Online group work

Online Group Work

How to make group work not suck in an online environment.

Difficulty: 1/5

TIME

Time Written in this Weight The nontime text written in this one
10 Minutes should be all you need

Participants

A number of Humans

Core Competency Connection

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MATERIALS

First Material

PREP

Summary of prep steps:

  • The first step
  • The second one

More than one set:

  • More steps
  • Last one

The Process

Step 1: Make Those Groups

  • Create student groups; you can create them, or you can have students create them.
  • Keep group size relatively small; 3–4 students per group.
  • Tip: Create using online tools: use Canvas to create random groups in the settings for groups or use SignUpGenius or a Microsoft Form.

Step 2: Second Step

  • Have students establish a communication plan—for instance, using email and Microsoft Teams to keep in contact and complete group work together.
  • Tip: Have students share their plan with you as part of their grade.

Step 3: Is this the third?

  • For team projects, it’s crucial to clearly identify individual contributions and expectations for each team member.
  • Communicate whether you’ll be assessing individual contributions using peer evaluation, awarding a group-wide grade, or a combination of any of the above.
  • Tip: you can set peer-evaluation as part of the grade to keep team members accountable to one another.

Step 4: Number four!

Break a group project into multiple steps with smaller assignments, such as proposals, outlines, or drafts due before the final project.

Step 5: Second to last.

  • Monitor online group space. Don’t wait for students to email you when issues arise. Consistently offer advice and feedback, guiding the process as teams progress through the project.
  • Tip: Have discussion boards on Canvas for projects/group work/
    questions to the instructor.

Design Hack

If there are any cool tricks for doing the activity, insert them here, this is optional and can sometimes be removed in favor of a picture.

CTLI Staff

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