9. Group Specialist

1. Description

The coach possesses the knowledge and skills necessary to support the group-oriented intent and design of PBL.

He can make a correct analysis of the group and group processes and intervene when required.

This way, he guarantees the students' development and the successful progress of the project.

2. Required skills and attitudes

• Possess the knowledge of and insight into how a group functions.
• Can make a correct analysis of the group and group processes.
• Can intervene correctly on the basis of this analysis.
• Makes sure that the group functions well.
• Makes sure that all members of the group function well.

3. Guidelines on how to take on this coaching role

3.1 Being the group specialist in a PBL-based EPICES project

The PBL-based EPICES projects create an activating learning environment that are based on practice-oriented group co-operation. It is important within this framework of group co-operation that the students are given the chance to work on the development of their social, communicative and other group-related skills.

One condition for the successful progress of practice-oriented group co-operation is that the group and all its members function well. The students must be given the chance to develop their group-related skills during the course of the project. This is why it is important that the coach follows closely how the group and all its members function. Based on these observations, he can intervene and help the group and all its members function well.

3.2 Points of attention

An important condition for ensuring the students' development and the success of the project is that the group and all its members function well. To ensure this in practice and to carry out the role of group specialist correctly and successfully, the coach has to take the following guidelines into account:

1. The coach makes sure that the group functions well as a whole. It is important that group co-operation progresses constructively and that no problems arise in the way the group functions or in co-operation within the group. That is why it is important that the coach follows closely how the group functions and intervenes when the good dynamic within the group is threatened.
2. The coach makes sure that each student functions well within the group. It is important for the development of group-related skills that each student fulfils his role within the group and that co-operation within the group progresses well. That is why it is important that the coach follows closely how each individual student functions within the group and intervenes when that function or the good dynamic within the group are threatened.

4. Influence on the competences to be developed

This overview outlines how and to which extent this specific coaching role contributes to acquiring the different competences, so that you can adapt your coaching to the competence(s) that has/have to be developed:

Significant

• Is competent in co-operating and communicating

Average

• Is competent in doing research

Insignificant

• Other competences

5. Influence on divergent educational settings

The role of group specialist should be stressed in the following divergent situations:

Size of group

• The role of group specialist should be particularly stressed if the group is small (<4).
• The role of group specialist should be particularly stressed if the group is large (>6).

Level of development

• Not applicable