Group Work in an Online Course

About

Group work in an online environment has the potential to be a polarizing activity, but if you’re looking for ways to add engagement between students and your course, address important higher order thinking or collaborative, 21st century skills, consider these best practices when it comes to successfully integrating group projects in your curriculum.

Application for Teaching and Learning

The comprehensive review of literature presented in Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty provides compelling evidence in favor of collaborative learning’s benefit as it relates to student learning in online classes.

According to Barkley et al. (2014, p. 29-30), research indicated an impact on the following areas:

1. Students’ improved learning
2. Outcome-based achievement
3. Reduction in isolation, and
4. Formation of social groups

Steps for Implementation

1. Create clear expectations and assignment instructions
2. Implement smaller, formative assessments as checkpoints leading up to the final assignment submission
3. Develop and implement a rubric
4. Use a self and peer evaluation rubric for grading group participation or group contracts
5. Plan a dedicated time early in the process that you will be available for students to easily check in with questions about their project work.  This could be a designated all-class Q & A time in a synchronous course meeting, breakout room work time in which you visit each room for a check in, or office hours one week that are specifically focused on the project.

Additional Resources

Barkley, E., Major, Claire Howell, & Cross, K. Patricia. (2014). Collaborative learning techniques : A handbook for college faculty (Second ed., Jossey-Bass higher and adult education series). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand.
More on Group Work: https://teaching.uncc.edu/teaching-guides/online-learning/online-activity-examples/group-projects