When students hear about group work, they often groan. Multiply that by the challenges presented in an online learning environment, and sometimes even the professors groan! With online course quality measures that recommend student interaction and group activities and calls to create classrooms that encourage collaboration and critical thinking, faculty need to find new ways to conquer group work dilemmas. This session offers practical strategies for facilitation of group work, both online and in-class. The session will include innovative ways to select students for group membership, techniques for management and accountability, and suggestions for group assignments. Participants will be encouraged to share their own tips and strategies for facilitating successful group assignments.

1. Making Groups Work:
Practical Strategies for
Accountability and Engagement
Andrea Stone
Instructional Designer/Curriculum Coordinator
Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City

2. Agenda
• Why should you use group projects?
• What tools should you use?
• Wisdom from group project veterans

3. Why do you use (or want to use)
group projects in your classes?

4. Why use group projects?
• Reduce grading
• Get better work
• Facilitate transformative learning
• Foster connections
• Positive peer pressure

5. What tools should students use?
• Screen Sharing – Join.me or Google Hangout
• Video Chat – FaceTime or Skype or Google
Hangout
• Papers – Wikis or Google Docs
• Presentations – Google Presentations
• Creative – MixBook for Educators
• Social Media – Facebook or Twitter

6. Screen Sharing

7. Video Chat
http://www.marismith.com/ten-reasons-googleplus-hangouts/#

8. Papers

9. Presentations

10. Creative

11. Social Media

12. Wisdom from group project veterans:

13. Assignment Directions

14. For this project you will meet with
your group and present a solution for
the case study in chapter 7. It is due on
July 10, 2012. Work with your group to
complete the project.

15. Putting Students into Groups

16. Some ideas…
• Geographically (if they will meet)
• Online Only or Meet Face to Face
• Based on the time they are available to meet
• Work style (last minute vs. work ahead)
• Topic based
• Major based
• MBTI Type based (same or complimentary?)
• Other ideas?

18. Get them talking!
• Integrate group communication into your
online course.
– Communication tools in your LMS
– Additional methods described earlier
• Remind them to talk.
• Provide early, low-credit opportunities to
practice collaboration.

19. Track and Monitor Participation

20. Track and Monitor Participation
• Check on the communication tools you have
provided.
• Ask to be cc’d on emails.
• Use project development formats with
tracking like Google Docs, Google
Presentations, and Wiki’s with versioning.
• Stagger deadlines to boost ongoing
participation and interaction.

21. Have a Group Divorce
Policy in Place…
Just in Case
• Under what conditions?
• By unanimous or majority?
• How does the group notify the kickee
and the instructor?
• How are grades earned by the group
and the individual?
• Are there penalties for being kicked out?
• Is there a deadline?

22. Group Feedback

23. Group Feedback
• Allow the group to determine part of the
grade
• Preserve anonymity
• Ask behavioral questions
• Use survey tool. Example at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VMZLPBJ.

24. Visual Knowledge Check

25. Making Groups Work: Practical Strategies for
Accountability and Engagement
Andrea Stone
Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City
awstone@osuokc.edu
405.945.6798
View the presentation and related links online
at
http://AndreaStone.pbworks.com