Participation in a group setting may be one of the educational
world’s most complex and nagging problems.
In the traditional setting, group work creates a purely social situation
where the temptation to carry on conversation usually outweighs the motivation
to complete the task at hand. It also gives rise to the student that thrives in
a group setting because they are willing to take on the assignment individually
as the others continue to socialize. To get a true idea of the pitfalls that
come with cooperative learning experiences, both in the traditional setting and
distance education, see Spencer Kagan’s article on the topic (
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may95/vol52/num08/Group-Grades-Miss-the-Mark.aspx).
The problems associated with distance education learning communities, while not specifically
related to socializing and the one attentive student, also brings about certain
challenges. These challenges are
experienced by the instructor as well as the students participating in the
learning community.
The biggest problem faced by instructors comes from
assessing the performance of the group members. Instructors walk a fine line in
regards to assessing students as individuals and as members of a larger
learning community. On one hand students
should be expected to be contributing members of the learning community and the
collaborative process. On the other
hand, students are so inherently connected to their own survival that they are
not accustomed to being assessed as a member of a group (Laureate, 2008). In his video presentation, Seimans goes on
the discuss the use of assessment as more than simply assigning a grade to a
singular, isolated situation. Technology
growth is facilitating the use of authentic assessments that replicate real
world situations (Laureate, 2008). In
assessing participation in a learning community it is important that
instructors assess the students in various ways to ensure that they can assess
the individual and the group.
In comparison to the instructor assessing the learning
community, how should the learning community interact amongst themselves? As mentioned previously, participants are
sometimes less willing to participate in the group for various reasons. According to Palloff and Pratt (2007), the
responsibility of running the community is in the hands of the community
members themselves. The theory that all
members should help run and manage the group should be a principle from the
outset of the learning community’s beginning.
Found in
Jay Bhatt’s blog (
http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/groupwork/2012/10/01/a-group-exercise-to-help-you-learn-more-about-your-team-members)
are tips that will helps students begin the learning community with a sense of
trust and comfort by getting to know the other members. Starting the group in this way not only
develops the important relationships necessary, but it also develops a sense of
accountability. When a learning
community develops trust and accountability then the group will be more likely
to operate in a manner that is conducive to learning through true
collaboration.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2008. Learning
communities. [Video webset]. Retrieved from
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2643771_1%26url%3D
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online
learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
