1. Ann D. Murray School of Family Studies and Human Services
Using Online Groups
Ann D. Murray
School of Family Studies
and Human Services

2. Why I started using groups …
Necessity is the mother of invention

3. What I noticed when I started using groups ….
Students were more actively engaged with the content of the course.
Students interacted more actively with each other.
Students took more responsibility for their own learning.
The products students turned in were of higher quality.

4. I found out that I was doing “problem-based learning” … (Jones, 1996)
Students deal with authentic, real world problems or cases.
Student collaborate in small groups to arrive at viable solutions.
There is little direct instruction -- the instructor becomes a facilitator of learning.
Students experience challenges with ill-structured problems that mirror those they will encounter as professionals.

5. Key Features of Cooperative Learning (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001)
Positive interdependence (students need input from each other to complete the project or task, e.g. jigsaw tasks)
Promotive interaction (students support each other and help each other learn)
Individual and group accountability (both individual work and group work are evaluated)
Interpersonal and small group skills (students learn to communicate and jointly make decisions)
Group processing (students reflect on team functioning to improve group performance)

6. Research on Cooperative Learning (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001)
Cooperative instructional strategies result in more learning by students than individual strategies
Heterogenous groupings result in more learning than homogeneous groupings
Small groups (2-4 students) are more effective than larger groups (5-7 students)

7. Types of groups
Formal, long-term groups (meet weekly, produce group and individual products)
Informal discussion groups (one-time online activities such as debates, pro and con discussions, compare and contrast discussions, helping quattros, etc.)
Formal examples:
– weekly journal assignments- use chat, message board, and file management area to exchange files and give each other feedback
-assessment team – screening all preschoolers at SH, plan online and spend a morning testing, each write up their experiences, eval each other’s performance
Informal (online activities such as debates, pro and con discussions, compare and contrast instructions, helping quattros, etc.)

8. Tips for online groups (Ko & Rossen, 2004)
Assign students to heterogeneous groups
Use online ice-breakers so that students get to know each other
Use class time for group meetings
Provide a structure and a framework for the group activities
Give guidelines for group participation
Assign roles to group members

9. Tips for online groups (cont’d)
Provide many avenues for communication (e.g. chat room, message board, , file management area)
Have a mix of group and individual activities with a substantial number, but less than the majority, of points based on group work
Use small groups of 2-4 students
Keep the composition of the groups the same throughout the semester

10. Tips for online groups (cont’d again)
Supervise the groups to monitor participation and intervene if necessary
Have groups discuss and agree to a set of expectations for group participation at the outset
Have groups evaluate their functioning on a regular basis and encourage them to address problems
Have students evaluate the contributions of other group members

11. References
Jones, D. (1996). What Is PBL? Retrieved 4/15/06, from
Ko, S., & Rossen, S. (2004). Teaching online: A practical guide. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Marzano, R., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. (2001) Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Rhem, J. Problem-based learning: An introduction. Retrieved 4/15/06, from