Transcript CORAL Collaborative On-line Research and Learning CORAL  A pedagogy promoting active learning in the classroom.  Places responsibility in the hands of the learner.

CORAL
Collaborative On-line
Research and Learning
CORAL

A pedagogy promoting
active learning in the
classroom.

Places responsibility in
the hands of the
learner.
Overview
 The collaborative project is an applied research
project comprised of psychology students enrolled
in two different courses at WCU and CUP.
 Students at WCU are enrolled in a Senior Seminar,
Dynamics of Small Group Behavior.
 Students at CUP are enrolled in a Psychology of
Women course.
 Project guides (TA’s) are former students of CORAL
course.
Characteristics of CORAL
Teams based at
two different sites
 Collaborative
Writing
 Develops sense of
community
 Teamwork
 Shared goals
 Focused
outcomes
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Active creation of
knowledge and
meaning
 Course delivery is
consistently
changing
 Interaction &
feedback
 Faculty & Peer
guidance
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CORAL Pedagogy
Promotes Active Learning
Offers different teaching and learning styles.
 Is structured by the professors, but led by the
students.
 Fosters active learning & independent thinking.
 Encourages students to seek outside opinions
without being scrutinized.
 Time management – of self – others - the team!
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CORAL Pedagogy
Understand the views of others
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Active listening (including paraphrasing). This includes
withholding judgments until one understands the other's
positions and interests.
Relevant self-disclosure of information and reactions.
Check your perceptions.
Describe behavior and indicate how you are reacting to
that behavior.
Use "I" messages.
Criticize and evaluate constructively.
CORAL Pedagogy
Promotes Experimentation
Students have the opportunity to set their own
pace.
 Environment is supportive promoting
experimentation with subject, each other,
project guides, & instructors in a completely
different way.
 Yields experience with collaborative processes
(personal communication-talking, to content
discussions!
 Students meet on-line at mutually agreeable
times.
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CORAL Pedagogy
Transforms competition to collaboration
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Learning to collaborate with team members at
distant & home sites.
Expressions of support and encouragement
exchanged among team members.
Students transform from competition and
contention (Individual Gain) to collaborative
problem-solving based on reflection &
interpretation of experiences (Mutual Gain).
Provides exposure to technology – the relationship
of person to machine.
Team Evaluation Criteria
 Collaborative Tangram Paper
 Progress Reports
 Research proposal
 Team development
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Video Conferences
Web Board postings
Collaborative Research Proposal
Collaborative Analysis of Group Processes PowerPoint Presentation, Video Conference &
Written Paper
A Snapshot of the
Collaborative Process
Video Snapshot – Week 7
Project Guides
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Trained by the instructors.
Introduce the Internet and technological tools.
Highlight the connection between on-line communication
and both written (print) and spoken (oral)
communication.
Help teams clarify ideas.
Provide assistance on specific writing concerns.
Encourage all team members to participate.
Model effective online and written communication.
Assist team members by posing questions and offering
suggestions.
Collaborative Technology
Tools
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Survey of Internet experience
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Web Board (web-based discussion boards)
Coral Reef (real-time chat room)
Video Conferencing (ISDN / ATM)
File Manager
Coral Website
Desktop Video Conferencing: Laptops with Net
meeting capabilities
On-line Calendars
Coral list-serv
E-Mail
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Web (Discussion) Boards
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Are the primary means of
communication.
Allow asynchronous
communication.
Encourage exchanging team ideas
as well as socializing.
Messages are threaded.
Messages are archived every 2
weeks.
CORAL Reef
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A on-line chat room
Used by teams for synchronous communication
Used on a weekly basis
Teams schedule chats
Video Conferencing
 Is used by students, not faculty.
 Is used for discussion and
decision-making in organizing
their research & collaborative
analysis proposal.
 Assists students in defining
‘team-member roles’. I.e. who is
responsible for various part of
the research proposal.
 Used for synchronous
PowerPoint presentations.
Video Conferencing
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Students’ clarify
asynchronous
misinterpretations.
Share knowledge with
distant site members –
content.
Team members settle group
conflict via the face to face
interaction.
Encourages greater
cohesion among sites.
File Manager
Accessible anywhere on the Internet
On-line file managers are used to:
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Edit papers
Exchange articles
Stores drafts of papers
Drafts of PowerPoint presentations
The file cabinet for each team.
Share teams communication patterns
Web Cams & Laptops
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Allow students access to CORAL tools, the
discussion boards, file-managers, chat rooms, and
websites.
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Desktop video-conferencing via NetMeeting.
Purpose – to contact team members when decisions
need to be made outside of their scheduled class.
On-Line Calendars
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Organize due dates
Are used to schedule chats
Organize team members’ schedules
Organize differences in university schedules (e.g.,
spring breaks).
Benefits of the Model
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Can be used across or within disciplines.
Allows student enrolled in different courses to work
together, integrating topics.
Allows students at different point in their
undergraduate careers to work together, thereby
encouraging mentoring.
Improves undergraduate writing skills.
Measure communication patterns.
1
 Forming - Meeting,
team logo,
collaboration (tangram
project) [3 weeks]
 Confusion,
Anxiety,
Trepidation!
 Storming - Task
Clarification[4-8]
 Norming -Duty/Role
Clarification
 Performing -“Work”
 Adjourning Settlement and
Closure
Superordinate Goals
High appeal value to both teams
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Underlying hypothesis: Common goal(s) are
established whereby achievement is possible only by
working together as a team.
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Based on the assumption –
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Contact Familiarity Comfort Tolerance/Liking
Superordinate goals - Tangram paper, sem plan,
research proposal, collaborative analysis paper
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Help to bind teams and give impetus to resolve conflict and
distance.
Tuckman’s Model
Forming
Leadership
Instructors
Project Guides
Purpose & Goal
clarity
Decision Making
Attention to team
process
Reaction
Storming
Norming
Performing
Team Phases
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Instructors /
Project Guides
Leadership
Direct & provide
structure for the
team, clarifies
expectations about
how to initiate
team project &
group process
(select wtw data
collector).
Leader coaches
the group by
helping them
focus on goals &
expectations,
managing
process and
conflict,
generating ideas,
and explaining
decisions.
Leader acts
primarily as a
facilitator
providing
encouragement,
helping to build
consensus, and
giving feedback
Leader still
facilitates team
process, but tasks
and objectives are
delegated. Leader
oversees and
identifies when
the group is
moving to a
different stage
Purpose & Goal
clarity
Members are
discover relevant
parameters of the
purpose and
goals. There is
little agreement or
commitment to
team mission
Options are
generated and
challenged as the
group stretches
parameters.
There is
increased clarity,
yet some
misconceptions
linger.
Agreement from
most; genuine
commitment is
forming. The
group is moving
toward unity.
The whole team
shares a
commitment to
overarching goals;
a tangible vision
for the team is
accepted.
Decision Making
Roles &
Responsibilities
Forming
Storming
Norming
Directed by the
distributed leader.
The process is
sometimes
dominated by the
most vocal
members.
Decisions are
hard to make;
deadlocks
common; Process
is usually
dominated by
power plays & fast
and loud talkers.
Compromise is
the fall back tactic.
Major decisions
are made by
consensus,
differences are
Roles and
responsibilities
emerge and
become clearer.
Members jockey
for roles and
power.
Individuals are not
clear about roles.
They privately
hold opinions, but
do not publicly
state them.
Roles are clarified
and accepted.
There is open
discussion about
how to make the
group perform
tasks and work
toward goals.
negotiated &
some decisions
are delegated to
individuals or
smaller groups
Performing
Team makes
decisions within
agreed upon
criteria; major
decisions still
made by
consensus
Group members
are willing to
challenge the
nature of
relationships
within the group
and adopt
changes as
needed.
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Attention to team
process
Process is usually
ignored; it is
noticed but
avoided. Members
test the waters and
look for guidance
from the designated
instructor.
Team work doesn't
seem justified for
the effort required.
Cliques can form!
Members generate
team norms and
develop mutual
respect. However,
can be sidetracked
by process
discussions and
waste time
focusing on
unimportant issues.
Members are
autonomous; not
dependent on
designated
leaders. Everyone
shares
responsibility for
initiating and
discusses team
collaborative
process.
Reaction to
Leadership within
team
Team members
take a wait and see
approach. They
watch from a
distance and
remain dependent
on a fixed hierarchy
of responsibility.
Team members
challenge the
leader. Factions
and cliques
emerge. Power
struggles and
polarization often
occur I.e. we vs
them.
General support for
distributed
leadership.
Leadership is
shared among the
group.
Discussions are
open;
disagreements do
not lead to fear of
rejection. Members
feel highly
supported. Leaders
offer inter-personal
support as well as
guidance.
Peer Assessment
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Experience Bales interaction process analysis
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Task-Oriented Leadership Measures
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Summarizing and offering direction
Asking questions
Socio-Emotional Leadership Measures
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Positive feedback to group members
Negative feedback to group members
Appraising Team Communication
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Begin collecting data from week one.
Team member volunteers to collect data.
‘data collecting role’ lasts the semester.
Taught how to interpret data.
Prepares them to teach team members.
Update communication pattern weekly via video
conference.
Assessing Team Communication
week 6
From
Charity Tim
Charity
xxx
ShannaSean Amy NicoleKatie TA-BambiDonna Paula Tom
1
Tim
3
1
4
1
xxx
Shanna
4
1 xxx
Sean
1
1
Amy
1
1
1
1 xxx
Nicole
1
1
1
1
Katie
3
1
2
1
4 xxx
1
1
TA- Bambi
1
2
xxx
1
4
14
1
1
1
1
12
1
3
1
1
7
1
3
1
8
1
1 xxx
1
1
3
1
xxx
1
xxx
0
1
8
xxx
7
6
3
17
1
6
4
0
Paula
10
10
12
xxx
Tom
2
2
Donna
Total
Team Total Other
0
0
1
0
11
69
5
Bambi, Mary, Mike, & Samantha –
Project Guide Roles
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Introduce internet and technology tools
Clarify roles
CORAL
Project Guide: Evolution
Mary Reed
(Clarion University of Pennsylvania)
Bambi Juryea & Samantha King
(West Chester University of Pennsylvania)
Presentation Outline
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The evolution of the Project Guide from
Writing Assistant to Teaching Assistant
The transition from student to Project
Guide
Present roles and responsibilities of the
Project Guide
Suggested future changes
Wyoming Writing Assistants
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Casper College in Wyoming
Worked under writing assistant professor
Had never taken the class before
Didn’t understand what the class was
about
Focused more on writing style than
communication
Wyoming Writing Assistants
No face-to-face communication with students in the
class
 Each had his/her own approach to the role
 One quit halfway through the semester
 One was transactional
 One was transformational.
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Project Guides Become Past
Students
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Able to share class experiences with the
students
Know what kind of time needs to be committed
to this class
Able to offer suggestions as to how to complete
assignments
Able to offer suggestions as to how to effectively
use web board and file manager
Able to meet with students face-to-face
Project Guides Begin to Become a
Role
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Trial and error
Begin to determine what a project guide should
do
Help with organization
Focus more on communication and less of
writing style
Communicate with the professors
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Make suggestions as to how to improve class
Give feed back
Student Experience
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(advantage for project guide)
Vague – Unknown expectations
Formulated own group norms
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Reinforced ideas of cultural differences
Resolved conflicts without intervention by
professors
Evolved into different roles
Student Experience cont.
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Likes & Dislikes
Our role as student
Benefits of class as student:
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Hands-on experience with technology
Learning how to write research proposal
Experience working in group setting
Clarion Mini-Conference
Experience
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Voiced concerns and suggestions
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Change in final project to focus on group dynamics
rather than presenting the final paper
Start videoconference on the first day of class
More of a focus on APA format
Increase of progress reports to focus on the
collaboration process
Acted as transitional period from student to
project guide
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Adjustments made
Project Guide
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Expectations
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Perception of project guide role
Role: “Guide” not “Direct”
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Interpretive mediator between professors and
students
Start off with more “hands-on” approach and
gradually move “back” (child learning to walk)
Allow mistakes to occur for learning purposes
Offer suggestions and feedback to alleviate
frustration, offer guidance
Project Guide Responsibilities
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Help team members establish academic and
personal relationships
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Facilitate and encourage team communication
Discourage perpetuated influence of perceived and
speculated cultural differences
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Compensate for experiential differences
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Highlight individual personality types and encourage utilization
of individual strengths
ex.(freshman non-major vs. senior psychology major)
Model effective online communication
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Maintain visibility
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Daily web board postings
Presence at video conferences
Presence at chats
Project Guide Responsibilities
cont.
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Provide direction for team members
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Importance of past experience as student in class
with P.G. responsibilities
Post weekly plan with suggestions
Help organize team to meet deadlines
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Encourage inactive team members through reinforcing
emails
Answer or redirect technology questions
Answer or redirect assignment questions
Offer feedback and suggestions on assignments
Recommend available resources
Proactively offer help
Role of Project Guide
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Students’ perception of us
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“Accessible”/non-intimidating resource
Mediator between professors and students
Evolution of role
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Hands-on approach
Students highly reliant on P.G. for guidance and
support
Emphasis shifted from writing style to group dynamics
and effective communication
Regarded as important resource
Suggested Changes
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Availability of project guides in class
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Concentrate second week of class on
establishing relationships between group
members
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Presence during class time, videoconferences, chats
Geared towards each others strengths and
similarities
Relay and reinforce expectations of work ethic
and responsibilities to excel in class
Suggested Changes cont.
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Project guide’s responsibility for weekly
update of group dynamics
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Observations and suggestions
Pull away from web board numbers with
greater emphasis on quality
Separate web board and chats designated
for project guide collaboration