Palloff and Pratt (2005) note that there are some precautionary measures
at the start of the course that is going to involve collaborative work.
- Set the stage for collaboration
- Do not encourage over-or-under-participation
- Intervene in order to minimize frustration and conflict when needed
- Address technical difficulties swiftly
- Provide instruction and information about conflict management and
conflict resolution
- Maximize participation through group composition
- Be supportive
When I was making the decision whether or not to transfer my credits
from a face-to-face learning environment to an online degree program, I had
some concerns. My concerns mainly revolved
around how I would fit in with the online learning community. What if the other students did not want to
work with me? What if I was put into a
group where members did not want to participate? Let’s face facts – the concern when working
in groups is the same whether or not the class is face-to-face or online. We each hope everyone in the group will do
their work and participate. However, in
an online environment there are other factors to consider. In some instances there are time zone issues
and communication may break down. There
are also other instances when there may be participation issues (i.e. computer
crashes, family obligations, differences in expectations, etc.).
If communication does break down and a student does not want to network
or collaborate in a learning community for an online course, what should the
other members of the learning community do?
First I would hope that the group or at least one member of the group
would reach out to the group members to get more information about what is
happening and if he/she needs any assistance.
Once this line of communication is open, hopefully, as a group,
everything will get back on track. If
reaching out and communicating does not work, then it may be time for the
instructor to be contacted. Palloff and
Pratt (2005) state “that students often have far more information about the
workings of a small group than does the instructor. If encouraged and guided, students will share
that information so that appropriate grading can occur”. Above all if each member of the group uses
the available guidelines there will not be too many issues (i.e. rubrics).
References
Angelo, T., and
Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom
assessment techniques. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Palloff, R. M.,
and Pratt, K. (2005). Chapter 4: Assessment and evaluation of collaborative
work.
In collaborating online:
Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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Blogs I Posted To
From Michael H
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that concerns regarding collaboration in the online and f2f setting are very similar. I personally have found that collaboration difficulties tend to be more correlative with the level of education rather than the setting. In high school and early as an undergraduate student I couldn't stand it. I am fine with it at this level because we are all motivated and respectful of each other.
We both faced the same choices as to moving from a face2face to an online community. It seems funny know, but the reason that I selected this university for my Master's was that most of the work was on an individual level and other institutions required cohorts of students. I now understand that collaboration is the way of the world. The question that remains to be pondered is what to do when the assessment depends on everyone doing their equal part?
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