William, Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I suppose you'll never know what just what your former instructor was hoping to accomplish, although it sounds like the experience was largely positive. Your response reminds me of the notion that people seem to form bonds when placed in a challenging or even traumatic situation. As instructors, we probably don't want to create trauma in the classroom; but a healthy dose of competition may work for some. I do like the idea of group work, and I will try it again in one of my classes this quarter. Thanks again for your insights!