Nash Community College
April 22, 2016
Shannon Hahn, Durham Technical Community College
hahns@durhamtech.edu
Group work in an online environment? Why, yes, we can!
Here is the online access to the powerpoint presentation which accompanies this website.
Introduction and my group work philosophy
I have taught Spanish courses fully online over the last two and half years. I designed my first course, SPA 231 Reading & Composition, in spring 2014 with a heavy emphasis on group work. Students gain much of the content in the course through collaborative group projects developed on wikispaces.com. In fall 2015, I developed our fully online SPA 111 course which has an even greater need for student interaction. In that course I have students doing partner videos and recordings throughout the semester as well as a larger group project similar to the other in which students research and present together via wikispaces.I very much believe in letting learning outcomes guide what happens in my classroom, be it in person or online. I want my Spanish students to learn communication skills and know that group work of different types facilitates that learning. Therefore, I built group work into my course design from the beginning.
Defining group work in general
These resources provide information on research and scholarship done around group work:Productive Group Work: How to engage students, build teamwork and promote understanding
Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher and Sandi Everlove
Link to Chapter 1
ASCD Publications
Group work: Using cooperative learning groups effectively
Brame, C.J. and Biel, R. (2015)
Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching
Group Work: How to Use Groups Effectively
Allison Burke
The Journal of Effective Teaching, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2011, 87-95
Five Things Students Can Learn through Group Work
Maryellen Weimer, PhD
Teaching Professor Blog, Faculty Focus, Magna Publications, 2013.
Key elements of effective group work
(Johnson and Johnson, 1975)
- Positive interdependence
- Face to face interaction
- Individual and group accountability
- Interpersonal and small group skills
- Group processing
What does group work look like in your classes (traditional or online)?
Share on the groupwork padlet. http://padlet.com/hahns1/groupworkGroup work can be formal and informal. We shouldn't downplay the importance of informal group work such as what happens in forums, peer feedback in any setting, etc. We do many great things with interactive work, especially in seated classes, and shouldn't be afraid to recreate those learning scenarios in the online environment.
Designing group work for the online environment
Be strategic about content and timing
Consider having students research and present content that you are not as familiar with. What topic do you wish you had more time and energy to cover? Group work is a great opportunity to learn together. In my experience of turning over control to the students, they always find more information for each other and learn the topic more deeply that if I had researched and planned a lesson myself.Group work online almost always takes a week longer than expected. Plan enough time for groups to "present" their work and time for followup discussion.
Rethink the "group"
We usually think of groups as consisting only of members of our classes. I challenge us to reconsider that assumption. In my SPA 111 course, I have students creating video with their friends and families. I may not be grading those other folks, but the features and benefits of group work are still there. I would argue, the benefits can be even more lasting as students' families became actively engaged in their learning. They had to teach and learn from others around them who will still be there after that class is over.Structure the task
Online group work may require a more detailed structure in the forefront. As an instructor, you can choose the parameters of your setup (assign groups or self-select, group size, task at hand, etc.) just like with a face-to-face class. However, because of the time element, you want students to hit the ground running once the project begins. This means having all the instructions available including the grading rubric and anticipating student questions before you ever ask them to start.
I make it a point to offer instructions in various file formats (doc, PDF, directly on LMS page) and create tutorials for any tech tools they're going to use (or find existing ones.)
I, personally, assign groups very strategically in my online classes because they don't have the time to get to know each other in the same way as they would in a seated class. At the beginning of the semester, I have them answer a questionnaire that includes questions specifically designed to create my groups. Below is a sample for my SPA 111 course. You'll see I ask for their favorite two academic subjects and the times of day they expect to work on coursework. I use these answers to group students by time of day and also to assign them roles in the group work that most align with their personal interests. Yes, it's time-consuming, but worth the effort in the end.
Examples from my courses
These are various types of group work, both formal and informal, I have used in my online SPA 111 and/or SPA 231 courses:
Peer feedback on forums, blogs, and portfolio work
Partner audio and video recordings
SPA 111 Chicano Poetry Hour project and wikispaces 111 rubric
SPA 231 Community of Readers reading projects
Your turn!
With the help of those around you, use the document GroupWork Design for the Online Environment to begin planning a group activity for one of your courses.
