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Online students are often asked to work in groups to complete assignments. The skills they develop in these virtual teams are needed in today's workforce. However, working in virtual teams does not always work smoothly. For instructors, it can be challenging to determine how to best support online students because they frequently become aware of issues when matters take a turn for the worse and/or when it is very difficult to determine ways to help the team get back on track (e.g., when a teammate fails to turn in her/his part of an assignment or teammates band together against one teammate). Of course, it is important to point out that sometimes a teammate might not complete her/his part of an assignment or "disappear" because something tragic has happened such as when a student experiences a death in the family or requires hospitalization. Therefore, when a student fails to respond to e-mails and phone calls in a timely manner, especially when she or he was very responsive previously, it is key for either the instructor and/or teammates to make contact with the missing-in-action student as soon as possible. More often than not in such cases, something serious has occurred. For most other situations, though, some type of intervention by the instructor or teaching assistant will be in order, along with a group conference call, to determine a solution.
There are myriad steps that instructors and students can employ to improve vir- tual teamwork to minimize misunderstanding and foster equitable distribution of work and responsibility. The following are some suggested strategies for online instructors and students.
TIPS FOR INSTRUCTORS
1. Determine how teams will be formed: Some students like to be able to choose their own partners but others prefer to have them assigned. I have found that giving students a choice between the partner and project works best with adult learners. However, timing can be a factor. For instance, in a summer course I teach, there is little time to find a partner; therefore, I assign students to groups in that course. If students create their own groups, require them to post in a designated area in your learning management system the...