One of the benefits of a college education is learning how to work as an individual but also how to function within a team. Study groups, and lab teams increase the learning process, build cooperation, and friendships. A key component in choosing a team to work with is finding people with similar study habits and goals. While the idea of a study group may seem like a causal one it should be taken seriously. There are a few guidelines to follow when building an effective team. The size of the group is important. While study groups can be composed of as little as two people it is more effective if there are more. Then if someone can not make a particular meeting, the group can still meet and study together. However, all members of a study group should be able to commit to a specific meeting day and time.

Every team should have a leader. The leader is responsible for making sure the study sessions go well, keep socializing to a minimum, and makes sure each person has equal "talking" ? time within each session. There should a goal and agenda for each study session. Each member should be assigned a particular section of reading, report on what they read, and give suggested questions. For the group to be effective all members must pull their own weight and complete all of the assigned material. Each session should be the same amount of time (usually between 1 and 2 hours). There should be plenty of time for each member of the team to give their presentation and teach the group the material. Afterward, there should be time for questions and reteaching of areas in which the other students have questions about. It is also a good idea to offer an outline of the general concepts and important points.

At the end of the meeting talk about what went well and what could have gone better and decide on the agenda for the next meeting. The end of the meeting is a great time to socialize and have drinks and snacks. Building an effective team can be a great way to efficiently study and increase the learning process. Study groups are a work in process. The members of a study group need to be flexible and be able to just adjust for the inclusive of everyone's needs. It may take 3 or 4 meetings for a study group to go as planned. This is why patience is such an important tool. If you have joined a study group and realize that it is not the right team for you it is all right to leave. Make sure you give your team members plenty of notice and a reason why you will not be attending. Study groups are not for everyone. Some people do study better alone and find other people distraction and frustrating. The effectiveness of study groups, like all learning techniques, varies from individual to individual but certainly anything that could potentially enhance the learning process is worth a try!