Anatoly Temkin (MET CS) Enhancing Education with Technology: Study Groups in Online Classes Benefits of having online study groups in students’ own words.

Student Louise Behan: What I find most valuable about working with the study group is the insights into how other see a question, analyze the expectations and perform the requirements. Of course, there are times when I fail to understand a concept from the reading. In this case, I may hear someone’s explanation of the concept, and suddenly, their slightly different view "clicks" for me, and I now understand it.

I know one way of understanding the concept, but because of what others have said, I see the process in a new light, and therefore develop a broader understanding of it. The more different ways the concept connects to my world, the better I understand it, the more likely I am to be able to recall it, and a broader array of ways and occasions to use it are available to me.

We all have a common goal, which is to do well in this class, so when we meet once a week, it is a way for us to express our thoughts and opinions and to gain common ground with one another.

If I have a good comprehension on the lecture material I like being able to help other students out who may be having a harder time. Making an impact is very rewarding.

Student Deb Chaulk: I think the thing that was most beneficial to me about it was hearing the voices of my classmates and hearing about what topics and past homework assignments were the most challenging for them. It's kind of an "I'm not alone" feeling, which helps in an on-line program where you don't have much interaction.

I think it would be very helpful for people with different learning styles and for people struggling in the class. It's always helpful to get support. And it's great to see which students stand out in terms of their ability to explain something.

I've seen quite a few cases where a student will explain how they got an answer or how they think about a specific type of problem and there will be a light bulb or an "aha" moment from someone else, who says that they didn't understand it until thinking about it a different way.

Student Kristen Volponi : The biggest benefit of holding the study sessions is to hear the perspectives of other students. Personally, I also enjoy the camaraderie that goes along with the study group. We are all there for each other which helps reduce the anxiety for the simple fact we are not in this alone and at the same time allows us to have a little bit of fun.

Student Deb Knowles: The sheer number of students in the class and therefore posting in the “Water Cooler” area was intimidating to me in the beginning and still is to a certain extent. The smaller and casual conversations within the study group boosted my confidence and enabled me to make some personal connections with other students. It was very reassuring to have other folks say that they’d completely missed a question or were confused.

There was a sense of community and connection with the other students that was missing, for me, in the Discussion areas. It would be great if the same dynamic in study group could have been cultivated within the assigned groups.

The assistance that I received in study group extended beyond the scope of this course, but into understanding the overall Master’s program better.

There were a couple of instances where I was quite confused by what exactly the question was asking me and someone just restating it or stating it a different way would immediately point me in the right direction. It would be curious to see if the students that participated in study group scored better overall than those students who did not.

Student Frank Felicetti: I also found these study sessions to be a great way to connect with my fellow classmates (it’s nice to put voices to names) The atmosphere was also very conducive to studying; lots of ideas floated around and I felt that classmates were able to express themselves freely without the fear of being ridiculed or mocked because of their questions and/or ideas.

Student Thomas Meyer: The group started slow but that is normal. By the end of the semester, people were fighting for air time and wanting to show their ideas of how they solved the HW. It was awesome! The harmony of the group was great. You have seen how people now want to start study groups in other classes because they saw that we taught each other.

There were no bounds; no restrictions. No one was better than anyone else. We were equals but you sure could see the cream of the class floating to the top because folks would ask for certain people to share their work. A fabulously great experience and I thank you for allowing us to run with it.