网络课程的小组学习项目设计 Group-Project Design for An Online Course Feng-Qi Lai, Ph.D. Indiana State University

Overview Pros and cons of group projects for online courses Group-project design for an online Instructional Design course Outcomes Conclusion

Pros and Cons of Group Projects for Online Courses Individual projects vs. group projects  To the instructor  To students Group projects  For the face-to-face class  For the online class

Group-Project Design for an Online Instructional Design Course Workload for the Instructional Design course Solutions  To reduce workload  To enhance quality of projects  To enhance interaction among peers Group-project evaluation  Peer evaluation: Assessment of Contributions of Team MembersAssessment of Contributions of Team Members  Instructor evaluation: Grading sheet for the projectGrading sheet for the project

Outcomes Statements 54321Mean Through group discussion, the quality of the projects was improved Through working on the projects in a team, I have improved my communication skills Through working on the projects in a team, I feel closer to my peers Through working on the projects in a team, I feel more confident with the projects Peers’ evaluations were fair Peers’ evaluations helped me better understand how my performance was I received from my team members prompt responses to the questions that I had on the projects I was encouraged by my team members to do a good job on the team projects

Outcomes Based on this class’ experience, I like the following aspects about the group projects (please list the top three)  Enhancing communication and interaction among team members  Sharing knowledge  Reducing workload  Encouraging one another  Enhancing project quality  Working for the group

Outcomes Based on this class’ experience, I do not like the following aspects about the group projects (please list the top three)  Schedule conflicts  Different work paces  Different opinions  One person’s mistake affecting others’ grade  Stress of peer evaluation  Project usability

Outcomes Tell me one thing that happened this semester for which you felt grateful about your group members  “Meeting” classmates: developing friendship  Attentive to each other’s personal needs  Learning new knowledge from one another  Encouraged by peers’ evaluation  Feeling supported

Outcomes Tell me one problem that occurred this semester for which you felt unhappy about your group member(s). How was the problem solved?  Adapted to each others’ ways of formatting and laying out projects  When marked down by team members, felt hurt  Unfair peer evaluation  One trouble team member  Different spring break  Thoughts and ideas were dismissed sometimes  Last-minute team member  Lost one member when she was not able to corporate

Outcomes Tell me one thing that you most appreciate about this class  The insight, availability, communication, and helpfulness of the instructor  Learned a lot about planning and about working with others to implement instruction  The opportunity to test out our ideas on others  I have truly made one new friend whom I will stay in contact with after the class is over.  The positive feedback from Dr. Lai. It helps to feel like the professor cares about your what and what you are trying to accomplish.  I will most appreciate all the time and effort that goes into the development of curriculum.  I really enjoyed reading the nice comments that my teammates wrote about our experiences together. It made me want to work even harder to produce a quality project.  Feedback from the professor was prompt and valid

Outcomes Tell me one thing that you most appreciate about this class  Prompt attention by the instructor regarding any questions and returning grades in a timely manner.  I liked the fact that grades were given back quickly as well as feedback, in order to build upon the next project.  Being able to use my strengths and skills to help the others on my team.  The teacher is willing to help us and give many useful suggestions.  I gained a lot of insight into how to create an instructional design. It is a lot of work, and I appreciate that I was able to have others to communicate with.  Being able to see the thought process behind instructional design  The group I was in didn't post 30 times a day!  My wonderful, talented and generous team members.

Outcomes Other comments  Sometimes it seemed 4 group members was one too many. Maybe 3 would work better?  Wow! I can't believe we have finished these projects successfully. What an incredible amount of work. I believe what will stick with me the most is the need to evaluate pre-requisite skills of students. If a gap exists, learning becomes very difficult.  As I started this class I felt totally overwhelmed by the amount of work that was going to be needed to completed each project. It was great having a team to be able to work with. I do not think that this is something that should be completed by an individual. Also it gave you the opportunity to work with people that you have not met except via the distance learning experience. It was a great experience when I look back on it now. I feel such pride in what my team accomplished and also a great feeling of success for me as well in being able to communicate and work with others via the internet. Thank you for that opportunity.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I see where it could also be a horrifying experience if I were not on such a wonderful team that worked hard together and like to complete the assignments early. If I were on a team that procrastinated or did not work as a team, I would not enjoy the experience at all.

Outcomes Other comments  I just wished that in the beginning we had previous student samples to look at. We had to feel our way through this totally.  I really want to say "Thank you" to Dr. Lai, because you have shown greatest patience to our team. Besides, I appreciate that you have taught us something not just in the text book but the lessons out side of the class. This is my first time to take the online class, and I know I have many things should be improved. I just hope that I could do better in future.  It might be considered in the future to open discussion sites (when selecting groups) for individuals who are comfortable and maintain the time for extensive group communication, and a separate site for those who are not as comfortable or have work related time restrictions. In this course we had groups that had over 200 posts per project. Some extremely capable students could become disillusioned and withdraw from not only the course but an entire program due to the developments within a single group. I was extremely fortunate to be grouped with like-minded individuals.

Conclusion Essence for successful group projects  Group formation  Instructor’s availability and attention Pros  Reduced workload  Enhanced quality of projects  Enhanced peer interaction Cons  Stress when team members have conflicts  Projects are not necessarily useful for all team members