Groups and Online Course Systems

Persuasion & Service Learning: Groups and Online Course Systems
Dr. Norman Clark

Online course management systems such as WebCT and Blackboard provide numerous resources for classes, and are particularly helpful when your course includes a group project. If you haven't used these systems before, you might want to use the workshop login to check out a simulation of the WebCT site that I create each semester for my course (login info is on the home page of this site). Below is a list of how various aspects of online course software can help with service learning in persuasion courses with group projects.

Online Syllabus/Assignment Info: Having the course syllabus online allows the instructor to make last minute adjustments in scheduling, which is often necessary in a group project-oriented course. Putting all of the assignment information online saves paper (something that shrinking budgets makes even more attractive), but more importantly allows students to know right from the beginning of the semester (or even before they register for the course) what they'll be required to do every step along the way.
Group "Zones": I create a separate group in WebCT for each project. WebCT allows groups to post files in a secure, private, upload directory. This allows students to upload files and access them from any web browser anywhere in the world. Thus, if one student is working on a brochure at home, they can upload it to the WebCT group area when they are finished so that another student can complete it. Only members of that group (and myself) can access those files. This is a very convenient way for students to share and store files--they never have to worry about not having access to or losing a file.
Group Discussion Boards: The most-used feature of WebCT in my courses is the discussion board. The "Main" board is open to everyone, and is used for course-wide announcements. But I also create a separate board for each group, that only they (and myself) can read and post to. As the table below demonstrates, these boards help solve numerous difficulties that groups face.

Groups and Discussion Boards
Problems/Challenges	How Online Discussion Boards Can Help
Arranging Meetings	Members can post the meeting time and place on their board, so that no one can say they "didn't know where we were meeting."
Contacting Members	At the beginning of the semester, I require students to post to their group's area (which is private and secure) their contact information, including phone number and e-mail address. This way there is no chance that the group will "lose track" of how to get a hold of someone in the group. In addition, the board can be used to post messages to each other, and they know they are supposed to check in daily for new messages.
Working with Schedules	In the opening message, I also ask students to post their schedules for the semester, or at least as much of that information as they know. This way, the group has a record of when each member has class and any other time commitments, and it makes scheduling meetings easier. Also, it can resolve problems later in the semester. For example, a group once complained that a member wasn't coming to any meetings. When that member was confronted, he noted that the group meetings were always scheduled on Mondays, and he had posted at the beginning of the semester that he had to work every Monday. The group was embarrassed, and changed their meeting time.
Coordinating Efforts	Group members can post what they are working on, what they need help with, or what needs to be done next.
Evaluation of Group Members	Instructors often find it difficult to evaluate group projects, since they can't be with the group at all times to see who is doing what. In my class students are told to post a summary of ANYTHING that they do for the group project to the discussion board. This allows me to see what they've done, in a context that makes it impossible for them to take credit for something someone else in the group did (since they can all see each other's postings). This written record of participation (or lack thereof) makes it easier to grade, and also gives a group the evidence they need to support firing a non-performing member of the group.
Time Wasted when Face-to-Face	Groups sometimes spend a lot of time in their face-to-face meeting dealing with information gathering or sharing. Using the discussion board to do this before the meeting allows them to more effectively come to decisions and complete tasks when they actually meet. Also, I encourage students to use the discussion board to put up meeting agendas before the meeting, and record the minutes of what they did at their meeting. While they sometimes initially see this as "busy work," they quickly learn how necessary such record-keeping is to effective group work.
Engaging in Reflection	The discussion boards also provide a space for students to post their reflections about their project. Reflection is a critical component of service learning. With an online space for reflection postings, students can learn from each other's thoughts about the project and come to a better understanding of what they've accomplished. Also, postings can be made either accessible to the whole class, to only the members of the group, or even only to the instructor. This allows students to choose the level of disclosure with which they are comfortable.

Assignment "Drop Boxes": I use online assignment boxes, into which students submit their reports or other work. Students simply upload their file from any web browser and then submit the assignment. This eliminates the chance of someone in the group losing a disk, or forgetting to bring in the assignment.
Other Resources: I use biweekly online quizzes to make sure students are keeping up with the course readings and lectures. Students can check their grades online, give me anonymous feedback about the course at midterm, download forms, and much more.

I have to admit that when I first encountered course management software years, I wasn't very impressed. If that's true for you as well, I encourage you to take a look at it again if you haven't done so in the past few years. They've gotten much more robust, easier to use, and useful. If they're available on your campus, look into taking a course on how to use them. The best advice is to start working different components into your course gradually, and as you become more familiar with the tools, add more to the course. You'll find they make group project courses in particular much easier to manage and evaluate.

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This page created and maintained by Dr. Norman Clark, last updated on 11/21/02