SM: Why would you be inclined to assign a group project instead of individual work?
Kousser: Life is a group project. Whether you are going to be serving on a jury, being part of a team at work or enjoying the loving skirmishes of a marriage, you are going to need to figure out how to work and resolve issues together, and group projects can give you useful practice.

SM: When working together on a project, it’s obviously crucial to have meetings and keep one another informed on individual progress. What are good ways to be time-efficent?
Kousser: Start every meeting with an agenda. It doesn’t have to be anything more formal than an e-mail or a text message, but if you begin with a plan for what you want to talk about, you can keep a meeting short and effective.

SM: Any other advice or comments?
Kousser: Please take all of my comments with a grain of salt, because the worst grade I ever got in college was on a group project!