(June 13, a very late blogger catching up finally!)
Now this was a greatly inspiring topic, not the least as I had the opportunity to collaborate with Nadia Caldes in the PBL group – acting as “leads” for this particular topic during the run of two weeks.
As a lead we were to design both the meetings in the PBL11-group – and moreover to try to find a clever way of presenting the work to the overall ONL community.
As it happened, Nadia turned out to be quite well acquainted with the Miro tool – and we chose to use it. It was fun and very versatile.
This is an overall view of the final Miro.
Yes indeed, the level of meticulousness in the work within Miro is quite impressing – right?
At the bottom right corner – this is found:
Our, the PBL11, submission to the ONL community. Can also be found in more detail on the ONL website.
Apart from being the lead and to collaborate within the PBL11, I also attended Kay Oddone´s workshop on Personal (or Passionate!) Learning Network. In particular I found her saying that “The power comes from the interaction” and the idea of becoming part of “a collective brain”. These two ideas will certainly be part of my own “take-away-messages” from the ONL course.
Furthermore, two articles were part of this topic:
Jane E. Brindley, Christine Walti, and Lisa M. Blaschke – Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online
Capdeferro&Romero_View of Are online learners frustrated with collaborative learning experiences? | The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
The first article, even if it is quite old, is still relevant in my opinion. The authors list 10 factors of importance:
- Transparency of expectations
Details of the requirements to participate in a study group are posted in the course syllabus. The purpose (learning objectives) of collaboration and expectations of the learners are made very clear in the main conference. If students communicate reluctance about study group participation, instructors encourage participation and are open about discussing the purpose and process.
- Clear instructions
The group task, timelines, and usability of the desired product are described in detail, giving students the best opportunity to focus on collaborating to share ideas and the workload rather than leaving them to spend a great deal of time trying to clarify the task and develop a common understanding of it.
- Appropriateness of task for group work
Each study group works as a team of consultants to carry out an environmental scan and needs analysis of a particular educational or training provider (develop a case study) in preparation for a second task (done individually). This type of task is easier and a much more rich experience when performed by a group as opposed to an individual.
- Meaning-making/relevance
The group assignment is an opportunity to apply principles and knowledge gained in the course to the analysis of a real life situation, often from a student’s work context. Further, in the last week of the course, the group projects are exchanged and peer reviewed (by the groups), making full use of the learning potential of the project.
- Motivation for participation embedded in course design
Individual success is dependent upon group success. The group product (comprehensive case study) is needed by individual learners in order to complete their final assignment, that is, to design a learner support system for their group’s case study.
- Readiness of learners for group work
The group project takes place during the final third of the course after students demonstrate that they have sufficient mastery of the subject matter to reflect on how to apply their knowledge in particular contexts, including their own work settings (as demonstrated in the conference discussions), and they have had the opportunity to develop a sense of community and hone their collaborative learning skills.
- Timing of group formation
Although the group project is not undertaken until the third section of the course, the study groups are formed during the second unit. This allows time for a sense of collaboration and interdependence to develop among the members before the task is assigned. During the period before the task, group members discuss their shared interests and possible scenarios for the case study.
- Respect for the autonomy of learners
Study group participation is mandatory but learners have the freedom to form their own groups based on shared interests. Instructors provide guidelines for group formation and open a space in the virtual classroom for this purpose. The choice of educational or training context for the case study is the decision of each group, and groups often have lively discussions and do significant research before consensus is reached, resulting in high ownership of the project.
- Monitoring and feedback
The study group conferences and chats are monitored closely by instructors who provide respectful and timely feedback on process and direction when necessary to prevent groups from getting stalled or going off course. Instructors also provide feedback on draft versions of the case studies, and they provide time for revisions before presentation of the final project.
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/download/675/1271?inline=1 Page 9 of 15
Jane E. Brindley, Christine Walti, and Lisa M. Blaschke – Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment 15/04/2021, 05)49
10. Sufficient time for the task
Most of the third and last unit of the course (approximately four weeks) is devoted to the study group project to provide sufficient time for the process and to accommodate varying work schedules and time zone differences of these adult learners.
The latter article, on the other hand – focuses on FRUSTRATION, and the authors sums up their findings like this:
Frustration is a common feeling among students involved in online collaborative learning experiences. The perception of an asymmetric collaboration among the teammates was identified by the students as the most important source of frustration. Online learners also identified difficulties related to group organization, the lack of shared goals among the team members, the imbalance in the level of commitment and quality of the individual contributions, the excess time spent on the online CSCL tasks, the imbalance between the individual and collective grades, and difficulties in communication, among other factors leading to frustration.
I have to say that I have experienced both student (and own!) frustration – but I think that quite a few of the new tools that I have been granted access to through the ONL course, might in the long run ease such problems.
Carl Unander-Scharin, June 13, 2021
