Students will be able to collaborate effectively in a group setting within the discipline.
Throughout my time at Longwood as a biology major, I have been a part of many group projects which has enhanced my efficiency in being able to work together with others in order to bring ideas and work to present the information and data collected. The first big poster presentation that I have to collaborate with someone in order to present during research day was for my BIOL 250: Intro to Genetics was a bit stressful and not my best experience since it was my first time working with an upper classmate who was very much involved on campus and therefore it was hard finding time to work on the presentation together. On top of that, it was also during COVID time that we had to set zoom meetings in order to talk about how we were going to set up the poster since we had to record each part of our section.
Secondly, during my BIOL 302: Comprehensive Anatomy & Physiology 2 we had to work together with another student to create a presentation in order for the lower level of anatomy would understand and use it as a form of resource to better understand the anatomy of the heart. Being efficient with the proper marking on each heart section component while simultaneously learning it was one of the challenges my companion and I encountered. As well as finding a way in order for it to make it easy for others to understand and follow through.
Lastly, for my BIOL 496:PRISM Behavioral Neurobiology, I had to work with seniors who had been conducting an ongoing study that I was going to carry out with a student over the summer. One of the best things about having a full semester to work with students who have more experience in the lab and primarily on the research that we were going to continue doing was that they were willing to explain and help us understand the process behind every part of the various tests that we were running. Therefore, continuing study with this pupil over the course of the semester and into the summer was simple.
Overall, every challenge I have encountered while collaborating with others has helped me to improve even further on my upcoming group project, but it has also taught me to be accepting and patient with others as long as they are making an effort to support the remainder of the team.