Group Work Online

students doing group work

Research overwhelmingly demonstrates that group work is good for student engagement. Yet--at least anecdotally--students (and teachers) seem to hate group work. The truth is that both of these things are true; it will vary from semester to semester and project to project. The important thing to keep in mind is that three big factors that lead to successful group projects are under the teacher's control:

Placing students in groups: there are two thousand ways to do this, but two main ways: 1) randomly assigning students to groups, and 2) assigning students to groups based on some kind of criteria. Keep in mind that what works with one quarter's students may not work with the next. Find an approach that's manageable and feels right to you.

Conflict resolution: Some teachers don't like assigning group work because they don't like creating opportunity for conflict to arise or having to mediate it when it does. One approach to solving this is assigning a group conduct policy as part of the group project. The first deliverable of any group project is a written agreement about how each members is expected to contribute. When conflicts arise,  refer to that group's agreement and use that to proceed, effectively putting responsibility and ownership back on the students.

Clear instruction: Group work needs very clear guidelines and expectations outlined from the beginning. You want students to begin by addressing the challenge of the assignment, not trying to figure out what the assignment is even asking for.

There are of course more than just these three things to consider when orchestrating group work, but these are often the trickiest to address.

Choose a Suitable Assignment for Group Work

Assignment topics or tasks that are related to the "real world" and can be connected to students’ lives make good choices for collaborative work. Group assignments should challenge students to apply and discuss course content using multiple perspectives to solve a problem or develop a solution. As an instructor, you can consider the skills that go into working in groups and design your activities with an eye towards developing those skills. For example, you might ask students to analyze and offer solutions to a current local or international problem or require them to complete tasks that involve using and developing skills they will likely use in their professional lives, such as writing a proposal or collaborating online.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:

  • Would the workload of the project or activity require more than one person to finish it properly?
  • Is this something where multiple perspectives create a greater whole?
  • Does this draw on knowledge and skills that are spread out among the students?
  • Will the group process used in the activity or project give students a tangible benefit to learning in groups and engagement with the course?

Assessing Group Work

In your assignment description, include expectations, purpose, and clear instructions about how students can collaborate and provide feedback to each other.

Assess both individual and group performance. In addition to the group deliverable, ask individuals to submit a project summary. You might ask students to log their contributions to the project (e.g., on a group discussion board or collaborative document). This creates individual accountability for learning and discourages non-participation in group activities. It will also help you monitor group activity and allow students to track their progress.

Consider incorporating reflection activities as part of the assignment, in which students—as individuals or as a group—reflect on their learning in three dimensions:

  1. PERSON: Assessing their individual development and growth in gaining knowledge and skill, contributing to the success of the project, and working with team members.
  2. PROCESS: Examining the team’s process in working together, including how they surfaced and managed difficulties.
  3. PRODUCT: Evaluating the quality of the final product or artifact that they were charged with creating.

Ideas

Here are links to some online group project ideas: