Online Group Work

 

Perception

Successful group projects include the ability to problem-solve, work effectively with others, communicate orally and in writing, and manage resources including time and responsibility to project outcomes. Implementation of group work in online classrooms may be stymied by faculty members who struggle with effective implementation of group work.  (Williams, Cameron, Morgan, & Wade 2012) 

Faculty members perceive group work as an essential tool for students’ future professional lives. However, if the infrastructure to facilitate groups isn't in place or known it can cause stress on the faculty and students.   2017-10-30_1431.png

(Williams et al., 2012)

Faculty Viewpoint


Watch SCC instructor of 28 years, Greg Richards, answer a few questions on how he has implemented group work into his courses. Greg has taught a myriad of courses over the years and has become very invested with utilizing Canvas Conferences in his online group projects.

 


How can group work be effective?


Watch as the Learning to Teach Online Project discusses how internet technologies can improve the collaborative process within online teamwork, and offer some useful strategies for facilitation and assessment.

 


Effective group work requires engagement from students. Ways to increase student engagement in online group work is to insure the relevancy of the project. Does the project have some sort of real life application? Meaningful learning opportunities such as, group essays, presentations, videos, other artifacts, helps to increase active learning. Other ways to engage students include a publishing component. Students can be much more engaged with a project (group or individual) when the project will be shared with others. 

Questions before you begin:
Not sure if group work is right for your course? Ask yourself the following questions

  • What is the desired learning objective?
  • Will the groups be assigned or will students choose their group members?
  • How will students get to know each other and develop trust?
  • Will students receive direct experiences/assignments to help them learn group processes, or will they discover those during their projects?
  • How will students be graded?
  • Do I possess the Canvas skills prior to trying?

 

 Click 'Next' below to look at more strategies for faciliating groups