A group project follows the same cumulative, milestone-based structure as an individual course project—see the Course Projects page for foundational guidance. This page covers only what is specific to group-based projects.
Group projects ask students to plan, divide, and execute work collaboratively across the full course. Research consistently shows that well-designed group projects develop skills that individual assignments cannot: teamwork, communication, task coordination, and the ability to integrate multiple perspectives into a shared deliverable. These are among the most valued competencies in professional environments, and group projects are one of the few assessment types that authentically replicate the experience of working toward a shared goal under real constraints.
The added complexity of group work in an asynchronous online environment—coordinating schedules, dividing labor, managing contributions—means that design decisions matter significantly. Without clear structure and scaffolding, group projects are among the most frustrating experiences students report in online courses. With intentional design, they become among the most meaningful.
When to Use
Collaboration Outcome Alignment
When a course-level outcome explicitly includes collaboration, teamwork, or the ability to produce work collectively—skills that cannot be authentically assessed through individual work alone.
Team-Scale Project Scope
When the scope or complexity of the final deliverable is realistic only as a team effort—a project that would be unreasonably burdensome for one student but appropriately challenging for a small group.
Professional Teamwork Relevance
When the discipline involves collaborative professional practice—fields where graduates are expected to contribute to team-produced work products as a routine part of their roles.
Course Readiness for Group Work
When there is sufficient course length and module structure to support meaningful group formation, collaboration, and iterative feedback—group projects require more scaffolding than individual projects and should not be added to a course that cannot support them.
Note: Group projects are not appropriate simply because a topic could be divided among students. The use of a group format should be justified. If the project could be completed just as meaningfully by an individual, consider whether a group format actually adds value or primarily adds logistical complexity.
Logistics Considerations
Assignment Grading
Decide whether students receive a single shared group grade or are graded individually. Document this decision for EACH group assignment and ensure the student-facing instructions reflect it.
Assigned or Self-Selected Groups
Instructors can assign groups OR allow students to form or sign up for groups on their own. Confirm the formation approach and ensure the student-facing instructions on the overview page reflect the correct process accurately.
Group Discussion Boards
Each group should have a dedicated discussion board within the course for asynchronous communication, document sharing, and research collaboration. The instructor can monitor and check in via these boards.
Project Overview
Like individual course projects, every group project requires a Project Overview Page in Module 1. For group projects, Module 1 also includes group formation—the logistics of getting students into working teams before the project begins. This makes the Module 1 setup more involved than for individual projects.
Project Overview Page and Group Setup
The Module 1 overview page serves a dual purpose: introducing the project and guiding students through group formation. The page title should be Course Project Overview and Group Setup. It should include:
Project Introduction
The project’s purpose, real-world relevance, and overall structure—how many milestones there are, which modules they fall in, and what the final submission looks like.
Group Formation Instructions
Step-by-step guidance for joining or forming a group using the Canvas People tab. Students should navigate to People > Project Teams, then join an existing team or start a new group. Teams should have 2–4 members. Students who prefer to work solo should notify their instructor.
Module 1 Deliverables
Clearly state what students must complete in Module 1 to get their group off the ground. This typically includes: joining or forming a group; introducing themselves in the Group Meet & Greet discussion; sharing contact information and preferred collaboration tools; and beginning to discuss their team’s topic or approach.
Suggested Collaboration Tools
Provide students with a set of recommended tools for asynchronous communication, synchronous meetings, shared document editing, file storage, and visual planning. Recommended options include:
- The Group Discussion board (asynchronous communication and document sharing)
- Microsoft Teams or Zoom (synchronous meetings)
- Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Google Docs/Slides (shared editing)
- OneDrive or SharePoint (file storage)
- Lucidchart, Miro, or Visio (diagrams and planning visuals).
Collaboration Expectations
Set expectations for how groups are expected to work together throughout the term: meeting regularly (weekly or biweekly), dividing tasks based on strengths and availability, using shared documents to track progress and contributions, and submitting a brief team reflection with each milestone.
Optional: Group Roles
Encourage teams to define roles early. Suggested roles include Project Manager (keeps the team on schedule and communicates with the instructor), Lead Researcher (gathers and synthesizes background information), Writer/Editor (drafts and polishes written deliverables), and Designer (creates visuals, slide decks, or diagrams). Teams may rotate roles or assign based on interest and skill.
Getting Started Resources
Add two pages to the Getting Started module: Instructions on Group/Teamwork for Instructors and Instructions on Group/Teamwork for Students. These are Reblock resources that IT will add to the module.
Structure & Components
Group project milestones follow the same structural components as individual project milestones—Overview, Prepare (if applicable), Complete, Submit, and Rubric. The Complete tab focuses on the work itself. Group-specific logistics belong on the Submit tab, keeping task instructions and submission mechanics clearly separated.
Milestones
Each milestone is a separate assignment in the module where it is due. It should include:
Assignment Title
The assignment title should clearly indicate the deliverable is part of the course project (e.g., “Course Project Milestone 2: Market Analysis”).
Project Document Link
A direct link to the Course Project Document so students can always reference the full scope and expectations (Overview tab, if appropriate).
Overview
Briefly restate what the student is doing in this milestone, why it matters in the context of the full project, and how it connects to real-world practice.
Prepare (if applicable)
Any significant preparation specific to this milestone—reviewing a resource, reading a scenario update, or referencing a prior deliverable—listed separately from the completion steps.
Feedback Reference
Where applicable, explicitly direct students to review and apply instructor feedback from the previous milestone before beginning (Prepare or Complete tab, depending on exact instruction).
Complete
Step-by-step numbered instructions for the milestone deliverable. Where the project is cumulative (i.e., students submit one growing document), instructions should specify what to add, revise, or build on from the previous submission.
Submit
Where the project produces a single cumulative document, students typically submit the full document at each milestone—not just the new section. Confirm the submission expectation (full document vs. new sections only) and state it explicitly in every milestone’s instructions.
Grading Rubric
Each milestone has its own rubric aligned to the specific deliverable requirements for that milestone. Milestone rubrics should reflect what is being assessed at this stage—not the full project.
Final Submission
The final submission is the culminating deliverable, typically due in Module 8. It should include:
Overview
Connect the final deliverable explicitly to its real-world purpose and to the course-level outcome(s) it supports.
Complete
Clear instructions on what constitutes the final deliverable—whether it is the cumulative project document, a presentation, or another format—and any specific requirements for the final submission (e.g., length, format, polish expectations).
Feedback Integration Requirement
The final submission instructions should explicitly direct students to incorporate feedback received on all prior milestones (Prepare or Complete tab).
Final Project Rubric
The final submission has its own rubric aligned to course-level outcomes. It should assess the quality and cohesion of the complete project, not just the final milestone additions.
Instructor Resources
In the module-specific instructor notes, include relevant notes to the instructor for facilitating the project (required).
Course projects place specific demands on instructors that standard assignments do not. The instructor resources section of a course project should prepare instructors to manage the feedback loop that makes the project structure work. At minimum, it should address the following:
Feedback Timing
Instructors should understand that milestone feedback must be returned before the next milestone is due so that students have the opportunity to integrate the feedback into the next deliverable. The instructor resources section should state this expectation explicitly and, where a new milestone falls in the following module, make clear that project milestone grading takes priority.
Quality of Feedback
The instructor resources section should set expectations for what useful milestone feedback looks like: specific, actionable, and forward-looking. Feedback that does not tell a student what to carry forward into the next milestone fails the purpose of the project. Include guidance on what to address.
Early Course Correction
The instructor resources section should prompt instructors to act quickly if a student’s first milestone reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the project scope or direction. A misalignment left unaddressed in Milestone 1 compounds across every subsequent submission.
Content Guidelines
Best Practices
Authentic Professional Application
Design the project scenario and deliverable to reflect something students would realistically produce in their intended field or professional role. The project’s real-world relevance should be evident from Module 1 and reinforced at each milestone.
Outcome Alignment
Map the final submission to one or more course-level outcomes. Map each milestone to the module outcome(s) it supports. These mappings should not overlap arbitrarily—each milestone should advance the project in a meaningful, distinct way.
Cumulative Milestone Design
Design milestones so they build on each other logically. A student who completes and receives feedback on Milestone 1 should be better positioned to succeed on Milestone 2—not just because they submitted something, but because the work itself is cumulative.
Revision Expectations
Where the project is cumulative (one growing document), be explicit in each milestone’s instructions about what students are adding or revising. Do not leave this implicit.
Feedback Integration Requirements
Make the feedback loop explicit. Do not assume students will apply prior feedback without being directed to do so. Include it as a named step in each milestone after the first.
Scenario Realism & Consistency
If the project uses a scenario or situational context, ensure it is realistic for students’ actual level of experience and career stage. Consistency is critical—the scenario established in the project document should carry through every milestone unchanged unless there is an intentional narrative progression.
Sequential Instruction Design
Write each milestone’s Complete instructions as numbered sequential steps. Instructions should be unambiguous—in asynchronous online courses, students cannot quickly get clarification from an instructor.
Avoid
Disconnected Milestones
Milestones that feel disconnected from one another or from the final submission—each milestone should have a clear relationship to what came before and what comes next.
Unrealistic Scenarios
Scenario or role assignments that are not plausible given students’ level of experience.
Missing Project Context
Milestone instructions that do not reference the broader project context—every milestone assignment should link back to the Course Project Document.
Incomplete Final Assessment
A final submission rubric that only assesses the last milestone’s content rather than the quality and cohesion of the complete project.
Examples
We’ve selected several example projects that we consider exemplary models. Please review these and the accompanying annotations, which highlight the key elements that make them effective and demonstrate best practices in project design.
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Roles and Responsibilities
| Task | SME | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Define the overarching project concept, scenario, and real-world connection | Lead | Consult |
| Map final submission to course-level outcomes; map milestones to module outcomes | Lead | Consult |
| Draft the Course Project Document (instructions, scenario, timelines) | Collaborate | Collaborate |
| Draft milestone and final submission instructions | Collaborate | Colloborate |
| Write or approve rubrics for each milestone and the final submission | Consult | Lead |
| Review for alignment, clarity, and logical progression across milestones | Consult | Lead |
| Confirm Project Overview Page and Project Document are in place in Module 1 | Consult | Lead |
Technical Specifications
Assignment Group
Indicate the grade weight bucket for each deliverable. We recommend using separate assignment groups for project milestones and the final project submission, as the final deliverable is typically weighted more heavily than individual milestones.
TurnItIn
Enable TurnItIn for written milestones over 1 page in length. Accepted file types are .doc, .docx, or PDF — image-based files and slide presentations are not compatible.
Submission Type
If TurnItIn is not used, indicate how students will submit each milestone and the final submission. Options include Text Entry, Website URL, Media Recording, and File Upload. If File Upload is selected, specify any file type restrictions.
Student Time-on-Task Estimate
Estimate time-on-task for each milestone and the final submission separately. This is used for course load planning and is not student-facing content in the course.
AI Use Policy
Course Development (SME/ID)
Acceptable Use
- Generating initial drafts of project scenarios, milestone prompts, and instructions for SME review and refinement
- Checking milestone instructions for clarity, completeness, and logical sequencing
- Drafting the Project Overview Page and Course Project Document as a starting point for SME review
- Checking rubric criteria for alignment across milestones
Student
- Default Policy – AI-assisted work is not permitted on course project milestones or the final submission unless it is explicitly stated in the assignment. Any decision to permit AI use must be intentional and align with the program’s stance on AI fluency.
- When AI Use Is Permitted – If AI use is permitted, the assignment must specify both what AI may be used for and what it may not be used for. Given the longitudinal and cumulative nature of course projects, particular care should be taken to ensure AI use does not undermine the student’s development across the full project arc.
Review Checklist
Project Infrastructure
Is a Project Overview Page present in Module 1, even if the first milestone is not due until a later module?
Does the overview page introduce the project’s purpose, outline the full structure, and link to the Course Project Document?
Does the Course Project Document include complete instructions, scenario details, and rubric references for every milestone and the final submission?
Alignment
Does the final submission support one or more course-level outcomes?
Is each milestone mapped to the module outcome(s) it supports, at the appropriate Bloom’s level?
Progression and Coherence
Do milestones build on each other in a logical sequence—does each one advance the project in a meaningful, distinct way?
Is the feedback loop explicit—does each milestone (after the first) direct students to review and apply instructor feedback from the previous deliverable?
Does the final submission explicitly require students to incorporate feedback from all prior milestones?
If the project is cumulative (one growing document), are instructions clear about what students submit at each milestone?
Clarity of Instructions
Does each milestone assignment title and overview clearly identify it as part of the course project?
Are the Complete tab instructions written as numbered, sequential steps that a student could follow without instructor clarification?
Does each milestone assignment link to the Course Project Document?
Authenticity and Realism
Does the project reflect a type of work students would realistically produce in their intended field or professional role?
If a scenario is used, is it realistic and appropriate for students’ actual level of experience? Is it applied consistently across all milestones?
Rubric
Does each milestone have its own rubric aligned to that milestone’s specific deliverable requirements?
Does the final submission have a separate rubric aligned to course-level outcomes that assesses the quality and cohesion of the complete project?
Do all rubrics follow Excelsior rubric standards?