Equity of voice in collaboration

When individuals work together in groups, the best outcomes occur in groups that have the greatest levels of "equity of voice." This means that when they meet together, every member talks about the same amount of time. This graphic depicts three groups, each with seven members. According to the research noted in a National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported study on physics education, groups that look more like Group 1 achieve greater outcomes that groups that look like Groups 2 and 3. We've accounted for this dynamic in our strategy ork at Purdue, trying to assure that everyone participates and nobody dominates. A best practice is to let participants know ahead of time that we will be striving for voice equity to assure the best possible outcomes from our work together.