In Search of a Model for Effective Group Projects: From the MPA Student Perspective

Abstract

Group or team work has become a staple element of workplace environments, and research has indicated that groupwork imparts many benefits to employers and students/employees alike. In response, public affairs programs have increasingly incorporated group projects into the MPA learning experience, but insight into how students perceive team activities is limited.This article addresses that knowledge gap with an analysis of the experience of more than 100 students in diverse team class activities in a variety of courses at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.The analysis identifies the characteristics that make the team project experience more satisfying to students and therefore more effective and useful in future groupwork.

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Notes on contributors

Alice M. Schumaker

Alice M. Schumaker is an assistant professor of public administration in the University of Nebraska at Omaha's College of Public Affairs and Community Service. She received a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, an M.P.A. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a Ph.D. in political science form the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her teaching and research are focused on health policy, organizational theory and behavior and strategic planning, and she serves as the director of the Nebraska Municipal Clerks' School and Advanced Academy, a certification program for municipal clerks. She has published articles in the Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, Public Performance and Management Review, Metropolitan Universities, and Cityscape:A Journal of Policy Development and Research.