Achieving Collaborative Learning through Group Work and Presentations in an Online Environment? Can it be Done? Yes, it can!

The targeted audience of this presentation are higher education online instructors in all disciplines, but especially to those who hesitate to embrace group projects in virtual learning environments. Through interactive discussion, participants will be presented with best practices and technological tools able to share ideas from their own practice.

Learning Goals:

At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Identify and address challenges/barriers to successful online collaborative learning through group work and presentations.         
2. Include project-based and group work in online courses as methods of authentic learning and assessment.
3. Apply strategies to develop collaborative assignments that can replace/complement various individual and/or group assignments in online courses.
4. Identify and select technological tools that can facilitate group collaboration and presentations in an online setting.

Program Format & Presentation Outline:

1. Brainstorming activity (small groups): Do you use group work online? Why? How do your students feel about group work online?
2. Overview of Topic & Introduction of Presenter
3. Been there, done that: A quick story
4. Goals of the Session
5. Group Work & Presentations Online – It can be really hard! But it can be done!
   1. Group work? No way! I want to do it by myself!!!!
   2. I hate/love technology!
   3. Is everyone doing their part? We have a slacker!!!
   4. Do you want to be in my group? Oh no! He/ She put YOU in MY group!
   5. Big project? Scaffolding the activities is the way to go!
   6. When/How are we going to meet/contribute??
   7. Is everybody going to get the same grade? No fair!!!
   8. Are we ready? Time to present!
6. Did I miss anything? Brainstorm other challenges and solutions with group
7. Help! A few tools you may want to have…
8. Closing with Q&A

The myth that group work and class presentations cannot be effectively implemented in online higher education courses is one that persists among faculty, instructional designers, and even students, despite the value that virtual collaboration adds to the overall online learning experience (Gayton & McEwen, 2007; Smith, Sorensen, Gump, Heindel, Caris, & Martinez, 2011). Students many times resent forced group work and feel that the grouping is inflexible and the workload is unequally shared (Boling, Hough, M., Krinsky, Saleem, & Stevens, 2012; Capdeferro & Romero, 2012). They really need is to feel that their peers are competent and prepared (Capdeferro & Romero, 2012; Hillyard, Gillespie & Littig, 2010). The truth is: today, there are no professions in which working with others is not a basic requirement (Barkley, Cross & Major, 2014; So, & Brush, 2008; Stein & Hurd, 2000).

 

Effective collaborative learning class activities for online course should achieve/provide meaningful interaction between the instructor and the student, the student and the content, and between students (Ko & Rossen, 2010; Palloff & Pratt, 2007; Vai & Sosulski, 2011). Such collaborative learning increases motivation and persistence among online students (Smith, Sorensen, Gump, Heindel, Caris & Martinez, 2011). Teamwork is an essential professional skill to be learned, and online collaborative learning can advance the learners’ ability to meet key competencies and essential 21st century skills. (InTASC, 2011; Professional Standards for Educational Leaders, 2015; Smith et al., 2011). More specifically, students must learn to collaborate to build relationships, share knowledge, and solve problems (InTASC, 2011; Professional Standards for Educational Leaders, 2015). Gayton and McEwen (2007) found rapport and collaboration between students, thought provoking questions, and dynamic interaction to be among the top instructional processes identified by instructors and students. The authors affirmed that an interactive and cohesive environment that includes group work, regular assignments, and solid feedback are needed for success.

 

However, just breaking down students in groups, and hoping they will get along and produce good works is far from enough (Barkley, Cross & Major, 2014; So, & Brush, 2008; Stein & Hurd, 2000). Many challenges/ barriers that affect students’ motivation and success in online group work must be overcome. External barriers in web-based instruction include time constraints, the learner–instructor relationship, and technology-related concerns (Hillesheim, 1998). Assuring students of available technology’s utility, ease of use, and effectiveness of technical and personal support are also ever-present challenges (Griffith, 1996; Martins & Kellermanns, 2004; Hillyard, Gillespie & Littig, 2010). Another challenge is to ensure that students possess minimum computer literacy and technology access before class starts. In addition, students not always have learned skills to interact with the instructor and other students (Haugen, Labarre & Melrose, 2001; Hillyard, Gillespie & Littig, 2010). In addition to the challenges related to the online environment, students also face challenges inherent to any group project: group creation (instructor created or self-selected); lack of leadership, scheduling conflicts, lack of team development, free-riding or social loafing, and students who prefer to work alone (Capdeferro & Romero, 2012; Graham & Misanchuk, 2004; Hansen, 2006). Without this competencies, students experience significant frustration, loss of motivation and initiative, decreased performance and course dissatisfaction (Haugen, Labarre & Melrose, 2001; Hillyard, Gillespie & Littig, 2010).

 

So, how can we make it work? Ideally, online groups must develop/display: 1- positive interdependence (each student perceives that he or she is linked with others in such a way that the student cannot succeed unless the others do); 2- individual accountability (the performance of each student is assessed); 3- promotive interaction (helping, assisting, supporting, encouraging, and praising one another's efforts to learn); 4- social skills (leadership, decision-making, trust-building, communication, and conflict-management), and 4- group processing (the identification of ways to improve the processes members have been using to maximize their own and each other's learning). (Barkley, Cross & Major, 2014; So, & Brush, 2008; Stein & Hurd, 2000; Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1998). To get there, faculty who seek to improve the performance of student teams, as well as the satisfaction of the students must : (a) emphasize the importance or relevance of teamwork (why are we doing this?), (b) teach teamwork skills, (c) conduct team building exercises, (d) determine the best group size (3-4) and method of team formation, (e) assign a reasonable workload and clear goals/expectations, (f) require groups to have specific or assigned roles, (g) provide instructions/tools on how to schedule and execute team meetings, (h) request feedback at multiple points for monitoring typical team problems, (i) require individuals to keep a personal contributions file, and (j) use detailed peer evaluations as part of grading (Davies, 2009; Hansen, 2006; Hernandez, 2002; Razzak, 2014; Whatley, 2009).

 

As the culminating activity for most class projects, group presentations add another layer of difficulty to the long list of challenges mentioned here. Despite of the misconception that using video presentations is very difficult and unreliable, we now have good technology (paid and free) that can facilitate the preparation and delivery of group presentations online (Earon, 2017). Earon (2017) provides a list of benefits that video communications can bring to an online learning environment: 1) access to increased educational resources, 2) flexibility for the learner, 3) valuable global interchange, and 4) equal opportunities for students and teachers regardless of location.

During the presentation, I will share my personal experiences with online teaching, starting with not using group work at all, and now having groups presenting using Zoom (synchronous and asynchronous). When groups post the videos of their presentations, the other class mates can enjoy a product that is very similar to what they would experience if attending a presentation in a classroom. I will also share a list of virtual meeting tools that may meet the various needs of the participants.  

References

Capdeferro, N., & Romero, M. (2012). Are online learners frustrated with collaborative learning experiences? The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(2), 26-44.

Earon, S.A.(2017). The Value of Video Communications in Education. [White paper.]

Davies, W. M. (2009).  Groupwork as a form of assessment: common problems and recommended solutions.  Higher Education: the International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 58 (4), pp. 563-584).

Gayton, J. and McEwen, B.C. (2007). Effective online instructional and assessment strategies.

The American Journal of Distance Education, 21(3), 117-132.

Hamann, K., Pollock, P. H., & Wilson, B. M. (2012).  Assessing student perceptions of the benefits of discussions in small-group, large-class, and online learning contexts.  College Teaching, 60: 65-75.

Hansen, R. S. (2006).  Benefits and problems with student teams: Suggestions for improving team projects.  Journal of Education for Business, 82(1), pp. 11-19.

Ko, S., & Rossen, S. (2010). Teaching online: A practical guide. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015). Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015. Reston, VA: Author.

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities:   Effective strategies for the virtual classroom (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Prensky, M. (2001).  Digital natives, digital immigrants, part I.  On the Horizon 9 (5), pp. 1-6.

Razzak, N.A. (2014).  Strategies for effective faculty involvement in online activities aimed at promoting critical thinking and deep learning.  Education and Information Technologies, 21, 881-896.

Smith, G. G., Sorensen, C., Gump, A., Heindel, A. J., Caris, M., & Martinez, C. D. (2011). Overcoming student resistance to group work: Online versus face-to-face. The Internet and Higher Education, 14(2), 121-128.

Stein, R. F., & Hurd, S. (2000). Using student teams in the classroom: A faculty guide. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company.

Vai, M., & Sosulski, K. (2011). Essentials of online course design: A standards-based guide. New York, NY: Routledge Press.

Whatley, J. (2009).  Ground rules in team projects:  Findings from a prototype system to support students.  Journal of Information Technology Education, 8, pp. 161-176.