Home Contents Syllabus Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 Group Summary Assignments WebCT Instructors

Group Project

Teaching and Learning 21st century

Click here for groups. Groups have been diversified for campus, discipline and gender.

Requirements:

By the end of Week 7, each group member posts a contract in their group's workroom. The contract specifies what each member is doing for the project, and specifies when members will complete their respective parts of the project. Roles, member responsibilities and due dates may be renegotiated as the project progresses. Changes in the contract should be explicitly posted in the contract as they occur so that everyone is clear about who is doing what and the associated due dates. When the project is complete, group members use the contract as one of the criteria for evaluating peer participation.

The finished project is to be posted in the forum for "Group Project" by the end of the 13th week of the course. Use the 14th week of the course to critique and discuss each other's projects.

Note that each learner submits a peer review of the participation of all members of their group.

top

The Project

As a team, devise teaching strategies that instructors can use and learning activities that students can use to accomplish the learning objectives for a real or hypothetical course represented by each of the disciplines in your group. The learning activities should include some form of interactivity and collaboration among the course participants in each instructor's course. Here's where you can use your creativity. Each team should come up with at least 3 teaching strategies and 3 learning activities.

For example, let's say that your team consists of instructors from English, ethnic studies, and business. Your team would create one teaching strategy and one learning activity for a course in English, a course in ethnic studies and a course in business. However, it's important to see this as a team activity. The idea here is to have team input from all members of the team for the strategies and activities devised for each discipline. For this group project, we do not want you to confine yourself to doing work only in your own discipline.

Each team needs to

  • provide a brief theoretical rationale to support each of the teaching strategies and learning activities;
  • explain in detail what an instructor needs to do in each of the teaching strategies, and what the students need to do in each of the learning activities, to meet the course's objectives;
  • explain how this instructor will assess and grade the learning outcomes expected from each of these strategies/activities;
  • conclude the project by recommending at least 5 online resources relevant to each instructor's online course; briefly annotate these resources.

At the time the project is completed, each group member submits via email to the instructor an evaluation of each group member's participation (and of one's own participation) on the project.

top

Tips for Effective Group Work

  • planning ahead with your group is critical for success
  • someone in the group needs to convene the group--early in the semester
  • it helps to identify a leader and a note-taker (your workroom forum is a good place to keep notes)
  • group selects a topic
  • establish roles: Who will do what?
  • establish a time line: Who is doing what when?
  • each member posts a written contract of what they will do and when--that may be renegotiated as necessary
  • specify individual assignments (make sure everyone is clear about what they are to do and when)
  • establish how you will communicate: email, virtual workroom, fax, phone, f2f?
  • set date for circulation of individual sections
  • someone needs to integrate (and edit) the sections into a whole
  • specify how revisions are to be handled
  • set date for circulation of final draft
  • who does final editing and posting?

For more on Organizing and Working on Group Projects: http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/groupprojects.htm

top

 

Grading Criteria for Content = 75% of the total project grade

All members of the group receive the same grade for the content portion of the project.
 
5 = excellent
4 = good
3 = fair
2 = poor
1 = barely acceptable
0 = unacceptable
 

1. Course description concisely and clearly describes the course.

5

4

3

2

1

0

2. Learning objectives are do-able and measurable.

5

4

3

2

1

0

3. An appropriate theoretical or pedagogical rationale supports each of the TS's (teaching strategies) and LA's (learning activities).

5

4

3

2

1

0

4. TS's and LA's are related to learning objectives.

5

4

3

2

1

0

5. The directives for the TS's and LA's are explained clearly.

5

4

3

2

1

0

6. LA's promote active learning via interactivity and collaboration.

5

4

3

2

1

0

7. LA's are creative and engaging

5

4

3

2

1

0

8. Assessment and grading procedures are clearly explained.

5

4

3

2

1

0

9. Online resources are relevant to the instructor's course; annotations explain the value of the resource.

5

4

3

2

1

0

10. Evidence of proofreading to correct spelling, grammar and typos.

5

4

3

2

1

0

Total points earned for content (50 possible)

_____/50 = _____% of 75.

top

Grading Criteria for Participation = 25% of the Project Grade.

Each member evaluates the participation of self and each of the other group members. Please submit this evaluation via email to the instructor at the time the project is posted (by the end of the 13th week).

Each member has a total of 100 points to distribute among the members of their group including oneself. Please don't use fractions. The total number of points distributed among your group members and yourself should total 100. Write a short evaluative comment on each member's participation based on the criteria below.

Name of group member: ____________________ Points earned (out of 100): __________

Your name: ____________________

Base your allocation of points on the following criteria:

  • took initiative to help the group get organized
  • actively contributed to group decision-making
  • made substantial contributions to the development of TS's and LA's in disciplines of others, in addition to one's own
  • worked with consistent determination and effort to help the group achieve its goal
  • provided leadership within the group
  • assisted teammates
  • did a full share of the work
  • clearly communicated desires, ideas, personal needs and feelings
  • contributed to the development and maintenance of the group's contract
  • met timelines and work assignments as specified in the group's contract
  • provided quality work
  • listened to others in the group
  • cooperated with the rest of the group
  • did not dominate the group discussions
  • was respectful of other group members
  • was able to accept feedback gracefully
top

Comments:

.

Sum of points received from group members = _____/100 = _____% of 25.

_____% (content) + _____% (participation) = _____% (group project total grade).

94-100 = A
90-93 = A-
87-89 = B+
84-86 = B
80-83 = B-
77-79 = C+
74-76 = C
70-73 = C-
67-69 = D+
64-66 = D
60-63 = D-

<60 = F

top

Home Contents Syllabus Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 Group Summary Assignments WebCT Instructors