IAS students develop their collaboration and shared leadership abilities by learning to work with others to identify dimensions of a project, generate and refine ideas, follow through on the consequences of collective decisions, and pursue specific tasks without losing a sense of the whole.  As part of this process, they learn to assess and draw on group members' histories, strengths, and potential contributions.  They develop skills in listening, mediating conflict, playing different roles, and reflecting on the outcomes of collaborative work.  Essential to this progress is understanding different ways of managing groups, and reflecting critically and creatively on collaboration processes.

           

            Under IAS, collaborative work and shared leadership is a key skill to learn. It shows your ability to work effectively with your peers. Through this process, I was able to learn how communication, responsibility, and group dynamic are important when executing successful projects.

            One artifact that showcases group work is my group video, Climate Refugees. This video project was assigned in my Introduction to Climate Science course. Challenges that rose in our group was unfulfilled roles, scheduling, and production. As a group of three it was difficult to distribute responsibilities and work load. There were issues of absence and lack of contribution which forced a reliable member and I to step up. The only viable option was for me to take up the role of script writer/editor and video producer. In simpler terms, when things get hard you need to make it work as things don’t always go in your favor. I had more tasks than expected and it put me into a hectic position. I ended up help writing the script which required relatable and effective language but also scientifically correct statements and evidence. I rented out equipment for voice over production and I was in charge of editing the video without peer help. I’ll be honest I struggled towards the end of the project as it slowly became a one-person effort. But it showed I was responsible enough to not let my group and myself down in order to execute this project with justice for a sensitive subject such as Climate Refugees. In the end, our video won the competition of most viewed and shared, which was rewarding for me.  

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            The second artifact that showcases group work is, "Torpey: Mobility Campaign", this work required my group to interpret an author’s discourse revolving the policing of mobility t through an art project of our choice. Similar to the work dynamic of my first artifact, some members were discouraged from contributing. Thankfully, I and another reliable member was able to work out such a difficult text. I learned through this process that it’s best to brainstorm as many ideas you have no matter how ridiculous or unsuccessful it may sound because there’s always untapped potential. Communication is key in getting work done and having deadlines met. I learned how to organize members’ schedules and opening up my time so that they could contact me freely. It was a collaborative process that required many meetings and revisions. There was a point where our art project wasn’t fully realized in the way we wanted to. I took up the initiative to do outside work on my own time to create alternative ideas. I came up with the idea of making surveillance posters that imitated the 1984 novel of the Big Brother figure. Our chosen author Torpey focused on policing identities which is quite similar to the dystopian society in 1984. In the end, I learned that collaboration, communication, and active contribution is vital for accomplishing things in group work. But also sometimes stepping up is needed for the group to thrive and your effort will be noticed.