Effective group working

There was an interesting article in the Times Higher Education journal this week.  It talked about research Google did a few years ago on what the main characteristic was for a successful team.  It concluded:

The crucial feature of successful teams was kindness: members of the outstanding teams were vigilant in taking care of each other, and those groups were the most innovative, productive and happy.

The article went on to talk about how universities can support students to develop approaches to group working that will help them to be more effective.  Not only can this help with success during your studies, but as Google’s research has shown it is valued by employers.  In particular, for online students from countries across the world, building compassion into group working approaches can help build connections and encourage critical thinking – a key skill for successful postgraduate study.

I’ll let you read the article and research yourself and encourage you to consider how you could modify your approach to aid success.

Times Higher article on team working

Google’s team effectiveness research

Welcome to new online students

A warm welcome to our new online postgraduate students at the University of Edinburgh.   We hope you are looking forward to getting started with your course.  As an online student you will be juggling your studies with other commitments so this is a brief outline of how the Careers Service can support you during your time with the University of Edinburgh.

For help with academic study and planning your future career use the resources we have developed with the Institute of Academic Development.

Succeeding at postgraduate study and preparing for your career

The Careers Service website has advice and information on making career decisions; exploring different occupations and what you need to enter specific career areas; job hunting techniques; how to be successful at applications and interviews; and more.

Careers Service website

If you have specific questions please ask a member of Careers Service staff by posting your question on MyCareerhub.

Ask a question

Appointments to speak to a careers consultant are available by Skype or telephone.  You can book on MyCareerhub.

Make an appointment

We look forward to supporting you during your time as a postgraduate student at the University.