Goals & Objectives:
The goals of group problem solving are to develop the students ability to
solve problems in the given context. Goals can also include building team
skills, experience testing solutions, evaluative skills among alternatives,
etc. Sample objective statements include:
During and after performing the Group Problem Solving activity, students
- develop group problem solving skills,
- interpret facts and propose solutions,
- recognize key facets of a problem situation,
- identify motives creating a problem situation,
- outline a course of action,
...as determined by successfully attending to 80% of rubric items.
Materials and Resources:
The instructor must present the students with the problem. This may include
access to numerous background materials. The instructor should also provide
a group discussion area for each group and clear guidelines on their activities.
Guiding Questions for this Lesson:
As with most activities, the guiding question will depend on the purpose.
For example, if group skills is the primary purpose, the guiding questions
might be how well can students work together to resolve issue x? Another
guiding question might be, how effectively can a student group address the
Lesson Outline and Procedure:
- Either pre-select of allow self selection of students into groups. Groups
of 3-5 are usually effective in online education activities.
- Present students with the problem to be solved and any background materials
needed to begin solving the problem.
- Provide time for group formation. Follow the groups communications very
closely at the beginning to make sure that everything starts off well.
- If it is a long process, have the groups submit progress reports.
- Final group solutions may be submitted to the instructor or the class
for peer review and comments.
- In some cases, students may test out their solution and report on the
results as a stage 2 process to the group problem solving activity.
- Assess both individual and group performance.
- Group work is a fickle fiend in online education. Resources are provided
below regarding effectively implementing online group work.
- If groups have already been used in the course, the same groups may be
maintained to reduce group formation time.
- Do not present the students with too much information at the beginning.
In other words, give them enough to guide them to the solution without
actually telling them the solution.
- Use problems that have multiple or complex solutions so as to more effectively
make use of group synergy relationships. Easy problems do not require group
What accommodations may be needed for students with disabilities or other
special needs? The primary accommodation will involve communication changes
as needed for those with disabilities to actively and effectively participate
in the group activity. Other accommodations may be needed depending on the
nature of the problem to be solved.
The time required to complete a group problem solving exercise can very
widely. Small groups could be formed in a synchronous session and given 10
minutes to come up with a problem solution. In most cases, for a class activity
involving group work, at least 3 days should be given for group formation
in an online course. An additional week may be needed for the group to meet
and address the problem. 3-5 more days would be needed for the group to compose
and submit a problem response. These would be average times that will vary
by the needs of the exercise.
Ideas for Lesson Evaluation and Teacher Reflection:
How did the students like the lesson? End of semester evaluations should
ask about the usefulness and learning accomplished through such activities.
Also, the conversation that occurs during the activity will help guage how
the students are enjoying various aspects and whether they are learning and/or
Questions the instructor should ask when evaluating the lesson include:
Were the students engaged in efficiently working together?
Does the solution actually address the problem? Is there creativity in the
solution? Is the solution feasible? How quickly did they arrive at a solution?
How was student learning verified? Participation can be assessed in discussion
sessions. A rubric can also be set up to help guage the quality of final
Sample rubrics for group work available online:
Useful Online References on Group Work in General: (in
no way an all-inclusive list)
- Austin, D., & Mescia, M. D. (n.d.). Strategies to incorporate
active learning into online teaching.
- Everson, M. (2006). Group discussion
in online statistics courses.
- Janes, D. P. (1999). Techniques and strategies for international
group work: An online experience. from
- Lewis, K. O., (2006). Evaluation of online group activities: Intra-group
member peer evaluation. Paper presented at the 22nd Annual Conference
on Distance Teaching and Learning, Madison, WI.
- Lopez-Ortiz, B. I., & Lin, L. (2005, February). What makes an
online group project work? Students' perceptions before and after
an online collaborative problem/project-based learning (PBL) experience. International
Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(2).
A Few Books with Information on Group Work Online: (in
no way an all-inclusive list)
- e-learning concepts and techniques. (2006). from http://iit.bloomu.edu/Spring2006_eBook_files/index.htm
- Harasim, L. (2007). Assessing online collaborative learning: A theory,
methodology, and toolset. In B. H. Khan (Ed.). Flexible learning in
an information society. pp. 282-293. Hershey, PA: Information Science
- Horton, W. (2000). Designing Web-based training. New York: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Ko, S., & Rossen, S. (2001). Teaching online: A practical guide.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
- Nicolay, J. A. (2002). Group assessment in the on-line learning environment.
In R. S. Anderson, J. F. Bauer, & B. W. Speck (Eds.). Assessment
strategies for the on-line class: From theory to practice. pp. 43-52.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
- Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (1999). Building learning communities
in cyberspace: Effective strategies for the online classroom. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
- Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2001). Lessons from the cyberspace
classroom: The realities fo online teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
- Salmon, G. (2002). e-tivities: The key to active online learning.
London: Kogan Page Limited.
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