How to Facilitate Groupwork Projects for Students On and Off-Campus

Groupwork is integral to active learning strategies, contributing to a sense of community and connectedness. Moreover, groupwork allows students to gain invaluable experience in interaction, critical thinking, self-reflection, and the co-construction of learning.  Being able to work productively in a group is a much sought-after graduate skill, and being able to work collaboratively online will no doubt emerge as a key graduate attribute in a post-COVID world.  Yet, in the transition to distance learning, effectively structuring and supporting online group projects has been challenging when students are scattered geographically and unable to consistently meet face-to-face.  The aim of this session is to offer practical guidance and top tips for developing effective teaching strategies to support online groupwork projects, and how best to take advantage of available technologies to support online communication and collaboration. 

Session Aims

The aims of this session are to:

• Consider the challenges of online groupwork against the wider context of Blended and Connected Learning

• Reflect on the key principles underpinning effective groupwork and plan appropriate strategies to successfully translate these to a distance learning context

• Creatively use appropriate technologies to support effective online communication and collaboration between staff and students

• Develop strategies that will enable students to become confident and empowered contributors to online project work communities 

Links to UKPSF

A1: The session will provide guidance and top tips to support the effective design and planning of online groupwork projects
A2: The session will consider appropriate methods to best support online engagement for group project work
A4: The session will provide guidance on how best to creative effective support for online project work communities
K4: The session will offer guidance around how to use appropriate technologies to support communication and collaboration between staff and students 

Useful Links

'Facilitating Effective Collaboration in Virtual Student Teams' - interesting article in Faculty Focus.