Forced Group Work
There is a thought in education that learning happens in a social environment. This is called social learning. For brick-and-mortar classes and courses, students and instructors get to know each other and connect quite naturally. Chatting happens before and after class. Conversations naturally flow. Humans are social beings and a sense of belonging and community is needed for learning. How do we do this in an online learning environment? For teachers and those designing learning online, thought needs to be given on how to help students develop a sense of community with each other during their online class. One strategy is giving students group work. The intent is that students can get to know one another and feel connected when they are given as assignment to work on together. This, in turn, helps them not to feel so alone and also exposes the learner to different perspectives and experiences from their classmates, enriching their learning. This is the intention of group wor...