eLearning Conference--"Virtually Being There: Strategies for Designing and Faciliatating Effective Online Group Projects"

Carolyn N Steveneson, Professor Communications Department Kaplan University

Organizing Virtual Teams
Project Design (instructor really has to develop a project that allows for professional collaboration experiences which needs to be well designed)
*Communication (systems need to be established that encourage ideas, questions, and concerns to be directed to the team members and the instructor)
*Virtual team member roles (organized around a set of team roles and responsibilities, roles need to be created that address both the talent and interest of the team members)
*Clear instructions for students
*Instructor Training

eCollege
(students take ownership by coming up with their own name and set up their own schedules and participate)

moodle

think about the limitations of your platform

HAS to be asynchronous

When you have a leader, let them be a leader

You really have to have the role very specifically outlined with job responsibilities

Connect it to the real world

Takes alot of work on the front end (continually needs revising)

Anxiety is high for students coming into working in teams or small group. You will have various levels of engagement, so talk about it up front

Talk about grading (rubric really helps ease anxiety) with participation element

Help students know they will not be penalized for lack of another groupmembers participation

Retention can be an issue --so design guidelines to address that

Equal distribution of work--so make sure tasks are delegated. Split up the project.

Knowing what the challenges were the first time helps improve the assignment the second time around

TRUST is key--must be built (might be easier said than done)

(noodus?)

Reinforce that they are learning LEADERSHIP skills (it's in their workplace, in their lives already so help make the connection more obvious for them)

Right to "fire" a team member and what are the steps to follow when you discover someone is not doing their task/work

Try to design a project where projects can be completed without necessarily needed all of the team members? (sections of a manual--if one section isn't there the manual can still be submitted)

Try to make project meaningful for them so there's more buy-in

(Yahoo groups)

(Survivor references--don't want to be leader too early)

Participation expectation. If you don't participate you have to do a different project in which you have to fulfill ALL pieces of the group projects. Whenever you STOP participating you get pulled from the group and are defined as being on your own project. The thought of having to do the ENTIRE project helps keep them involving.