Succeed at Online Group Work
Many students dread group work, so why on earth do professors keep assigning it? Believe it or not, group work offers several educational advantages. Studies have shown that working in groups has significant benefits. In group work, students are more likely to retain information and gain a better understanding of the material. Furthermore, collaboration is exactly what the "real world" demands on a regular basis. There are almost no professions where a person works entirely independently.
So what are the concerns that students have about group work, and how can you ensure that your group works successfully, especially in an online class?
The major concern that students have is that one or more members of the group will not pull their weight. This can happen in a traditional classroom as easily as it can happen in an online group, leaving the more responsible students who complete their tasks feeling cheated, as well as anxious about their grades. Here are a few ways to ensure that this does not happen:
Choose a Leader
Designate one person in the group to be the leader. This person is responsible for ensuring that the group is able to communicate successfully. He or she can set up times for meetings and remind people of deadlines, as well as keeping records of key discussion points and group decisions.
Use Technology
Use technology to facilitate distance-based group work. This can be useful for busy on-campus students too. Your group leader can be the point person to arrange virtual meetings via group instant-message, video conference, or chat. Your online course may also have specific technology that your group can access, like limited-use forums or class blogs. You can also use technology simply to keep everyone up-to-date: email research or presentations to one another, or use the track changes feature in Microsoft Word to edit your work collectively.
Organize
Divide tasks equally, but don't just let everyone do their own thing. Each person should perform a task that suits his or her interests and strengths as much as possible, but the group should also include a peer review process to modify the project as necessary.
Stay Ahead of Schedule
Do not leave things until the last minute. Bring your group together well ahead of the deadline to evaluate your project jointly and conduct any necessary revisions.
Rise to the Challenge
If your group does wind up with the much-dreaded slacker (or worse yet, if you are the only person in your group who ever seems to do anything) make sure that you keep track of exactly what each group member does or does not do. Let the professor know who contributed and who did not, in a polite and professional way. Complete the project to the best of your ability, even if you feel that you are doing more than your share of the work. Believe it or not, this sometimes happens in real life too; it's not fair, but at least you will gain the knowledge and the grade that you deserve.
Article ResourcesThe George Lucas Educational Foundation
http://www.edutopia.org/inquiry-project-learning-research
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