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
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.
References
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