Topic 3

How do you successfully organize group work in an online course?

Group work can be a challenge in a traditional face-to-face course, but can be even more challenging in an online course. It is important as a teacher to address different aspects in order to create a successful group that learn together and use everyone’s unique skills successfully.

A successful group share knowledge among each other and create new knowledge together. The right form of collaborative learning develops a higher order of thinking (Brindley et al 2009).

Brindley describes learner-learner interactions in an e-learning course as a four stage continium:

1. Communication - People ‘talking,’ discussing

2. Collaboration - People sharing ideas and working together (occasionally sharing resources) in a loose environment

3. Cooperation - People doing things together, but each with his or her own purpose

4. Community - People striving for a common purpose

During this topic we have together reflected on what level of interaction we have achieved in our group.  We started up with communication, but were able to move on to collaboration during the first topic. We have then continued to cooperation, but tried to reach community level. We have a nice group dynamic and supportive atmosphere that perhaps will take us all the way. To achieve this we have to support each other and use each other’s unique skills. We are all motivated.

In a recent article on participant’s reflections on group work, one of the main issues that could result in frustration among group members involved imbalance in the level of commitment, responsibility, and effort (Capedeferro and Romero 2012). Some group members were very active while others were less active (even totally absent) from group work. I think that the expectations and work load have to be set in the beginning of the course to avoid the group work to suffer from imbalance between participants but also to set the ambition to the right level. I think anyone of us can become the social loafer or the over achiever if the expectations from the group and the course leaders are not clear. Especially in online courses were the level of digital literacy is affecting the participant’s possibility to participate actively in group work. This course have had the support from a teacher all the way to aid in the start and to keep track on the development of the group work and I believe this to be a crucial part in forming successful working groups.

References:
Brindley, J., Blaschke, L. M. & Walti, C. (2009). Creating effective collaborative learning groups in an online environment. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(3).


Capdeferro, N. & Romero, M. (2012). Are online learners frustrated with collaborative learning experiences?. The International review of research in open and distance learning, 13(2), 26-44.