Lector Bettina Dahl Søndergaard is one of four researchers who have looked further into the subject and developed a book. We asked Bettina how she would advise someone new to AAU on how to facilitate a group formation process in a good way. 

In the collaboration between the different authors of the book, they described the four types like this: 

One: The administrative model. The groups are formed by administrative personnel. This is very utilized in the first semester. The very automatic formation process gives everyone a group, regardless of personal preferences or prior knowledge. Bettina describes this process as a very effective way of forming groups when the students are new or need to include new people in the process. “I have seen this way of forming the groups giving good results when there is a need for the students to have a chance of getting to know each other or get out of their comfort zone”  
 
Two: The self-organizing model. The students form their groups, more or less on their own. There is very little interference from the educators. The principle is, that the students can form groups themselves in such a way that everyone joins a group and that each student is satisfied with their group to the greatest possible extent. [1] This method gives a great amount of student autonomy, but can also cause students uncomfortability – this is very well described in the book. 
 
Three: The subject-centered model. Takes place a bit further into the semester, when the subjects have been elaborated and focuses on the theme for the semester. The students form groups based on their interests in the subject. This is very facilitated by the educators. 
 
Four: The relation-centered model. This model is based on the students' relationships with the other students and on their common interest in subjects. This model can be based on personality tests, thus securing a (relative) diverse set of personalities in a group. 

Bettina does acknowledge that this is not an easy process for the students, and it is common they feel a bit nervous and on edge before and during the group formation process. This could be minimized by establishing some ground rules before starting the group formation process – rules like “no one is in a group before everyone is in a group” can help the students, and also have a conversation beforehand: How do you tell someone, that they are not welcome in your group? 
The educator must also be prepared to help if the group formation process ends in a high-conflict scenario and have some strategies for dealing with this. 
 
While the groups are forming, it will lead to a better cooperation in the group, if they discuss their work habits and ambitions before they make the final decision to form a group. Does anyone have any specific conditions their group members should be aware of? Do they have to pick up children at a specific time? Do they have learning difficulties that can affect their work? Do they have any neurodiversity that works best in a specific work pace? These conditions are not any hindrance to a good work environment, but it is easiest to tackle if the conditions are clear from the beginning. It is therefore a good idea to write a group contract when the group is formed, so that this is explicit and clear from the beginning. 
 
The group forming process is very essential for the project work, and it is important to put some thought into how you as an educator will facilitate it and which outcome you want the students to have from the process. 
 
Should you be interested in learning more about this process, you can read much more in the book “Exploring PBL Group Formation Processes” by Stine Bylin Bundgaard, Bettina Dahl Søndergaard, Lone Krogh and Ole Ravn. You can find it as an open-access E-book by following the link below.