It is 2:20 AM and I cannot sleep because this group project is on my mind. I have to say, I am extremely impressed with how Group Member #2 took the draft/template website I created and turned it into the amazing finished product that it is, and how s/he managed to do it in such a short time. It blows my own efforts away (and I have been told that my efforts were quite impressive!), and I am happy to have been teamed with this person...I truly am; but at the same time I am somewhat annoyed that I have to be exclusionary of our third group member, who thus far has contributed nothing because "web design" isn't their "strong point". The beauty of this forum is that it is a classroom - if something is not your strong point, then that is what you are here to learn and it is all the more reason that you should be actively participating instead of taking a back-seat to others. Layout formatting isn't my strongest point, but I gave it a shot; and some of my efforts even made it into the final draft of the site!
The complete lack of communication from Group Member #3 also bothers me, although s/he claims to have left messages for me on Facebook. I double checked the link to my page that I posted, and it is correct, yet no messages have been received there. Anything posted to Sakai goes directly to my URI email, so there is no reason to post outside the closed forum of our classroom. I only provided my Facebook info because it is a quick way to get in touch with me in the case of an emergency - but then poor planning on someone else's part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
Having been asked to wear the mantle of Group Leader, I posted a thread about the final leg of this project today - the proposal memo. I was planning on doing it myself since Group Member #2 worked so hard these past few days in turning what started as my vision into a first-class cooperative; and, quite honestly, because the third member of the group has proven that s/he feels deadlines are arbitrary. I am really excited about this project, and if Group Member #2 agrees to it, I would like to submit the proposed website to the owners of the company who's site we chose to improve. Although I have no plans to return to design work, this site would be a huge plus for any portfolio, student or professional.
Anyhow, the reason I can't sleep is because Group Member #3 has requested the assignment of doing the proposal memo. Seeing how s/he has contributed nothing to the project yet, I realize it is only fair to give them the chance to do something...and yet I wonder: had I not posted the request for input into it, would s/he had taken the initiative to draft the proposal anyway? The assignment was posted 12 days ago, and here it is only 3 or 4 days before deadline before s/he makes an effort to contribute - and business writing is what s/he called their "strong point". If that were me, I would have jumped on it a week ago!
I guess I just feel that this group member is only seeking to contribute at this point because s/he would otherwise face the very real possibility of getting a zero for the entire assignment, considering that is what s/he has contributed to it. Therein is my quandry: Do I trust this person's motivation? Do I trust that writing the business proposal will play to their strengths, and thus strengthen the overall impact of this project?
What has me second guessing my decision to give this person the go-ahead to handle the proposal memo is that I can't even refer to their "reaction writing" for the last two readings (Palmquist's piece on what constitutes a good website and the "Design for Non-Designers" chapter) to judge whether or not assigning them the proposal memo would be a solid decision. S/he hasn't posted either of these required reaction responses to our group's forum, even though the first was due a week ago and the second due a few hours ago. See what I mean when I say s/he has proven that s/he finds deadlines to be arbitrary?
This proposal memo has become a monkey on my back, one which I would love to send sailing off of a cliff. I have a Physics exam on Monday, and studying for it is going to require a lot of my time this weekend. I want to believe that the proposal memo is in good hands, and that when I wake Tuesday morning, it will be posted to our group forum where the completed*** website now sits; but I can't...something tells me that in order to shed the monkey I am going to have to put together a back-up proposal just in case the assigned proposal is not posted in time to be included with the rest of the project.
[***I added these stars because one thought led to another, but I did not want to digress (for a change): Group Member #3 has informed us that s/he will review the site we created and add their own edits, which we can include or reject. When I commented that the site was complete unless anyone had any more edits, it was worded inclusively because it is a group project, but directed at Group Member #2 since s/he is the only other one who has been working on it!! As far as I am concerned, the website looks perfect - to add to it would be like putting lipstick on a pig - and Group Member #3 has no right to make edits to the website when s/he has contributed nothing to the creative process thus far.]
Well, it is now 3:21 AM, and I have a long day ahead of me...now that this is all out of my system, maybe I will be able to sleep.
FAIL. That is how I feel about assigning Group Member #3 the proposal. S/he did little more than copy and paste what I and Group Member #2 posted to the forum under "reasons why the website should be redesigned".
ReplyDeleteAll peer-review inspired edits to the redesigned site were completed by me and Group Member #2 - and both of us had our peer-reviews of Group #1's project up by deadline. It is now Sunday afternoon, and there is still no peer review from Group Member #3. This is unfair to those who are counting on peer-reviewed feedback to improve upon their project.