Collaboration

How to Tackle a Group Project Collaboratively Using Google

Although not always necessary, a group should consider designating a team leader or project manager. Having a group leader can help the group stay organized and keep everyone on track.

After a group leader has been designated

  1. Discuss a leadership plan
    1. What are the roles of your team leader?
  2. Discuss a project plan
    1. Discuss and outline the task you have been assigned
    2. Assign tasks for each team member

Google Docs

Google Docs is a great collaborative tool because it...

  1. Allows shared access to a single document
  2. Allows you to trace any changes made to the document.
    1. The editing page shows you what changes have been made and who made the changes
screen shot of edit history in Google Docs

Getting started

Find the "Google Docs & Spreadsheets" logo, then find the “New Document” link and select it

  • Add group members to the project
  • Select the “Share” logo which is located on the top right of your screen.

This will open a box where you can input your team members email addresses.

    If you want group members to have the ability to:
  • edit and type, select “can edit.”
  • only comment, select “can comment.”
  • only view the document, select “can view.”

Different tools available in Google and how to use them

Commenting

  • Highlight the text you want to comment on
  • On the right side of the screen, there should be a circle with a plus sign on the edge of the page
  • Click the circle and leave a comment!
  • You can assign tasks or tag other group members in a comment by writing @ and then their email

Chatting

  • In the upper right hand corner, look for a circular chat bubble
  • Once you click on it, you can start chatting with any of your group members who are simultaneously accessing the Google Doc
screen shot of chat window in Google Docs

Suggesting

  • Go to the top of the tool bar where the pencil icon is
  • Click on “suggesting” from the drop down menu
  • Then edit the document as you would normally
    • All the edits you make will appear as suggestions—they’re not permanent. You can decide as a team what suggestions to accept and reject.

Edit History

  • If you would like to see your edit history, click on “File” in the toolbar
  • Then click on “revision history”
screen shot of Google Doc where text is highlighted in different colors to show revisions

Google Etiquette

Don’t just edit another group member’s work because you don’t like how it sounds.Instead, chat with them about it, leave them a constructive comment, or try the suggesting tool.

Don’t leave your part of the project until last minute. This can become an issue when your group needs to edit it before the deadline.

If, Then Scenarios

Scenario #1

Your paper is due in a few hours. Partner #3 just finished their section and it is not good. It does not fully answer the question, it seems rushed, and the grammar is bad. What do you do?

Response #1

Ask your group is everyone is done with their sections. Suggest that everyone takes some time editing their own work and making some suggestions/comments on other people’s work because you are all tired college students who could use another set of eyes on our writing. Try not to call anyone out and get everyone involved using the multitude of tools Google offers.

Scenario #2

Your professor assigns you and a group of two others to write a recommendation report. Your group decides to split the report into different sections to ensure that you cover all the information.

Response #2

When writing a paper, you want to make sure that there is one coherent voice. Although it is more difficult with multiple authors, your paper should not sound like it was written by multiple people with multiple writing styles.

By Giulia Pastore