I have just finished my final very large assignment which is in fact my share of a 4 person group presentation, due to be delivered tomorrow morning at 11.30am.

We are the final group to give their presentation and so far the others have been very expansive, well researched and obviously well prepared. It is a requirement that we use power point slides as we take it in turns to each present a part of our topic.

So my group have not been together at any classes. The one girl I have had some contact with is very surly and dismissive and says "whatever, just do your bit and email it to "this guy" and he's going to do the powerpoint presentation". OK, I don't have powerpoint or know how to use it and that is also what the 3rd group member said on the 1 occasion  have been able to speak to him. "Don't worry, he'll do a good job, he's my mate" was all he would say. "Just email him your bit and he'll make it look good". I've never met this 4th group member that is so skilled at making presentations and he may or may not be imaginary. I have approached the teacher once to say that I am having a lot of trouble making contact ad the teacher made it very clear he did not want to hear about it and the group needs to work out its own stuff. Which is fine except I have no way to contact any of them and they ignore my emails and don't go to classes. Oh well.

So I got a strange email from the teacher 2 weeks ago to say the other 3 group members had complained that I was not in class that week and so they couldn't work on the presentation. Whaaaaat? The teachers only response was "I have included all of your email addresses here so there can be no further difficulties". My immediate understanding was that they don't want to do the presentation and are looking for a scapegoat. I decided I was not going to participate in a strange game of "it's not my fault and I'm telling the teacher".

So I haven't been rattled. I just decided to work out what I own in this situation, and work from there. I have sent what I have been required to send to the other members. I have made sure the teacher knows I am present and willing to work on the project. And now, finally, I get a response from the mystery group member.

"We are going to meet tomorrow morning at 9am to put it together". 

They want to meet 2 hours before the project is due and put it together? I can't even begin to tell you what is wrong with that idea and I drop my daughter at school tomorrow with her bags etc to go to camp and get on a train at 9.30am.....1.5 hours from my uni so I cannot be there anyway. What I SUSPECT is that they are all hoping the other group members wont do the project or turn up and they can use that as their excuse not to go ahead and stall for more time as I know for a fact none of them had even started, still, last night! And now I wonder, will they try to use the excuse that I couldn't attend their 9am meeting as the reason for not being able to deliver the presentation?

So here is how I have handled the situation.

I have done my section of the assignment and done it well. I have not worried about how it might conflict with their own work as I am the first speaker and if they have not been available for any consultation on a group project we have had for 6 weeks, too bad. We have not even discussed whether the case-study we are doing involves a male or a female client (highly relevant) and my emails to try to collaborate have been completely ignored so, she's female. In fact I have had to decide all of her demographic information on my own and have done so. 

I am well aware that the power points probably won't be done and I can't do anything about it now so, I have printed out information sheets in case I have no visual aids during my presentation and I will simply pass them around the class. I think that's a lot better than complaining that the slides "weren't done"and trying to pass blame. In fact I don't even care if the other 3 people don't turn up at all (quite a possible scenario). I have done my part of the work and I a ready to present it without needing to rely on anyone else and I have done it without feeling angry or frustrated with this really, I have to say, freaking HOPELESS group. 

So I'm prepared with my sheets printed and ready to give my presentation at 11.30am tomorrow, regardless. That's a good feeling.

I have also spent a great deal of time trying to get a tired grumpy daughter to participate in packing her bags for camp and received nothing but grumbling so, I've packed what I could and if I have missed something or not packed what she wanted, TOO BAD KID!!!

Now I am going to read for a while and then sleep feeling quite good really. I have done what I needed to do and I haven't any need to worry what anyone else thinks or what might go wrong due to other peoples lack of attention and action.

Groovy.

Love this program. 

-- Edited by missmeliss on Tuesday 21st of April 2015 08:36:38 AM