Need for collaborative projects in business courses Essay

Group swans ar integral to the line of descent curriculum and tin be habituateful in d eventideloping schoolchilds skills and abilities as bear awayrs. However, skill encounter some(prenominal)(prenominal) troubles with carnal projects, including assessing scholars efforts, aiding good communication and coordination among members, and making sure the project is a sincerely collaborative effort. applied science whitethorn aid in addressing these problems electronic hash oution circuit cards and scold inhabit, for example, earth-clo strict support expertness and students sharpen coaction and increase the account exponent of year members.Keywords Discussion boards, yap away rooms, collaborative reading, student projects INCREASED GLOBAL COMPETITION and peeled(prenominal) changes in the business environment over the last several years confirm led organizations to restructure themselves. One aspect of that restructuring is a shifting of duty and demolit ion making d takeward and a movement toward self-directed work teams (Cohen, 1993). To prepargon students to thrive in this environment, we manifestly need to teach them effective teamwork and communication skills.This article describes two tools that butt end help accomplish this task, the electronic preaching board and the chat room. These weed foster interdependence in base projects and deeper, active eruditeness. First, we discuss the need for and benefits of collaborative projects, the problems of free radical work, and the place of technology in much(prenominal) projects. We then allow for recommendations for incorporating these electronic tools in business communication shed light ones. Need for Collaborative Projects in backing Courses.As m wholly researchers hold up noted, the structural shift towards teams occurring in many organizations should be reflected in the classroom (Bobbitt, Inks, Kemp, & Mayo, 2000). utilize root wordings in class then prep atom ic number 18s students to work collaboratively in the business environment spot promoting collaborative scholarship in the classroom itself. The graduation benefit of group work in the classroom is that it teaches students how to work collaboratively in the business environment. business organization organizations repeatedly indicate that the increased use of teams in the real world has increased students need for word-painting and experience with teams (Buckenmyer, 2000). Companies that use teams creatively spend many hours and dollars training various(prenominal)s to work in teams and training managers to manage teams. Through working in groups, students idler enhance their abilities in setting goals, delegating work, and dealing with involvement (Colbeck, Campbell, & Bjorklund, 2000). They can also improve their communication, leadership, problem figure out, and technical skills.All of these skills argon highly rated by recruiters and employers and get out help graduat es brook the demands and rigors of the workplace (McNally, 1994). The second benefit of group work is that these projects promote collaborative learning. University educators give birth embraced cooperative learning methods as ways to engage students and to foster cooperation (Ravenscroft, 1997). Researchers impart found that the values of propagation X be highly individualistic, visually-oriented, and aligned with information technology, not with the sharing of information (Buckenmyer, 2000).Thus, group eat projects, with proper guidance, can help these students learn to deal in effect with some others. Group work learning can be an excellent way of encouraging the development of higher cognitive skills in students (Thorley & Gregory, 1994) and can be effective even for relatively quiet group members. When groups work hale, students consistently fare better in class, on tests, and in attitudes towards the teacher and each other (Jones & Brickner, 1996).The quality of learni ng is improved by partner support, with students gaining experience in communication, negotiation, organization, and task management. Cooperative methods have been recognized as effective ways to remind students to become actively involved in learning. The collaborative group project creates a forum that allows students to dramatise an active approach towards their own education. The security of working within a group provides an excellent debut into the progression to independent and autonomous learning (Maguire & Edmondson, 2001).Problems with Group Projects The many benefits of collaborative projects, however, are often equipoise by problems. First, a common problem is the failure of the group to work together effectively. Students whitethorn keep an individual effort but are unable to coordinate their efforts effectively with their group members to achieve any kind of synergistic benefits (Tullar, Kaiser, & Balthazard, 1998). Group members need to be contributing their ide as, questioning and learning from each other, and construct on the efforts of the other members.For collaborative learning to occur, students must coordinate the diverse skills and abilities of their group members to address a complex task (Tullar et al. , 1998). A second problem is that often group members simply divide a project so that each individual writes a mete out. Then, just before the project is due, the students bring in their disks and combine files without organise their efforts or talents effectively. Third, group work often leads to unequal contributions of members, resulting in hitchhikers and workhorses (Cottell & Millis, 1993).These hitchhikers, also called bring out riders and social loafers, can cause problems in the workflow of the group, as they do not do their blank share. Members of the group have difficulty addressing the free-rider problem and documenting the problem and their efforts to exculpate it (Gremler, Hoffman, Keaveney, & W sound, 2000). The issue becomes one students word against anothers as the teacher tries to match fair individual grades. Finally, group projects are often assigned without the allocation of class snip for groups to develop cooperative skills or to become viscid (Michaelsen, 1992).There is limited time in class to discuss both the needed topics and the mechanics of group management. In many cases, groups meet on evenings and weekends when dexterity members are not available for assistance. Additionally, many group members are geographically and temporally dispersed, which projects organizing face-to-face group meetings difficult. The Role of Technology in Enhancing Collaborative reading Active and cooperative learning approaches will be counterproductive unless they are thoughtfully implemented and wellspring supported. converse tools like raillery boards and chat rooms can be effective in inter-team quislingism as well as in faculty-student communication. These tools can help ease the proble ms discussed in the previous section. By solving these problems with technology, faculty can address three learning goals empowering students, improving their communication skills, and developing their ability to work collaboratively. Finally, these technological communication tools offer teaching opportunities by allowing faculty to be to a greater extent neighborly to students and to track students efforts better.Addressing Group Project Problems Internet-based tools can be a tremendous help in coordinating team efforts, particularly when the team is geographically (whether by a fewer miles or a few thousand miles) or temporally dispersed (Kaiser, Tullar, & McKowen, 2000). With technology, groups can meet either synchronously, using chat rooms, or asynchronously, using threaded discussion boards, in which group members contribute to the group discussion at multiplication convenient to their schedules over a defined time period.These tools enable everyone in the group to talk at the same time or at their convenience by typing their comments into the forum that instantly distributes their comments. Additionally, surd personalities have greater difficulty dominating the group as everyone has equal access to the floor. Students may find out more comfortable presenting ideas this way than in a face-to-face meeting, and the quality and professionalism of their ideas may be higher, versed that their enfolding is being monitored.The discussion forum also gives all students ample time for reflection so students responses are often more thoughtful than those in face-to-face situations. Studies have illustrated this level of increased and more evenly distributed participation from students in computer-supported groups (Tullar et al. , 1998). Addressing Learning Goals Projects provide opportunities for experiential learning, that is, students apply what they have learned to real-world situations and thus develop decision-making skills. But in doing so, projects o ften produce anxiety as students struggle to limit what practise the teacher wants.However, with these projects, whether it be a case, a enunciate of a business issue, or a business plan, faculty are typically not searching for one expert answer, but rather are concerned with the process that students use in solving problems. Teaching students to ask the right questions is thought to be more important than giving students the right answers. In the real world, there is neither one right answer nor is there a sage on a stage that can direct students to the right answer. Students need to learn how to find and to support the answers for themselves.The use of electronic discussion boards and chat rooms can aid student learning in the struggle through the project process. Thus, three learning goals can be addressed through the use of electronic discussion boards and chat rooms with experiential group projects (1) empowering students to become active participants in their learning, (2) increasing students communication skills in describing and solving problems, and (3) enhancing students abilities to collaborate and work with others in developing their own re bloodlines in solving problems.To achieve these goals, education must involve interactivity among instructors, students, and the materials, and electronic discussion boards and chat rooms can enrich that interactivity. Providing Additional Teaching Opportunities Another advantage of these tools is the opportunity for faculty to participate in the discussions and e-mails. Faculty can use these tools to demonstrate concern for students and to provide additional accessibility and feedback.In fact, the transactional distance encourages faculty to maintain a facilitative role rather than an authoritative role (Moore, 1993). Finally, these tools make it easier for faculty and students to keep track of what everyone has said as there is a written enroll (Kaiser et al. , 2000). Students have the opportunity to reo rganize and reshape their understanding of course content. The Web-based tools allow thoughts to be captured for future examination, elaboration, and extension. The end result is usually more robust and thoughtful discussions.In fact, threaded discussions can extend the time that both instructors and students invest in the course (Bruce & Hwang, 2001). Recommendations for Using These Tools Many universities are starting to use versatile computer course tools or platforms to promote online learning. These platforms, such(prenominal) as BlackBoard or WebCT, can be used to design either Web-based or Web-assisted courses. For several years, we have used discussion groups and chat rooms in Web-based classes but have also found that communication can be enhanced in traditional classes through use of these tools.Since more business organizations are using electronic tools, such as Lotus Notes, to facilitate group meetings, using them in the classroom helps students further prepare for the ir careers. However, the wise faculty member will be advised that these tools should be used judiciously. Therefore, based on our experience, the following suggestions are made to faculty who are considering the use of Web-based tools. Discussion Boards Instructors and students can compose and position messages electronically on electronic discussion boards.Both public and private discussion forums can be implemented. With many computation platforms, such as WebCT, faculty can set up public forums to start threaded discussions for the class to which the students can answer electronically. Students can use these public forums to post questions to which the entire class can respond, such as for help in finding information for the project. A project normally tellms easier when the instructor is discussing it in class and few questions arise. However, students questions occasionally occur aft(prenominal) class or on weekends.The discussion board allows the opportunity for students t o post problems asynchronously and to receive input from the class. The burden is no longer on the instructor to solve every problem as it occurs but is on the students to work with each other as well as with the instructor in solving problems. This is a tremendous lesson for students to learn to deal with problem solving in the real world. When an employer gives an employee a project or task to do, he/she expects the employee to do it on his/her own and not ask for assistance from the employer every step of the way.Students have to learn to be problem solvers on their own, and the use of electronic discussion boards helps develop that skill. The professors role is to help get the communication started. For example, the instructor can post a question on the public project discussion board asking at which sites people are having success finding information for the project. The students can then respond. Those students who respond in a useful manner will be rewarded, such as with a p articipation grade. Those students or groups who do not respond can be asked on the discussion board for their input.When students see the progress other students are making, they may be spurred to work harder. Additionally, the faculty need to part the discussion board frequently to see if any misinformation is being spread, to ensure netiquette is being practiced, and to restart the conversation as needed. Finally, faculty can take questions that the students ask individually and request that the students post them on the discussion board. In that way the instructor only has to respond once, and similar inquiries can then be referred to that response.This will eve ntually build a culture in the class where the instructor is not seen as the sole source for information, and the students learn to work with each other in solving problems. Additionally, instructors can create private forums to be used to divide students into groups for class exercises or for the use of asynchronous co ordination of group projects in which group members cannot all meet at the same time. The instructor can visit these public and private forums to track group progress, to encourage students to help each other to solve problems, and to provide assistance as needed after the students have tried first on their own.In the private group forums, the students are encouraged to use the board to organize group meetings, to post their research findings, and to post drafts of their work for their group members to see and make comments. The professor can encourage individual group members to post their contributions to the paper to the private forum for the other members to see and post suggestions. This would increase group collaboration in a manner that can be documented. After the group has collaborated on a draft of the project, the instructor can offer suggestions.Finally, instructors should consider requiring the groups to post progress reports on their efforts periodically during the ter m. These progress reports describe what the group has accomplished, what the groups plans are, if there are any problems, and if there are, how they are being addressed. The instructor should provide guidelines as to what the groups should have accomplished by the progress report dates so the students can determine if they are on track. While these reports could be submitted on paper, doing it through the discussion board makes it easier for group members to be aware of what has been submitted. Chat Rooms.With chat rooms, students can meet electronically at the same time no matter where they are, as long as they have Internet access. Each group can have its own chat room, with the instructor joining in from home or bit in one of several ways. The group can meet first and then have a designated time when the instructor logs in to answer questions. The instructor can repudiate when the questions are answered or give the group time to discuss among themselves and then check back late r. For project work, it is important that instructors periodically meet with student groups to answer questions, address problems, and provide guidance.The chat room may be a useful tool in meeting with students out of class. The students can meet with the instructor for a practice chat to get the students comfortable with the technology. The instructor can request that the groups meet with him/her several times during the term to discuss their progress. These meetings can be either in the office during office hours or during designated chat office hours, such as on Sunday nights when the instructor is at home. With traditional classes, groups should have the option to meet in person with the professor, particularly early on in the project.For those students who cannot come during office hours, the chat room provides an excellent way to interact, although instructors may want to set clear boundaries or peculiar(prenominal) hours for when they are willing to meet in the chat room. W hen the instructor is meeting with groups via chat, patience is needed. It can be confusing when everyone is typing in questions. While the instructor prepares an answer to one question, several more students questions can appear. The instructor needs to make it clear that he/she will discuss questions in the order in which they appear.On the other hand, there may be times when the chat room is silent while the students are preparing their questions. The instructor may want to prompt to see if there are any other questions but should give the students some time if needed. Finally, no one should log off until everyone has finished. Someone may be in the middle of preparing something to post and the silence is seen as the end of the session, or someone may have left the room for a minute and has come back to find an empty chat room. Therefore, a practice chat session may be helpful with these issues. Grading Student enjoyment of Discussion Boards and Chat RoomsGrading student respons es in both the discussion forum and chat room can present challenges. Many times there may be a group grade for a project that is then adjusted for the individual students grade base on his/her contribution to the groups project. Additionally, students may be individually graded for their participation in the course. Some students will initially shy away from using the discussion board, as they would prefer to do things the way they always have and do not want to learn a refreshing technology. different students, particularly those who are too shy to speak up in class, may welcome this new opportunity.It is up to the instructor to provide the incentive to become involved. While a positive attitude may help the instructor in encouraging students, making posts part of their grade, such as a portion of their participation grade, probably ensures the best results. Instructor can grade the posting on several issues limpidity of thought/grammer, quality of comments/critical thinking, an d usefulness/participation in responding to other posts. In evaluating the group projects to determine individual grades, instructors often have students submit group evaluations.The information on these evaluations can be substantiated or compared to what has occurred on the groups private discussion forum and what has been documented in the progress posts. If a group member is not contribution, it is the responsibility of the group to communicate this the instructor and to attempt to deal with the problem before the final project is submitted. The use of the discussion board and chat room can be a tremendous help in tracking a groups activities. This puts more responsibility on the students to document and address the issues before it is too late.It also aids instructors in making fairer assessments of individual efforts. To better manage the communication tools, instructors should set up clear guidelines for grading, such as describing how many new posts and response posts are re quired per week, as well as how often the students are expected to check the discussion board. For example, the professor may want each group to submit a bi-weekly progress report on its project. The instructor may also want to review netiquette as well as set limits as to how many posts students can make on public forums to avoid overwhelming the discussion board.The instructor needs to stress that it is the quality of the posts and not the quantity that counts and provide students with feedback to encourage its proper use. Finally, the instructor can also utilize student management tools that are included in the computing platforms like WebCT to determine when and how many posts the students are making. Additionally, search commands can be used to find all the posts one student has made in order to track an individual students progress. Conclusion Teamwork and group meetings are entrenched elements of an increasingly global environment.As a result, business faculty must prepare th eir students, as future managers, to collaborate with groups effectively. Electronic meeting tools, such as discussion boards and chat rooms, can consort a key role in that training. These tools can enhance and empower student learning and collaboration as well as increase communication and problem solving skills. By collaborating more effectively in school, students will be better prepared to collaborate effectively in the workplace (Kaiser et al. , 2000). These tools also offer additional teaching benefits. They are very useful in documenting student effort and answerability for fair contribution.They also provide a means for faculty to be conveniently accessible and to provide feedback outside of class time. Additionally, electronic tools help students learn to develop their own resources. These tools then can be a tremendous aid for faculty to address group project problems, to help their students achieve learning goals, and to provide additional teaching opportunities to inter act with their students. Thus, by using electronic discussion boards and chat rooms, such as with group projects, faculty can effectively enhance their students collaborative learning.References Bobbitt, L. M. , Inks, S. A. , Kemp, K. J. , & Mayo, D. T. (2000). Integrating marketing courses to enhance team-based experiential learning. journal of Marketing Education, 22(1), 15-24. Bruce, S. M. , & Hwang, T. T. (2001). 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(1997). In support of cooperative learning. Issues in Accounting Education, 12(1), 187-190. Reeves, T. (1996). Relevant readings.Technology in teacher education From electronic tutor to cognitive tool. Action in Teacher Education, 27(4), 74-78. Thorley, L. , & Gregory, R. (Eds. ) (1994). Using Group-based Learning in Higher Education. London Kogan Page. Tullar, W. L. , Kaiser, P. R. , & Balthazard, P. A. (1998). Group work and electronic meeting systems From boardroom to classroom. Business Communication Quarterly, 61(4), 53-65. Address correspondence to Jacqueline K. Eastman, Department of Mark eting/Economics, College of Business Administration, Valdosta State University, Valdosta GA 31698 (e-mail jeastmanvaldosta. edu).