Group Collaboration in the M.Ed.

Program
As a student in the Master’s of Education program you will be participating in group work in many of your
courses. Group work in an online program may seem antithetical to the online education environment where
independent learning and flexibility are among its most prized hallmarks. While independence and flexibility are
both features of online learning, our current world is one where working collaboratively across digital media is
becoming a critical skill. In addition, education at its best is a collaborative, cooperative endeavor where skills
like engaging in discourse, negotiating meaning, and participating in an interdependent network of colleagues
are key. Think of it this way, as a student in the M.Ed. courses, you will not just be creating products with your
group members but also be are creating a professional network of educators that can persist long after a
particular course is complete.

Group work, also known as cooperative learning, is based on constructivist learning principles and is
undergirded by the idea that individuals learn best through the building of knowledge and meaning together. A
group can learn and create together; the different perspectives brought by the various group members bring
new dimensions to existing knowledge, creating something more robust than might otherwise be possible by an
individual working alone.

While there are many types of cooperative learning groups, you will most often be participating in formal groups
where the assignment is well-defined and you are pre-assigned to your group. You may, as you go through your
program and get to know your fellow classmates, work cooperatively in other ways, like creating your own,
informal study groups or accountability groups. Group work in your classes, however, will usually have more
definition and structure.

Getting Started

The first step to getting started on any group work is locating the fellow students who are assigned to your
group. You are automatically assigned a group through Moodle. To see the other members of your group, do
the following:

• Navigate to “People,” then click on “Participants” (located on the course home page, to the bottom left)

• You will see a drop down menu below “Separate groups,” click it and select the “Project Group” listed
there. You will see a list of your group members.
Once you have located your group members, locate the Group Discussion Forum; it should be in the unit where
group work is first assigned. These forums are private. Only your group members can see what you post there,
and they are not graded. This space is provided to facilitate initial conversations, or they can be used
throughout the group work process – it’s up to you and your group mates.

One of the first things your group will have to decide is how you will conduct your business and collaborate. You
are free to, as a group, decide to use any number of web-based collaboration tools. The key is that all members
need to be able to access whatever method you choose. Below there are some recommendations for free tools
that may prove helpful in getting started.

It is strongly recommended that you begin communicating with your group as soon as the Unit opens. Group
work takes time and coordination, so opening initial communication early in the unit where group work is first
assigned is critical.

Working Effectively

There are many free tools to facilitate your work. These include web meeting rooms where you can meet
synchronously, create documents in a collaborative fashion, develop presentations, etc. You most likely will be
working with people who are in different time zones than you; it is important to consider this when trying to set
up a group meeting. There is a tool available, World Clock Meeting Planner
(https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html) that can help you plan a meeting time. This is a
short list of some tools that you may find helpful:

Free Online Meeting Rooms

• FreeConference.com - https://www.freeconference.com/feature/free-online-meeting-room/ - free

meeting room for up to 10 people, no downloads needed.
• Free GoToMeeting - https://free.gotomeeting.com/ - free meeting room for up to 4 people
• Skype - https://www.skype.com/en/ - free online video chat, group calls, screen sharing
• A list of other tools can be found here: https://www.eztalks.com/video-conference/free-online-
conference-meeting-solutions.html

Collaboration Tools

• MS OneNote & Microsoft Teams – available to all students through UoPeople. Chat feature, file share,
document collaboration in real time and asynchronously
• Google Docs - https://www.google.com/docs/about/ – share and collaborate on documents, edit in real
time
• Scribblar – http://www.scribblar.com/ - whiteboard, voice capabilities, best for online brainstorming
• Google Slides - https://www.google.com/slides/about/ - online presentations that can be created and
edited by all group members

Communication

• WhatsApp – https://www.whatsapp.com/ download the app to your phone and/or desktop. Simple,
secure messaging and calling for a fee on all phones. Create a group chat to allow for quick updates, and
discussions from anywhere, any time
• Voxer - https://voxer.com/ - download the app and/or use on your desktop. Voxer can be used as a
walkie-talkie, for individual messaging and group messaging
 •

Group Member Responsibilities

As a UoPeople student, you are a member of a larger academic community. When working in small groups, you
are working in concert with other members of that academic community to meet a goal. It is important that you
are clear on what’s expected of you and you classmates. Listed below are the overarching expectations of you
and your fellow group members when you are working in collaboration:

Each group member should:

• Participate actively, contributing ideas and feedback from the initial discussion through to the
completion of the project
• Communicate with all group members openly about any problems or issues that you’re having
• Complete assigned tasks by the deadlines set by the group
• Be sure that all work contributed is of high quality
• Bring to the instructor any issues, including fellow students who are not responding or participating.
The instructor may be able to help!

Tips for Working Together

According to author Larry Bailey (2013, pp. 221-222) in his text, Working, 5th Edition, the following guidelines
will help you work effectively in a group:

• Show your readiness to help the group. A group depends on the involvement of each member to
accomplish its work. Do your share of the work on a regular basis, and volunteer extra effort from time
to time.
• Accept the role the group gives you. Groups have leaders and followers. Followers are often in greater
demand. Pitch in and do whatever the group needs.
• Carry out your role as best you can. Sports teams often have role players who go into the game to do
certain things. Role players make a valuable contribution to a team or group. Do your job well. The
group and you will both benefit.
• Share your views. Do not hold back on giving your ideas and suggestions. Your solution may be perfect.
Offer your feelings and opinions, even if they differ from what others think. Groups sometimes make
poor decisions or choices. If you believe this is the case, say so.
• Do not dominate meetings. Someone who talks too much irritates other members. Do not overpower
others, even though you may often have the right answers or the best ideas.
• Accept group decisions. Offer your views during a discussion. But do not argue once the group makes a
decision.
• Encourage other members. Doing your best on a job will encourage others to do so, too. A kind word
from time to time always helps. Remember to pass out compliments and congratulations for a job well
done.
• Think of solutions, not past problems. Suppose you have a fight with a family member. Dwelling on the
problem will not help. Thinking how to solve it will. The same is true in task groups. Focus on finding
solutions to problems.
 • Be proud of group success. Completing a hard task is very satisfying. Should success come, enjoy it with
fellow group members.

Getting Started
• Begin as soon as possible by introducing yourself in the Group Activity Forum
• Find out where each group member lives to understand time zones and discuss schedules and
availability to find times to have your group meetings
• Assign a project manager who will create a calendar, set up meetings, and track the group work.
This person is given authority to drive the project and keep everyone on task
• Consider assigning someone the role of editor, this person will be in charge of taking all the pieces
and putting it together in one cohesive product

When your group meets for the first time, it should set some “ground rules” for how things will be handled if
conflicts or issues arise. Making the expectations and responses clear at the beginning can help the process
later.

Providing Feedback on the Work of Group Mates

Providing meaningful feedback on draft materials prepared by group mates requires care and preparation. The
goal of feedback is to help the individual understand their current level of performance and share with them
ways in which it could be enhanced. Approaching the task thoughtfully and systematically will make your work
of reviewing drafts easier and the feedback provided to group mates more useful. (This guidance can also be
helpful in one’s personal and work life when talking with family members, colleagues at work, etc.)
Before beginning, remind yourself about what the group mate’s task/purpose/goal was for preparing the draft
that you will be reviewing, that is, what was her/his assignment.

Read through the entire document/powerpoint/table/graphic/etc., but do not make any marks or prepare any
comments, edits, critiques, etc., at this time. After completing the first read-through, write down the 2-3 things
that caught your attention.

Reach through a second time, this time making notes/comments, raising questions, flagging gaps, citing
strengths, etc. These should all be a) goal-oriented, that is, related to the purpose for which the draft materials
were prepared and b) actionable, that is, suggesting what could be done to improve the draft.

You are now ready to share your feedback.

o Begin by noting the 2-3 things that caught your attention and ask if those were the things that
the group mate was hoping would jump out at people.
o Next, point out the positives. Keep it concrete and related to the purpose of the task. “Your use
of X was good because…” The way in which you presented, designed, described, discussed,
incorporated, analyzed, linked, etc., really contributed to the document because…” “It really
helped my understanding when you…” “I especially liked the way you handled X because it…”
“The part related to M was particularly strong because…”
o Next, share areas that would benefit from additional attention. Again, keep your comments
concrete and goal-related. “In this section, you appeared to be discussing X and then brought in
Y, but the relationship/connection between the two could be clearer.” “Have you thought
about how Z might relate to what you are trying to show?” “You will recall that the group
agreed that it would use a specific format, but your material did not seem to be in that format.”
“Are there ways to making a closer link between the data and the interpretation?”
 o End by noting how the contribution that the group mate’s contribution is going to enhance the
overall group project.

Receiving Feedback from Group Mates

It is as important to know how to receive feedback from group mates as it is to give it. Here are a few hints:

• Think about why getting feedback is so useful to us - before reading your group mates’ comments. Too
often we perceive of feedback as criticism or a threat, rather than as a part of a constructive process for
improvement – and who doesn’t want to be better at what they do.
• Read the feedback and then give yourself time to reflect before taking any action, “sleep on it,” as the
saying goes. This will enable you to be more objective about things when you actually begin the process
of using the feedback in your revisions.
• Consider each comment in the context what you are trying to accomplish and consider how what was
said can strengthen your work product.
• Take time to do your own evaluation of your draft document now that you’ve had the benefit of input
from your group mates. Their suggestions are likely to prompt you to think about entirely new aspects
or about new ways to present existing things that they couldn’t know because you’re the one who has
done the research and thinking on the topic. Use their input to stimulate your own creativity.
• Be appreciative of the fact that your group mates thought enough of you and your work product to take
the time to share their thoughts on things that you might want to consider as you’re working on your
final version.

What Do We Do If?

Group work in the online environment can be challenging, as well as rewarding. Your group is strongly
encouraged to consider how you will respond to the following situations, making sure that everyone is aware of
how the group will handle the following situations:

• A group member doesn’t provide project ideas or feedback to other team members?
• A group member doesn’t complete his/her task at all?
• A group member completes his or her task, but turns it in after the agreed-upon due date?
• A group member submits work that is insufficient/incorrect/off-topic/sub-par?
• A group member who cannot meet synchronously with other group members?

Decide, as a group, how you will respond to these and other situations that may arise. Your group may want to
create a contract where each member agrees to the “terms” of how situations will be handled. There are a
number of approaches that can be useful when it comes to issues like these. A good first step is to reach out to
the disengaged group member(s) to see if there is a problem that the group can help mediate. Keep track of
attempts to communicate and the result of those communications. Be willing to redistribute the work of the
group, etc.

It is important to decide and agree, as a group, what the expectations are and how you will deal with issues.
While you are encouraged to deal with initial issues as a group, you should also decide at what point you will ask
for assistance from the instructor. If a group member does not participate, you are under no obligation to
provide that member with the final group project but you must let the instructor know ahead of time what the
issue is and how your group has decided to handle it.

Getting Organized – Project Management

While projects vary, there are certain major tasks that tend to be the same across project-types. The chart
below is designed to get you started looking at the project as a whole and assigning major task/responsibility
areas.

Group Member(s)
Task to Be Completed Due Date
Responsible

Contributing one or more ideas for how the project

should be completed

Outlining the project tasks

Assigning tasks to group members

Performing initial research and writing it up for

group members to review

Making sure everyone meets the assigned deadlines

for tasks

Proofing and reviewing the work of your group

mates, providing constructive feedback

Proofreading and editing the final product

Other:

Other:

Bailey, L. (2013). Working, 5th Edition. Boston: Cengage Learning.