Review the pedagogical and technical information below to inform your progress in Week Seven. Have questions about what you learned here or ideas for future tips? Join Coffee & Answers (open support Zoom sessions with the Academic Technology Team) or email the Office of Teaching and Learning.
Pedagogical
Looking for ways to make group projects more effective and less stressful for your students?
Collaborative learning involves teaching students how to work together in groups. It has been shown to increase students achievement levels and deepen their understanding. Because Gen Z students are more comfortable with asynchronous and digital communication, it is helpful to give them practice in working in groups and a clear structure.
Whether this is for one class period or a longer project, there are a few guidelines that can help you help students get the most out of working with their peers.
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Smaller groups build a sense of belonging and connection between students and are often a good stepping stone to a larger and more involved collaborative project. Early in the semester, groups of 3 might help students become comfortable with one another, but by the end of the semester, groups of 4 or 5 might be appropriate for a longer project.
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Assigning Roles gives students specific tasks to complete within their groups and gives the group an overall structure to support their work. It also relieves some of the fear that one student will do all of the work for the group project.
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Providing specific steps reduces anxiety. For a major project, a detailed assignment sheet with clear directions supports students.
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Producing a specific product or outcome gives students a clear goal to work toward. . with their classmates that can lead to effective collaborations.
Should students pick their own groups or have you select them?
While this can be a matter of the professor’s preference, there is some middle ground, especially for longer projects. You might want to survey students with a google form to get their preferences for who they would like to work with, but to also assess strengths and weaknesses. If students are producing a video project, for example, pairing some students with experience with students who might identify as more creative can create balance in the groups. Want to learn more? Cornell’s Center for Teaching Innovation has a well-developed set of resources for collaborative learning.
Technical
Which specific tools can students use to seamlessly share files, author documents, and communicate?
Canvas Groups
Did you know that when you set up Groups in Canvas, you are basically setting up a smaller, collaborative version of a course where instructors can divide students into teams for targeted projects and assignments? Within these dedicated group workspaces, students can seamlessly use built-in tools to share files, author pages, start discussion boards, and collaborate on documents together. For step-by-step instructions, you can review the official Canvas guide on What are Groups? and share the How do I use groups as a student? resource with your class.
Zoom
Zoom breakout rooms are a feature that allows a meeting host to split participants into smaller, separate sessions for group discussions or activities. The host of a Zoom session has the ability to automatically or manually assign participants to rooms and can move between the breakout rooms at will. Breakout rooms are an effective way to facilitate active learning, peer collaboration, and deeper engagement within a larger virtual class or meeting. For instructions on setting up and managing breakout rooms, visit the Knowledge Base.
Google Suite
A best practice when using breakout rooms to share instructions and know how your students are progressing through an activity is to create a shared document that all students will work in collaboratively. To collaborate in Google Docs, Slides, or Sheets, click the blue “Share” button, add collaborators by email or generate a shareable link, and choose the appropriate permission level (Viewer, Commenter, or Editor). Multiple users can work in real time, leave comments or suggestions, and review changes using version history. For step-by-step guidance, visit: Google’s resources on sharing in Google Docs and Drive!
Please join any Coffee & Answers open support session for a live demonstration of any of these tools!
Are these tips helpful? Do you have a topic we should include in future weeks? Please let us know by emailing otl@sju.edu!
Additional Resources