Rayray made me think of it. It was another school night and my brother was ranting out on the many free riders in his group who were contributing nothing to their project.
Free riders. That word lit up an idea. I could recall vividly my first year biology class, when some of my group mates, who were serious free riders, wrote their names on the cover page of a report I labored on my own. I was fuming inside but, because of that blasted concept Pakikisama, I went along with that idea.
Free riders disgust me. Which is why we should make school projects more like TV reality shows. Let me thresh that out for you.
In a TV reality show, people get eliminated or voted out. The ones who vote are the members of the group themselves. There is no clear-cut criteria of who to vote out but the process is, nonetheless, integral to the show's concept.
In a school project, this exercise can also be implemented. Say, there is a project which would require an entire semester to complete. The project can be subdivided to several levels, each representing stages of completion. For instance, if the project is a paper, each chapter in that paper can constitute a level (with other levels added to accommodate other steps like brainstorming, rewriting, etc. whatever is more applicable).
Now that we have levels, then we have points in the project where the group mates can vote each other out. At the completion of a level, the group is given the chance to remove somebody who hasn't contributed to the group's effort. And this goes on and on until those who truly belong as a group are also the ones who are left standing in the end.
Since there should be another way to redeem those who have been cast away, those who have been voted out can form their own group as well. The disadvantage here would be that they will be starting all over again and with another group of people. If a group chooses not to vote anyone out, then it is free to do so, but at the first sign of free riding, the group must take immediate action lest it affect the group's efficiency. Having said this, voting someone out remains an option that can be exercised by anyone.
This may sound elitist to you but I really like the idea. There are a lot of people out there who ride on other people's backs. These are the people we should eliminate or at least change and I hope this simple academic exercise can pave the way for a "free rider"-free student body.
Free riders. That word lit up an idea. I could recall vividly my first year biology class, when some of my group mates, who were serious free riders, wrote their names on the cover page of a report I labored on my own. I was fuming inside but, because of that blasted concept Pakikisama, I went along with that idea.
Free riders disgust me. Which is why we should make school projects more like TV reality shows. Let me thresh that out for you.
In a TV reality show, people get eliminated or voted out. The ones who vote are the members of the group themselves. There is no clear-cut criteria of who to vote out but the process is, nonetheless, integral to the show's concept.
In a school project, this exercise can also be implemented. Say, there is a project which would require an entire semester to complete. The project can be subdivided to several levels, each representing stages of completion. For instance, if the project is a paper, each chapter in that paper can constitute a level (with other levels added to accommodate other steps like brainstorming, rewriting, etc. whatever is more applicable).
Now that we have levels, then we have points in the project where the group mates can vote each other out. At the completion of a level, the group is given the chance to remove somebody who hasn't contributed to the group's effort. And this goes on and on until those who truly belong as a group are also the ones who are left standing in the end.
Since there should be another way to redeem those who have been cast away, those who have been voted out can form their own group as well. The disadvantage here would be that they will be starting all over again and with another group of people. If a group chooses not to vote anyone out, then it is free to do so, but at the first sign of free riding, the group must take immediate action lest it affect the group's efficiency. Having said this, voting someone out remains an option that can be exercised by anyone.
This may sound elitist to you but I really like the idea. There are a lot of people out there who ride on other people's backs. These are the people we should eliminate or at least change and I hope this simple academic exercise can pave the way for a "free rider"-free student body.
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