group/team assignments
I find that one way to build online community in a online learning environment is to have group/team assignments. It also helps to assist the more quiet individuals to become more engaging in the discussion process.
Mark,
I love using group or pair assignments as well. Students should learn to work with others and feel confident that they can depend on someone else in the class. Thanks.
Hi Mark,
One thing I do with online groups is wait to place them. I know it seems proactive to set them up early but what I have found is that if I wait 2 weeks (for a 5 week or 3 weeks for anything longer), that I find the trends within students.
Then I group my A students, B students etc together. What I see is that A students get their stuff done early and efficiently- and those students who generally score lower and tend to turn things in last minute or late all of a sudden have no safety net and have to scramble to do it.
I've had debates with colleague who think it's better to mix and go with the idea that the lower performing student will take motivation. Not usually the case in my experience but what does happen in my grouping is that usually for the first time the lower performing student doesn't have a highly motivated student to get them through. About half of the lower performing students step up and take control and the others quietly take a failing grade.
I think groups can be effective but I think there are many ways to make them work other than random grouping.
Jennifer and Mark,
Thanks for continuing the conversation in this forum. It's great that we have this place to share ideas, tips, and strategies. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Jennifer,
I tend to do the same thing in waiting to assign groups, but sometimes I mix it up a bit. I have grouped all men together in a group, or all "A" students together (they need a break, too). Sometimes when the "A" student is taken out of the mix, it allows other students an opportunity to assume the lead without intimidation from the top-performer(s).
When we discuss group work, we also have to consider learning styles. Some individuals like to start the group project even before the unit begins. Others like to take time to gather information for a few days, and about 7% of the population (I remember this statistic from an article I read some time ago and remember it because I fall into this category)prefer to work closer to the deadline. Individuals such as this are not to be confused as procrastinators, but reason the situation carefully, have all of their supporting research in place, and can sit down and put together the paper in a short amount of time - rarely, if ever, missing a deadline. These types of individuals tend not to be trusted by that A-type personality, and have to make a case for their learning style.
One more thing that I do with the group project is for each person to provide a peer-assessment of everyone in the group and a self-assessment of their efforts.
Hi Gloria,
I agree with the peer assessment and also use self- assessment. I'm big with peer work because it does a lot of teaching. I have never thought to try gender separated groups :) that sounds like it will be a good idea to try out.
Gloria and Jennifer,
Thanks for continuing the conversation. It is nice to know that others do thing similar and/or different as we learn new techniques/ideas through theses forums. Thanks.
Jennifer,
Thanks for sharing. MIT is always fun to try new things.
I agree, collaborative work is important, especially related to a specific field. I teach criminal justice and most entry level position requires working with a "team". Unless you are in special operations, you will always work with a partner or a team. It is important to develop skills related in successfully completing tasks. I believe in random selecting the groups using their time zones to set the teams, because in this environment, it is easier to work as a team, when they are all in the same time zone for scheduling meetings.
Also, it does not single anyone out and does not put labels on students. This is the high performers group and below expectations group. I feel that combining students with a varying degree of skills, students can learn from each other. They can see how others respond and it may help build confidence in those who struggle, and reinforce positive behaviors that already possess these skills. They can assist them and help pull them up. I have found in my classes that the stronger students like to help ones who struggle. Of course, there are some conflicts from time to time, but the lessons learned here on dealing with a variety of styles, attitudes, personalities, strengths, and weaken only benefit the student to deal with issues as they would in the workplace.
Team project are invaluable in skill building, I agree Mark.
Debra,
I just think that collaborative work helps students learn to get along with other, agree to disagree, and work through conflict. I do it daily at work, but I learned the hard way. . .not in classes. Keep up the good work.
Yes, I would have said that same thing. Working in the field of Criminal Justice, especially, you are not just dealing with colleagues, you are dealing with the public. Working in an area where you rely on a partner or team, you need to develop these skills to be effective at your job. So, getting a taste of it in a classroom setting where is structure, guidance, and encouragement to build that skills makes it easier when the student enters the workforce.
Sloan,
Thinking seriously about the the workforce and your particular field (like CJ) is essential to help make sure the students are prepared. Nice job.
I would respectfully disagree with you on the group/team assignments. I teach paralegals various courses, and in some of the courses, they are required to read and brief cases. I tried allowing them to choose the case and a partner student if they wanted. If they didn't voluntarily choose the case or the partner, I chose it for them. Four separate students paired up in twos, and actually have worked well together. The remainder of the students have not worked well together and have said they want to work individually. Their standard response is that the other student (s) won't communicate and/or share the work responsibility. Now, I am allowing the 4 students to continue their "pairing up". The others I am assigning individual cases. Maybe it is just the group of students I have, but the group assignments have not worked.
Mike,
Again, the course content, level of course, students, etc. determine many times how you do group work, if you do group work, etc. We have to figure out what works for us and the students. Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.
It certainly does promote communnication however it seems that you do not always get the same level of work out of each student in the group. This can be very frustrating for the students that like good grades and care about the level of work they turn in. How do you account for the amount of work each individual does for the group project? I am a firm believer that your grade should not be dependent upon another individual's work or lack of work.
Dawn Huber
Dawn ,
Communication is key to the learning process - especially in the online environment. Thanks for your input.
Hi Mark,
I have to say that, as a student, I absolutely hated online group/team assignments. They do not mimic "real life" interaction, and they do not mimic the business world. Students have different levels of commitment and different level of self-direction.
I found that, as a student, my grade depended on students who would drop out or do a sub-standard job because they were happy with a C while I wanted a A. If it had been on campus, I would have the option of meeting those students face-to-face, and if it was a business situation, they could have been fired or removed from the project for sub-standard work.
As a teacher who had to use group assignments, I received complains from students about the same thing. My husband is now an online student, and he is suffering from problems with his groups in an MBA program where some students, again, are happy with a B and won't work as hard.
How do other instructors deal with these problems?
Thanks,
Kate
My institution eliminated group assignments in online comp courses because of lack of student participation and complaints of other students that they were having to pick up all the slack.
Stanley,
WOW - can't believe that. Just implement an effective peer review. I do not have any group grades even on group projects - just individual grades for their individual work!
Katherine and Mark,
First of all, my groups solve a real-world problem - not just something made up to seem like a problem. I use a peer evaluations and students do not receive group grades, but individual grades. It works well for me. I also allow students to fire group members if they have written evidence of how they tried to resolve the conflict/problem and after I have also spoken to the student they wish to fire. That has also worked for me.
