Collaborative Learning: Groups and Teams

• Team-Based Learning website
• Media assignments (Kaneb Center)
• Marketing & Communications Assignment
• More strategies (Inside Higher Ed)
• Full set of tools for all steps in developing group assignments (Carnegie Mellon)
• Full async course from UC Davis on designing assignments online
• Groupwork rubric (completed by students, University of Regina)

Sample Scaffolding Assignments, adapted from Linder and Hayes, 2018.

Before you begin designing collaborative projects, be aware and consider some challenges to organizing collaborations. Make sure the assignment has a clear purpose and concrete (measurable) learning objectives before requiring collaborative work.

Scheduling – Students need to be able to find a common pattern of work regardless of class modality. Set a clear schedule for the assignment and set aside time for students to work in groups. It can be hard for students with outside responsibilities or busy schedules to find time outside of class to meet. This can be an even bigger challenge in asynchronous classes; for those, consider a quick survey for students to indicate when they work on class assignments and use that to make groups (that is, don’t pair up the person who has to do classwork on Tuesday nights with someone who has to do classwork on Sundays.)

Build in incremental deliverables – These allow missed work or unresponsive students to be identified early. Procrastination can snowball into missed deadlines and degraded group morale.

Consider access – Tools such as email, discussion boards, screen recorders, virtual poster boards, and web-conferencing can assist building communication channels for students. However, these tools need to be learned, to be compatible across various types of devices, and require stable Internet access.

Address communication gaps and misunderstanding – Groups may have dominant or inflexible members who challenge the cohesiveness and equal work of the group. Language, culture, and use of humor or other cultural referents may also interfere with understanding or create alienating group experiences. Assigning specific roles for each person in the group will help mediate some of these issues.

Review check-ins and progress reports – What should they contain? Will you give them rubrics?

Help groups plan – Depending on the assignment, they will need to decide on things like the following: topic selection, communication channel, meeting schedule, troubleshooting plan, specific tasks & roles, progress reports, medium of final product. This guide for students may help them organize, plan, and assess their work as a group.

Be present – Create instructor presence and support by meeting with each groups

Group size – This depends on the assignment: small projects or in-class, synchronous groups may benefit from smaller groups (3-4); bigger projects may benefit from bigger groups (5-7).

Options for forming groups

• Random assign (instructor) –For in-person classes, have students count off by 4-5s. Canvas Groups or Zoom breakout rooms can also help you randomly assign students to a group.
• Intentional assign (instructor) – Using known strengths and the diverse experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives of your students, create balanced groups ahead of time. It will be useful to survey students first to determine a good mix, and to set aside time to orient students to their groups and allow them to get to know one another.
• Self-select (students) – Better for short-term, in-class group work or with more mature students. Let students form their own groups where students can work with others who are interested in the same topic, have mutual goals, or have compatible timetables.

Review different roles and rotate them (for large projects and from session to session) so that students are able to practice different collaborative skills.

Six Common Group Roles (Barkley, Major & Cross, 2014) – revised and adapted

Facilitator – Moderates all team discussions, keeping the group on task for each assignment and ensuring that everybody assumes their share of the work. Facilitators strive to make sure that all group members have the opportunity to learn, to participate, and to earn the respect of the other group members.

Recorder – Records any assigned team activities. Recorders take notes summarizing discussion, keep all necessary records (including data sheets such as attendance and homework check-offs), and complete worksheets or written assignments for submission to the instructor.

Reporter – Serves as group spokesperson and orally summarizes the group’s activities or conclusions. Reporters also assist the recorder with the preparation of reports and worksheets.
Timekeeper – Keeps the group aware of time constraints, works with the facilitator to keep the group on task, and can also assume the role of any missing group member. The timekeeper is also responsible for any set-up of communication channels, and the scheduling of regular, consistent meetings or deadlines.

Critic/Skeptic –Evaluates all work for any gaps or confusing content. The critic or skeptic serves as the principal reviewer of all content developed by the group, conducts evaluation (and may create a rubric or use a rubric assigned by the instructor) of all assignments or reports before they are submitted. Checks that all criteria of the assignment has been met and raises questions or concerns about any missing or incomplete work.

Wildcard – Assumes any group member’s role or fills in however needed.

Have students develop a contract for longer-term group projects

Sample contracts:

• Team Contract
• Team Contract Template
• Group Charter

Require students to provide status updates during the project, perhaps through a short survey.

• Require regular progress reports from each individual student and from the group as a whole (formative & summative)
• Individual assessment (reflection paper, individual progress reports)
• Group assessment (final product, meeting of staggered deadlines, evidence of collaboration)
  Peer Evaluation (confidential rating form, reflection on work performed -who did what?)
  • Self- and Peer-Evaluation of Group Work assignment (PDF from the Searle Center)
• Self-Evaluation (reflection on performance, areas for improvement, strengths of collaborative performance. What did I contribute? What more could I have done to improve the process and final artifact?)
• Rubrics from Carnegie Mellon (for peer and instructor evaluation)
• Hobson, et al., 2014, rubrics pp. 6, 8
• Guides on Assessing Group Work from the University of South Wales.
• Steps from RIT.
• Ideas for Effective Group work from the University of South Wales

Authenticity – group work often feels contrived and artificial to students. Build in connections to real-world practices related to your course content that requires students to build collaborative skills.

Barkley, E.F., Major, C.H. & K.P. Cross. (2014). Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. Jossey-Bass.

Gibbs, G. (1994). Learning in Teams: A Student Manual. Oxford Brookes University, Oxford Centre for Staff, p. 9.

Hobson, C. J., Strupeck, D., Griffin, A., Szostek, J., & Rominger, A. S. (2014). Teaching MBA Students Teamwork and Team Leadership Skills: An Empirical Evaluation of a Classroom Educational Program. American Journal of Business Education, 7(3), 191–212. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1053615.pdf.

Linder, K. (2017). The Blended Course Design Workbook: A Practical Guide. Stylus.

Linder, K. & Hayes, C. M. (2018). High-Impact Practices in Online Education: Research and Best Practices. Stylus.

Michaelsen, L.K., Knight A.B. & Fink, L.D. (2004.) Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups in College Teaching. Stylus.