Groups and Teamwork OpenCourseWare: The Open University's Free Undergraduate Basic Skills Class on Team Building and Working As a Group

Published Feb 23, 2009

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For students pursuing a B.A or B.S. in Management (or others with an interest), a free course from The Open University called 'Groups and Teamwork' can aid in the improvement of relationships with working partners in groups of three or more. Project management and leadership are also explored.

Groups and Teamwork: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Undergraduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
Yes Yes No

Groups and Teamwork: Course Description

'Groups and Teamwork' focuses on the dynamics of interacting with groups of people as distinct from interacting individual to individual. Relations with groups both in and out of work are examined within the context of attempting to improve the understanding of how the student might better interact with groups. Groups and teams are defined, and a look is taken at why some teams succeed while others fail. Working in groups necessitates that group members assume some type of implicit contracts with the other members, specifically what an individual can gain from the group and what he or she can contribute. Factors that contribute to the effective functioning of a group, such as well-defined tasks, complementary characteristics among members, explicit objectives and other factors are explored. A look at project life cycles and project management along with a subsequent examination of the nature of leadership round out the course, which is comprised of readings, study questions and references for further reading.

The course materials are all free online. If you'd like to learn how to improve your interactions with groups, visit the teamwork course page.

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