further thoughts on group collaboration...

I guess this week has provided me with a number of frustrations on several levels in relation to the group task for the online tutoring programme, but having reflected on the process I think I can identify some positives to 'move things on...'

An obvious point for me is one of time management. When I signed up to the course, I was fairly clear that it would need a commitment of 6 hours per week (give-or-take). What has become abundantly clear over the past week is that I need to find at least 6 hours for the 'active' online element, with extra time bolted on for any reading. It may be I am slow in reading and constructing my responses, or simply that I am not familiar with the technology. Either way, I do need to plan ahead more effectively so I am able to provide a clearer structure that enables me to be increasingly effective in my study/work and meet deadlines with less sense of rush, if not panic!

Another apsect of the task I have found enlightening was that of defining group roles. Towards the start of the week, much of the discussion revolved around differing models of a group (eg Tuckman, Belbin amongst others) and I will admit that I became frustrated at the amount of time spent on this when, to me, it seemed that we should be getting on with the task. As the week progressed (and I found myself floundering) I wished we had made that part of the process more explicit - whilst one of the group clearly took a lead and others were contributing to the discussions on a very regular basis (unlilke myself, for reason stated previously) my perception was almost that the actual presentation appeared to unfold as if through osmosis as there was no clear agreement about who would do what. (Having said that, the final submssion looks great and does take account of all the input from the group members to provide a coherant response to the statement 'Online participation should be compulsory').

The lesson for me is one of not cutting corners at the outset - if we spend the time (whether as a student or a tutor) doing the initial groundwork - clearly defining roles and dividing up a task appropriately - the rest of the process should be more straightfoward as each group member will be clear about the expectations placed on them specifically in realtion to the whole group, whatever the extent of their apparent engagement.

So, all-in-all, this has been a difficult week in terms of my journey through the world of online tutoring, but valuable lessons have been learned that I hope to put to good effect in the next couple of weeks and beyond...