CORALCollaborative On-line

Research and Learning

CORAL A pedagogy promoting

active learning in the classroom.

Places responsibility in the hands of the learner.

Overview

The collaborative project is an applied research project comprised of psychology students enrolled in two different courses at WCU and CUP.

Students at WCU are enrolled in a Senior Seminar, Dynamics of Small Group Behavior.

Students at CUP are enrolled in a Psychology of Women course.

Project guides (TA’s) are former students of CORAL course.

Characteristics of CORAL

Teams based at two different sites

Collaborative Writing

Develops sense of community

Teamwork Shared goals Focused

outcomes

Active creation of knowledge and meaning

Course delivery is consistently changing

Interaction & feedback

Faculty & Peer guidance

CORAL Pedagogy Promotes Active Learning

Offers different teaching and learning styles. Is structured by the professors, but led by the

students. Fosters active learning & independent

thinking. Encourages students to seek outside opinions

without being scrutinized. Time management – of self – others - the team!

CORAL PedagogyUnderstand the views of others

Active listening (including paraphrasing).  This includes withholding judgments until one understands the other's positions and interests.

Relevant self-disclosure of information and reactions. Check your perceptions. Describe behavior and indicate how you are reacting to

that behavior. Use "I" messages. Criticize and evaluate constructively.

CORAL Pedagogy Promotes Experimentation

Students have the opportunity to set their own pace.

Environment is supportive promoting experimentation with subject, each other, project guides, & instructors in a completely different way.

Yields experience with collaborative processes (personal communication-talking, to content discussions!

Students meet on-line at mutually agreeable times.

CORAL Pedagogy Transforms competition to collaboration

Learning to collaborate with team members at distant & home sites.

Expressions of support and encouragement exchanged among team members.

Students transform from competition and contention (Individual Gain) to collaborative problem-solving based on reflection & interpretation of experiences (Mutual Gain).

Provides exposure to technology – the relationship of person to machine.

Team Evaluation Criteria

Collaborative Tangram Paper Progress Reports

Research proposal Team development

Video Conferences Web Board postings Collaborative Research Proposal Collaborative Analysis of Group Processes -

PowerPoint Presentation, Video Conference & Written Paper

A Snapshot of the Collaborative Process

Video Snapshot – Week 7

Project Guides

Trained by the instructors. Introduce the Internet and technological tools. Highlight the connection between on-line communication

and both written (print) and spoken (oral) communication.

Help teams clarify ideas. Provide assistance on specific writing concerns. Encourage all team members to participate. Model effective online and written communication. Assist team members by posing questions and offering

suggestions.

Collaborative Collaborative Technology ToolsTechnology Tools

Survey of Internet experience Web Board (web-based discussion boards) Coral Reef (real-time chat room) Video Conferencing (ISDN / ATM) File Manager Coral Website Desktop Video Conferencing: Laptops with Net

meeting capabilities On-line Calendars Coral list-serv E-Mail

Web (Discussion) Boards

Are the primary means of communication.

Allow asynchronous communication.

Encourage exchanging team ideas as well as socializing.

Messages are threaded. Messages are archived every 2

weeks.

CORAL Reef A on-line chat room Used by teams for synchronous communication Used on a weekly basis Teams schedule chats

Video Conferencing

Is used by students, not faculty. Is used for discussion and

decision-making in organizing their research & collaborative analysis proposal.

Assists students in defining ‘team-member roles’. I.e. who is responsible for various part of the research proposal.

Used for synchronous PowerPoint presentations.

Video Conferencing

Students’ clarify asynchronous misinterpretations.

Share knowledge with distant site members – content.

Team members settle group conflict via the face to face interaction.

Encourages greater cohesion among sites.

File Manager Accessible anywhere on the Internet

On-line file managers are used to:

Edit papers Exchange articles Stores drafts of papers Drafts of PowerPoint presentations The file cabinet for each team. Share teams communication patterns

Web Cams & Laptops

Allow students access to CORAL tools, the discussion boards, file-managers, chat rooms, and websites.

Desktop video-conferencing via NetMeeting. Purpose – to contact team members when decisions need to be made outside of their scheduled class.

On-Line Calendars

Organize due dates Are used to schedule chats Organize team members’ schedules Organize differences in university schedules (e.g.,

spring breaks).

Benefits of the Model

Can be used across or within disciplines. Allows student enrolled in different courses to work

together, integrating topics. Allows students at different point in their

undergraduate careers to work together, thereby encouraging mentoring.

Improves undergraduate writing skills. Measure communication patterns.

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Forming - Meeting, team logo, collaboration (tangram project) [3 weeks]

Storming - Task Clarification[4-8]

Norming -Duty/Role Clarification

Performing -“Work”

Adjourning - Settlement and Closure

Confusion,Confusion,Anxiety, Anxiety,

TrepidationTrepidation!!

Superordinate GoalsHigh appeal value to both teams

Underlying hypothesis: Common goal(s) are established whereby achievement is possible only by working together as a team.

Based on the assumption – Contact Familiarity Comfort Tolerance/Liking

Superordinate goals - Tangram paper, sem plan, research proposal, collaborative analysis paper

Help to bind teams and give impetus to resolve conflict and distance.

Tuckman’s ModelForming Storming Norming Performing

LeadershipInstructorsProject Guides

Purpose & Goal clarity

Decision Making

Attention to team process

Reaction

Team Phases Forming Storming Norming Performing

Instructors /

Project Guides Leadership

Direct & provide structure for the team, clarifies expectations about how to initiate team project & group process (select wtw data collector).

Leader coaches the group by helping them focus on goals & expectations, managing process and conflict, generating ideas, and explaining decisions.

Leader acts primarily as a facilitator providing encouragement, helping to build consensus, and giving feedback

Leader still facilitates team process, but tasks and objectives are delegated. Leader oversees and identifies when the group is moving to a different stage

Purpose & Goal clarity

Members are discover relevant parameters of the purpose and goals. There is little agreement or commitment to team mission

Options are generated and challenged as the group stretches parameters. There is increased clarity, yet some misconceptions linger.

Agreement from most; genuine commitment is forming. The group is moving toward unity.

The whole team shares a commitment to overarching goals; a tangible vision for the team is accepted.

Forming Storming Norming Performing

Decision Making Directed by the distributed leader. The process is sometimes dominated by the most vocal members.

Decisions are hard to make; deadlocks common; Process is usually dominated by power plays & fast and loud talkers. Compromise is the fall back tactic.

Major decisions are made by consensus, differences are

negotiated & some decisions are delegated to individuals or smaller groups

Team makes

decisions within agreed upon criteria; major decisions still made by consensus

Roles & Responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities emerge and become clearer. Members jockey for roles and power.

Individuals are not clear about roles. They privately hold opinions, but do not publicly state them.

Roles are clarified and accepted. There is open discussion about how to make the group perform tasks and work toward goals.

Group members are willing to challenge the nature of relationships within the group and adopt changes as needed.

Forming Storming Norming Performing

Attention to team process

Process is usually ignored; it is noticed but avoided. Members test the waters and look for guidance from the designated instructor.

Team work doesn't seem justified for the effort required. Cliques can form!

Members generate team norms and develop mutual respect. However, can be sidetracked by process discussions and waste time focusing on unimportant issues.

Members are autonomous; not dependent on designated leaders. Everyone shares responsibility for initiating and discusses team collaborative process.

Reaction to Leadership within team

Team members take a wait and see approach. They watch from a distance and remain dependent on a fixed hierarchy of responsibility.

Team members challenge the leader. Factions and cliques emerge. Power struggles and polarization often occur I.e. we vs them.

General support for distributed leadership. Leadership is shared among the group.

Discussions are open; disagreements do not lead to fear of rejection. Members feel highly supported. Leaders offer inter-personal support as well as guidance.

Peer Assessment

Experience Bales interaction process analysis

Task-Oriented Leadership Measures Summarizing and offering direction Asking questions

Socio-Emotional Leadership Measures Positive feedback to group members Negative feedback to group members

Appraising Team Communication

Begin collecting data from week one. Team member volunteers to collect data. ‘data collecting role’ lasts the semester. Taught how to interpret data. Prepares them to teach team members. Update communication pattern weekly via video

conference.

Assessing Team Communication week 6

From CharityTim ShannaSean Amy NicoleKatie TA-BambiDonnaPaula Tom Team Total OtherCharity xxx 1 3 1 4 1 4 14 2Tim xxx 1 1Shanna 4 1 xxx 1 2 2 1 1 12 1Sean 1 1 xxx 3 1 1 7 1Amy 1 1 1 1 xxx 3 1 8 1Nicole 1 1 1 1 1 xxx 1 1 3 10Katie 3 1 2 1 4 xxx 1 12TA- Bambi 1 1 1 xxx 1 4Donna xxx 0Paula xxx 0Tom 1 xxx 1Total 10 8 7 6 3 17 1 6 0 0 0 11 69 5

Bambi, Mary, Mike, & Samantha – Project Guide Roles

Introduce internet and technology tools Clarify roles

CORALProject Guide: Evolution

Mary Reed(Clarion University of Pennsylvania)

Bambi Juryea & Samantha King(West Chester University of Pennsylvania)

Presentation Outline The evolution of the Project Guide from

Writing Assistant to Teaching Assistant The transition from student to Project

Guide Present roles and responsibilities of the

Project Guide Suggested future changes

Wyoming Writing Assistants Casper College in Wyoming Worked under writing assistant professor Had never taken the class before Didn’t understand what the class was

about Focused more on writing style than

communication

Wyoming Writing Assistants No face-to-face communication with students in the

class Each had his/her own approach to the role One quit halfway through the semester One was transactional One was transformational.

Project Guides Become Past Students Able to share class experiences with the

students Know what kind of time needs to be committed

to this class Able to offer suggestions as to how to complete

assignments Able to offer suggestions as to how to effectively

use web board and file manager Able to meet with students face-to-face

Project Guides Begin to Become a Role Trial and error Begin to determine what a project guide should

do Help with organization Focus more on communication and less of

writing style Communicate with the professors

Make suggestions as to how to improve class Give feed back

Student Experience

(advantage for project guide) Vague – Unknown expectations Formulated own group norms

Reinforced ideas of cultural differences Resolved conflicts without intervention by

professors Evolved into different roles

Student Experience cont. Likes & Dislikes Our role as student Benefits of class as student:

Hands-on experience with technology Learning how to write research proposal Experience working in group setting

Clarion Mini-Conference Experience Voiced concerns and suggestions

Change in final project to focus on group dynamics rather than presenting the final paper

Start videoconference on the first day of class More of a focus on APA format Increase of progress reports to focus on the

collaboration process Acted as transitional period from student to

project guide Adjustments made

Project Guide Expectations

Perception of project guide role Role: “Guide” not “Direct”

Interpretive mediator between professors and students

Start off with more “hands-on” approach and gradually move “back” (child learning to walk)

Allow mistakes to occur for learning purposes Offer suggestions and feedback to alleviate

frustration, offer guidance

Project Guide Responsibilities Help team members establish academic and

personal relationships Facilitate and encourage team communication Discourage perpetuated influence of perceived and

speculated cultural differences Highlight individual personality types and encourage utilization of

individual strengths Compensate for experiential differences

ex.(freshman non-major vs. senior psychology major)

Model effective online communication Maintain visibility

Daily web board postings Presence at video conferences Presence at chats

Project Guide Responsibilities cont. Provide direction for team members

Importance of past experience as student in class with P.G. responsibilities

Post weekly plan with suggestions Help organize team to meet deadlines

Encourage inactive team members through reinforcing emails Answer or redirect technology questions Answer or redirect assignment questions Offer feedback and suggestions on assignments Recommend available resources Proactively offer help

Role of Project Guide Students’ perception of us

“Accessible”/non-intimidating resource Mediator between professors and students

Evolution of role Hands-on approach Students highly reliant on P.G. for guidance and

support Emphasis shifted from writing style to group dynamics

and effective communication Regarded as important resource

Suggested Changes Availability of project guides in class

Presence during class time, videoconferences, chats Concentrate second week of class on

establishing relationships between group members Geared towards each others strengths and similarities

Relay and reinforce expectations of work ethic and responsibilities to excel in class

Suggested Changes cont. Project guide’s responsibility for weekly

update of group dynamics Observations and suggestions

Pull away from web board numbers with greater emphasis on quality

Separate web board and chats designated for project guide collaboration