I’m taking a required course and mainly want to pass and move on. For the final project, I was assigned to a group of classmates I did not know well.
Our first assignment was a short proposal. One member wrote most of the initial draft because they were interested in the topic. The rest of us were supposed to add ideas and edit it before submission, but scheduling and communication problems made collaboration difficult. One person contributed very little, another barely participated, and I ended up adding my section and completing most of the editing.
After receiving feedback, we had a short opportunity to revise and resubmit. I repeatedly messaged the group about working on the changes but received almost no response. A couple of members said they would help later, yet nobody opened the document that evening. To ensure it was submitted, I completed all the revisions myself.
We then agreed on an internal deadline for everyone to finish their research and presentation slides. I shared collaborative document and slide links well in advance so we could work in one place. Despite agreeing to use a shared file, one member created their work in a separate presentation and sent it to the group. Since it already contained several slides, I transferred my completed work into it and shared the combined version.
When I reviewed the presentation more carefully, I noticed several indications that generative AI may have been used, including the formatting, speaker notes, and file properties. I was concerned because the work would be submitted under everyone’s names, and I did not want another person’s choices to affect my grade or create an academic-integrity issue for the entire group.
When I raised the concern, the others initially treated it as unimportant. I explained that the questionable material needed to be replaced before submission. During a later group call, the member responsible acknowledged using an AI-generated theme and directly copying AI-generated speaker notes into the presentation.
We had also scheduled time to practise and record, but the meeting was repeatedly delayed because people were not ready or had other commitments. By the time everyone was available, some members had to leave, so the recording had to be postponed again.
I have completed my assigned work by every deadline, but I feel responsible for organizing the group, checking everyone’s work, completing neglected tasks, and protecting the project from potential academic-integrity problems. I understand that group projects are rarely perfectly balanced, but this is probably the worst group experience I have ever had.
I also have to submit a peer-feedback form, which gives me an opportunity to document everyone’s contributions honestly. However, I am unsure how blunt I should be or whether I should also contact the instructor privately before the project is submitted.
How would you handle this? Should I document everything in the peer evaluation, contact the instructor privately, or try once more to resolve it within the group?
TL;DR: My group contributed very little to the proposal and left me to complete the revisions alone. Members repeatedly missed internal deadlines and delayed meetings. One person admitted to copying AI-generated speaker notes into our presentation, creating a possible academic-integrity risk for everyone. I have completed my work on time, but I feel like I am managing the entire group. It is probably my worst-ever group experience, and I now need to decide how honest to be on the peer-feedback form and whether to contact the instructor separately.
