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Assessing Collaborative Efforts Blog Post
EDUC 7102: Principles of Distance Education
Collaboration contribution in our learning community will best be assessed in several ways, through asking these questions about the student contributions:
1. How pertinent are student posts? Do they shed light on topic assigned for study?
2. How regularly does the student contribute, and do they post on ime,responding in a timely manner to others?
3. The varying levels of knowledge and experience among community members
bring opportunities for sharing and constructing meaning for everyone (Pallof & Pratt, 2005). How often does the student take advantage of opportunities to share experience or learn from others? In a participative environment, collaborative efforts are encouraged, and those who participate and encourage participation can evaluate through honest feedback to each other (Siemens, n.d.).
5. Are the student posts on topic and written in APA format with references to the materials assigned?
6. Does the student share new and scholarly resources for further reflection?
4. If a student does not want to network or collaborate in a learning community for the online course, the other members of the learning community can ask student if there are any problems and how they can help, we can encourage the student to contribute through suggestions on how and through positive reinforcement when the student does contribute (i.e. recognizing that the student has something to share that is valuable and what he or she does that is positive).
5. The instructor can listen, monitor and facilitate positive contributions; he or she can keep us on track and remind us what our final objective is; the instructor can let individual members know what their strengths are in the learning community are so that he or she can be more confident in contributing and constructing learning processes. When there is frustration on the part of others, the instructor can facilitate better communication, and clear up misunderstandings. There is always opportunities for positive communication and break-throughs in understandings of everyone's responsibility in a learning community. In the end, if a student still doesn't contribute after these efforts have been fully expended, it is he or she whose individual grade that wlll suffer. Disagreements are often opportunities for building a team that is ultimately more unified, as “group think” mentality where individual frustrations are not considered often leads to a situation where in the end the students are not satisfied with their experience (Palloff & Pratt, p.15). Finally, everyone should ask for support and outside feedback from the instructor if needed (Pallof & Pratt, p.25).
After all efforts to include multiple perspectives are exhausted, there is no reason for hard feelings if we know we have done our best to employ these methods for including and encouraging others' contributions. Mostly, we should focus on the contributions of others who participate in a positive way, and everyone's way of participating will be different because we are all human and have something unique to contribute. Sometimes frustrations might occur simply because another person has less understanding or might contribute in different ways, and this should be reflected on. Are we expecting others to contribute in the exact way that we do, and if so, is this furthering the final objective of constructing learning?
Deeper, more creative and constructive learning experiences can be gained through building relationships online (Moller, et al. 2005, p.138),and part of building relationships is working through our differences.
Our ultimate goal is to build a community of learners (Pallof & Pratt) because groups of people such as ourselves, who share practices and common interests can share valuable information with each other. We can learn to do what we do, learn and teach, better through our regular interactions (Wenger,1998; 2006 @
www.ewenger.com/theory/).
Looking forward to building a learning community of educational practicioners with all of you!
Thanks! -Devonee Trivett
References
Moller, L., Huett, J., Holder, D., Young, J., Harvey, D., & Godshalk, V. (2005). Examining the mpact of learning communities on motivation. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, (2), 137−143. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the rticle's title.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San rancisco: Jossey-Bass.
Siemens, G. (n.d.) Assessment of Collaborative Learning. Laureate Education
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Wenger, E. (2006) Communities of practice, a brief introduction. @ http://www.ewenger.com/theory/
