Group projects build collaboration and communication skills, encourage active learning, and bring diverse perspectives into the conversation. In a virtual setting, they also build flexibility and tech skills students will use long after the course ends. Many students have harsh experiences with past projects where a few people did all the work. Other students lack teamwork skills or are unsure how points will be earned. When workloads feel unbalanced, engagement drops fast. Today, we are going to look at some recommended practices for faculty to design more effective online group projects.
Designing the Group Project
Start With a Clear Purpose
Make sure the project supports your course objectives, and has a clear task, and has a distinct idea of what students are expected to achieve. When students see the purpose of the assignment, they have a clearer direction of where to go.
Leave Room for Creativity
Clarity does not mean a rigid script. Open-ended assignments let teams decide how to approach the work once they know what success looks like. For example, an instructor might tell a team that their project needs to explain a problem and suggest a solution. The team then decides how to split up the work and get it done.
Setting Up Your Groups
Form Teams and Assign Roles
You can assign groups yourself, let students choose groups, or use random assignment in Canvas. Once groups are formed, consider giving each member a defined role, which is a specific responsibility that shapes how they contribute to the group’s work and keeps any one student from carrying the whole project. Roles like facilitator, time keeper, and note taker give every member a piece of the project to lead, which builds interdependence. Roles can rotate or stay permanent throughout the project. Letting students pick/develop their own roles also adds a sense of responsibility.
Establish Ground Rules
Whether you write them or the groups do, ground rules set expectations early. Examples include answering group emails within 24 hours, responding to Zoom invitations, meeting deadlines, and responding to one another politely but honestly. It can be helpful to have clear next steps for students who “ghost” their groups or do not participate by a specific checkpoint date.
Preparing Students to Collaborate
To begin prepping students for a group assignment, start by talking openly about past group work experiences, perhaps through a discussion board post or reflection assignment. Then identify the teamwork skills the project requires and offer an example of how a similar task might be completed.
Choosing the Right Tools
To help students successfully collaborate, consider recommending user-friendly, accessible tools such as Zoom, Google Docs, Canvas discussion boards, or Microsoft Word, along with project management tools for larger projects. If a tool is unfamiliar to students, consider providing resources or a short training so utilizing the tool does not become another obstacle.
Supporting Groups Along the Way
Break the project into smaller tasks and check in regularly with group progress. For example, many instructors have a mid-point reflection assignment where students report on how the group work is progressing. Keep an eye on each member’s participation and have a conflict resolution strategy ready so you can step in when needed.
Assessing the Work Fairly
Share a rubric up front and explain how points are earned. Build in individual accountability, consider anonymous peer evaluations, and give each student their own feedback. A closing reflection helps students think about what they learned and share the opportunities and challenges their group faced.
Resources for Online Group Work
- Best Practices for Facilitating Group Work in Virtual Classes
- Best Practices for Designing Online Group Assignments – Clemson University
- Best Practices for Online Group Work – Clemson University
ODLT – Upcoming Events
Quick Hits: Canvas Gradebook, Grade Weights, and Extra Credit
Nov 19th, 3-4 PM
Join this session to learn more about utilizing the Canvas gradebook!
This quick hit will cover helpful settings in the Canvas gradebook, including utilizing grade weights effectively and incorporating extra credit in your course. We’ll focus on practical strategies to streamline your workflow and save time managing grades. When registering, please include any questions you have about this topic.
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