forward on any of their information gathered. In response to the changing group dynamics, I contacted the instructor on various occasions and attempted to come up with a solution. Dropping the class was not something that I could do as I would have lost my tuition money in the process. I was also not willing to let my group member down by leaving them alone to complete the remainder of the work.

In the last month of the class, with the project due date quickly approaching, I received an email from the other student informing me that she was unable to provide me with any information and would be dropping the class. I was left with 1 week to come up with the remainder of the project information. This series of events created a very frustrating experience for me in completing this class.

The above description of events describes the particular behaviors and attitudes of certain group members that led to the rapid decline in team unity and cohesiveness. The following questions and answers make up the critical incident analysis for the situation noted above.

1) Why do I view the situation like that?

I have a very negative view of this situation. The actions of the 3 other group members was completely unacceptable, especially for a post-secondary course. The instructor had high expectations for the students, and I also had high expectations of my group members.

2) What assumption have I made about the client or problem or situation?

At the beginning of the course, I had made assumptions that my group would share the same desire to succeed as myself. Through the duration of the course, I began to assume that the other project members were possibly unaware of the extent to the expectations required for the course. I thought that maybe they had not taken courses previously and were not accustomed to the deadlines and quality of work required to pass a college level course.

3) How else could I interpret the situation?

There is no other interpretation for this situation. A series of unfortunate events occurred that caused a lot of stress and confusion.

4) What other action could I have taken that might have been more helpful?

I really don’t think that I could have done anything to be more helpful in this situation. I was a leader within this group and I made a constant effort to schedule deadlines, organize the delegation of work and be a liaison between my work group and instructor. Everyone involved in the project was an adult and therefore should accept responsibility for their own work.

5) What will I do if I am faced with a similar situation in the future?

If I was to face a similar situation in the future, I would approach the instructor sooner than I did. I would analyze the situation from the very beginning and decipher whether or not I was in a group that was going to be beneficial to my own personal outcome. From now on, I will attempt to complete projects on my own, as I would rather do things independently than depend on others who aren’t capable.