Online Teamwork: Making the Most of Teamwork in Distance Education

Online Teamwork:

Making The Most of Your Teams in Distance Education

Jamie Sue ReedJune 19, 2014

Goold, Craig Coldwell 2005“The Student Experience of working in teams online” 2008

Team skills are part of a

suite of professional skills that employers

expect graduates to

have

Team skills are generic

and transferable

skills that have lifelong relevance.

Team skills include the ability to communicate

effectively with team members, to

work collaboratively to solve problems, to

negotiate with peers and resolve conflicts, and to

engage with diverse team

members.

Why use teams in

online educatio

n?

Why students don’t like teamwork online

Goold, Craig, Coldwell, 2005

The grading

is unfair!



Without personal

contact, it’s harder to get

others to pull their weight.



Over 70% of the time is devoted to

coordinating work rather than doing the work.



Takes too long to storm

and norm



Prefer to communicate via email or text than

through Moodle



Slackers! One or two individuals

end up doing all the work.



Dealing with

cultural diversity is

more difficult



Not enough

oversight from

instructor



Involvement rather

than outcome should be measured



Takes longer to

accomplish tasks with

groups



Task requirements are too

vague



Getting teamed up with others who have language

difficulties is frustrating

What reassures students about how you coordinate teamwork

online Knowing that when they enter the work world they will be working in teams.

Knowing they will be graded fairly Knowing they will not have to

compensate for slackers Providing a structure for the work Not requiring all communication

through Moodle

Strategies for Forming Teams: Task Related

Provide topics and let students choose which they want to

work on

Strategies for Forming Teams: Self Selecting

SchedulesKnown

Teammates

Team Roles

Skills

Majors

Strategies for Forming Teams: Assigned

Schedules Major

Grades Skills

Common Goals Gender?

Inequalities in Group Work

“…talkativeness studies in general have concluded that men dominate mixed discussion groups everywhere.”

Krupnick, “Women and Men in the Classroom: Inequality and its Remedies”

Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

Harvard University

The question whether gender or status and power is the motivating force for conversational behavior has been resolved in favor of status and power in the literature. Most studies find that in mixed talks men tend to be more dominating than women.

Kunsman, P. “Gender, Status and Power in Discourse Behavior of Men and Women.” Linguistk Online

Free University of Berlin

Self-Selected Teams

Likes

•They have control•They get to be with friends•They know what to expect

Dislikes

•Students fear no one will pick them•Shy students feel left out

Teacher-Assigned Teams

Likes

•Students feel instructor can better mix skills•They get to meet new people

Dislikes

•Students fear being teamed with slackers•Lack of control

Determining Ideal Team Size

Odd number of students, according to Duke Center for Instructional Technology—3 or 5.

Three to four, according to Online Learning Insights: A Blog about Open and Online Education

Four, Barbara Millis, “Collaboration Online and Hybrid/Blended Courses”

Three to six, Southern Cross University “Team Work Guide” (2013)

I use teams of two. Noel and Robert (2004) found that most professional writing groups had two members.

12

34

56

Nelson, Karen J., Kift, Sally M., Creagh, Tracy A., & Quinn, Carole (2007)“Teamwork protocol. Teamwork Protocol : Enhancing Transition at QUT : A

Student Centered Approach to Learning.” (2007)

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/42084/1/QUT_Teamwork_Protocol_Compressed%5B1%5D.pdf

Structuring Teamwork Establish teams after first three weeks so

teamwork is stable Create goals and deadlines Mandate task allocation Set aside time for counseling/problems Provide easy access to conversation tools Match student skills but allow for skill

development Make it relevant to real-world situations Make the project interesting Provide grading rubric (jsr)

Nelson, K et al. 2007.

Collaborative Writing Process Centralized: one person controls the document

during the whole project; Relay: one person at a time controls the document

but it is not always the same person; Independent: each person controls the section on

which he/she is working; Shared: everyone has equal access to the document. Joint writing: authors work together synchronously in

close collaboration on the text; Scribe: based on group discussions, one individual

writes the document.

Noel, S. and Robert, J.M. “Empirical Study on Collaborative Writing:

What Do Co-authors Do, Use, and Like?” (2004)

Potential Team Roles

Facilitator: Responsible for getting the group started, keeping it on task, and involving all members.

Recorder: Responsible for keeping a record of what happens in the group meeting.

Spokesperson/Reporter: Responsible for summarizing group decisions for the larger class.

Timekeeper: Responsible for keeping group on task and on time (particularly with in-class activities).

Reality checker: Responsible for noting group decisions and whether they are realistic.

Devil’s advocate: Responsible for pointing out alternate viewpoints and asking tough questions.

Spy: Responsible for getting info from other groups when appropriate.

Liaison: Responsible for communicating with professor, status and problems. (JSR)

Duke Center for Instructional Technology

Levels of Interaction

UNC: The Writing Center

Teamwork Tools

Google Docs Google Hangouts Join me Dropbox Skype Trello Wiggio Students often have their own

favorites

Grading Models

1. Equal Marks Assessment Model: This model of assessment dictates that the team is given an overall mark for the completed project and each member receives the same mark despite individual contributions.

Nelson, K et al. 2007..

Grading Models

2. Redistribution Model: This model is dependent on the criteria allowed by the academic. A team mark is awarded to all members but allows for a mechanism which can adjust individual contributions. For example: 90% of the mark is an overall team mark and 10% is allocated as an individual mark which may be formulated through peer evaluations.


Grading Models

3. Individual Plus Team Assessment Model: Within this model a team mark is allocated for components of the project. Each student also completes an allocated task that contributes to the final team product and receives the marks for that task.


Grading Models

4. Individual Performance Model: In this model each team member may write and submit an individual report based on the team's work on the task/project. OR Each individual team member's contribution (as defined by pre-determined criteria) is assessed using evidence from resources like agenda's, log books, direct observations and the like.



Grading Models


Grading Models


Team Self-Assessment I Use

Products of Group Work

A Prezi Presentation

A Decision

Wikis

Narrated Slideshares

A Recommendation

Tests

Group Essays

Videos

Examples of My Team Assignments

Team Selection Activity

Peer reviews

Brainstorm individual

assignments

Job Interviews


Presentations

Videos

Press release

Blog


Business plan

Business consultatio

n

Quarterly report

Newsletter


Feasibility report

Usability test and report

Mystery shopping

reportTests

Good luck with your online

teams!