Guidelines for firing a group member

For a project to be completed successfully, all the team members should have contributed and participated somewhat equally.  We all have different strengths and weaknesses so it is important to consider these factors before firing a member. 

It is crucial that each team member has contributed (high quality, content, and on time) to the completion of the project.  Your contribution should not be only for your part rather for others too since the team will be graded as a whole. Many times, there are a few students that are "laggards" and expect others to do their job.  These students find 1001 excuses for not attending meetings, missing deadlines, or to be tentative to the group project.  Most students work, have family and other personal obligations.  Therefore, it is important to ensure that NO ONE receives credit for something that s/he has not completed.

Members who do not contribute may receive a lower grade for the project or could be fired by the team.  If a member is fired, s/he must complete the project individually.

If your team has a member who is not contributing, then the team has the rights to fire the member.  Here are some guidelines:

  1. Did the member completed his/her portion on a timely manner?

  2. Was the quality (content, spelling, grammar, citation, application, concept) fair?

  3. Did the member voice opinion on the project or took an inactive position (Inactive position would be as saying: "I am done with my share and don't bother me no more")?

  4. Was the member active in the group meetings (virtual or physical)?

If your answer is "NO" to all of the above, then the member should be fired.  Here is the the guidelines to fire a team member:

  1. If the class is online, post a message in the team's discussion/bulletin board.

  2. Provide a realistic deadline for the member to submit his/her work (2-3 days is sufficient since s/he must have completed the part by now).

  3. Send an email explaining the situation and the deadline to the member and cc the remaining team members and me.  It is important that I receive a copy of this email.

  4. If the member does not contribute (high quality work) by the deadline, the team can fire the member.  Post a message in your forum and email all members including me.

  5. The member will be removed immediately from the team and s/he should not be included in the group evaluation report.

Please let me know of any questions.

Last Updated 02/17/2009 by Dr. Mernoush Banton