Group work facilitated by a group charter can create an efficient & effective learning...

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This presentation reports on the efficiency that can be product of online group work that employs a group charter. The presentation will also report on the how the effectiveness of learning in groups is increased when a group charter is utilized.

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Group work facilitated by a group charter can create an efficient & effective learning experience

Ann Esarco, Ph.D.McHenry County CollegeCrystal Lake, IL

Sloan-C International Conference on Online LearningOrlando, FL October 29, 2009

© Copyright 2009, Ann Esarco, McHenry County College

Piaget

Vygotsky

Why Group Work?

Constructivism

Assimilation and Accommodation

Scaffolding

Action maze:

Examples of Group Work

Case study: Learners are presented with a description of a problematic situation and asked to identify or solve the problem.

Critical incident technique: A group of learners is given a very brief narrative of a problem or situation to which they must respond.

Examples of Group Work

Formal debate:

Examples of Group Work

Group projects:

Examples of Group Work

Muddy Points:

Examples of Group Work

The “Guiding” Principle

What is a Group Charter?

Group charters allow group members to establish rules of operation at the beginning of the group’s existence.

Establishing an agreement among group members at the onset of the course may alleviate some of the frustrations that are inherent when communication among individuals working on a joint activity is inadequate.

Why a Group Charter?

When to Introduce a Group Charter?

• Forming: methods and procedures not determined

Stages of a group’s development, Tuckman (1965)

• Storming: violation of code of conduct and team rules

Stages of a group’s development, Tuckman (1965)

• Norming: trust between group members; unified mission; healthy balance of power;

Stages of a group’s development, Tuckman (1965)

• Performing: smooth task and process flow within the group; pride in group accomplishments

Stages of a group’s development, Tuckman (1965)

During the forming phase, learners want to gain trust of one another. One way of increasing trust in the group environment is for learners to agree on task assignments, communication strategies, and timelines for collaborative activities (Tu & Corry, 2002).

Forming Stage

Gould and Padavano (2006) suggested that explaining the importance of group work along with using group charters is fundamental in improving learner satisfaction with online group work. The forming phase of group development may be the ideal time to introduce the group charter as a tool to aid learners in developing trust within the group.

Forming Stage

Code of conduct; Bandow, 2001; Doran, 2001; Gould & Padavano,2006; A. Morgan, 2002; Page & Donelan, 2003

Conflict resolution plan; Page & Donelan

Decision making structure; A. Morgan

Group goals; A. Morgan; Salas et al., 2005

Components of a Group Charter

Group name; A. Morgan

Meeting times (including time zone, and length of meeting); Bandow; Doran; Gould & Padavano; A. Morgan; Page & Donelan

Components of a Group Charter

Member roles and responsibilities; Bandow; Doran; Gould & Padavano; Page & Donelan; Salas et al.

Member skills or knowledge inventory; Bandow; Doran; Gould & Padavano; Page & Donelan

Components of a Group Charter

Penalty for lack of member participation; A. Morgan

Preferable method of communication; Bandow; Doran; Gould & Padavano; A. Morgan; Page & Donelan

Components of a Group Charter

Standard for quality of work; Bandow; Doran; Gould & Padavano; A. Morgan; Page & Donelan; Salas et al.

Time frames and deadlines; Bandow; Doran; Gould & Padavano; Page & Donelan

Components of a Group Charter

(a) What is the experience of learners in online groups, with and without the use of group charters?

(b) What components of the group charter are most critical to the learners’ educational experience?

Two Questions

The participants for this study were observed in an online accounting class that was divided into two sections of an online course room; each section constituted a case study or a “bounded system” (Merriam, 1998, p. 27). The group activity that was employed for this research was the muddiest point. “The muddiest point, though extremely simple, focuses on understanding, a somewhat deeper level of learning than simple recall” (Angelo & Cross, 1993, p. 120).

The Participants

Charter Section

Non Charter Section

Two Groups

Charter Section Felt Prepared

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Not Prepared Prepared

Lea

rner

sCharter

Non-Charter

Charter Section Less Worried

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

No Concerns Concerns

Lea

rner

s

Charter

Non-Charter

Charter Section More Efficient

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Total Term Postings

Num

ber

of P

osti

ngs

Charter

Non-Charter

Charter Section Learners More Efficient

0

10

20

30

40

50

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100

Average Postings

Without Two Major

Posters

Average Postings With

Two Major Posters

Num

ber

of F

orum

Pos

ting

s

Charter

Non-Charter

Charter Section More Effective

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

Overall Grade Tests Group Work

Ave

rage

Gra

des

Charter Average

Non-Charter Average

Charter Section Assessments Scores Increased More

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

Incr

ease

in A

sses

smen

t Sco

res

Charter Average

Non-Charter Average

(a) determining the members’ roles and responsibilities,

(b) establishing the standard for the quality of work,

(c) agreeing on a code of conduct,

(d) establishing a conflict resolution plan,

(e) agreeing on time frames and deadlines.

Learners Identified Important Components

Contact:Ann Esarco, PhDMcHenry County College8900 U.S. Highway 14Crystal Lake, IL 60012aesarco@mchenry.edu

Thank you! Questions?

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