5 Support team formation in online environments

Saghafian and O’Neill (2018) discovered that while there are some common themes in team development in face-to-face and online environments, the differences between the two modalities mean that additional team development skills for online learning may need to be specifically addressed.

As with face-to-face team learning, scaffolding teamwork skills remains important in the online environment.  Consider embedding the structured activities presented in the previous two chapters.  This may take place in an online synchronous session with breakout rooms to facilitate team interaction, or in structured asynchronous activities in online group forums.

In addition, the technical aspects of online teamwork may also require scaffolding and support.  Students may feel confused about how to begin teamwork with classmates that they have not met face to face; orienting students to the technologies that can support their work may provide clearer insights on how they might work in virtual teams. Consider the following questions:

• Do students know how to use the document sharing features within Office 365?  Learners may assume that using another technology, such as Google Docs, is the only available method to create shared work.  Orienting students to shared Office documents allows them to use institutionally supported tools for their shared work.
• Do students have access to a tool for synchronous meetings (e.g. access to Big Blue Button rooms, access to Teams?
• Are students able to identify the privacy risks connected to the tools they may choose, and to make informed decisions?  Jung and Gunawardena (2014) suggest that learners may collaborate more effectively on more familiar platforms that are outside of the learning management system; however, students may require tools to make informed choices about how they share information online.

Online learners value the flexibility that the modality offers, but report additional challenges with the logistics of connecting with teammates (Saghafian & O’Neill, 2018).  In an online course,  additional questions that teams may need to consider as they form and develop team charters include:

1. Do we wish to meet face-to-face?  If so, what time is suitable for all group members, taking time zones into account?
2. What technology do we choose to use for our work?
3. If we choose not to meet synchronously (in real time), how will we choose to stay in contact?
4. What are the expected response times for responding to messages?
5.  What communication etiquette will we use to prevent misunderstandings (particularly in written communication)?

References