How do you foster collaboration and communication among online project teams?

Additionally, it is essential to involve students in the project selection process. By seeking their input and feedback, you can ensure that the project aligns with their interests and needs, and that they feel a sense of ownership and engagement in the learning process.

Make the project multimodal. Learning science shows that multimodal projects (1) makes learning "stickier" and (2) encourages critical thinking and risk-taking. Now, some PBLs are inherently multimodal: a set of YouTube videos, for example, will include writing, speaking, visual storytelling, etc. But some other PBLs might not. In that case, I would encourage your student to revise their projects to include a multimodal component.

With the push for EDI in learning environments, we should ensure accessibility and equity as to not create barriers for students. This can be done by involving all students in the project selection process and giving everyone a voice. Furthermore, I found that asking students to go out in the community to collaborate with local organizations or businesses to identify relevant projects made it even more engaging and relevant for them.

It is also essential to appropriately differentiate to accommodate various learning levels. Even for advanced students, differentiation can be achieved. It is also good to incorporate resources that speak to students’ diverse backgrounds.

As an educator I use various methods to group project teams. It often depends on the time of year, goal of the assignment or the make/dynamic of the class. Sometimes pairing up students of similar ability allows for a comfort level, other times you need to challenge students and help them rise. Choice can be a powerful motivator and aid in engagement of projects or assignments.

I agree choice, team design and definitely resource availability will enhance creativity, engagement, and critical thinking skills. I prefer students choose outline preferences even though another team member can add information when the team communicates during collaboration.

Often, leaders end up in an echo chamber, collaborating and networking on projects or in teams with similar people to themselves… which is great if you want to always agree, get along and get to a simple solution for a project. But not so great if you want to generate innovative, well thought out and impactful thinking… because you’ll always be doing the same things, with the same ideas and the same people. When starting a project, open your eyes to the opportunities out there, not just around the boardroom table. It could be an expert from outside of your sector to provide a new perspective, a colleague from team who is customer facing, a new member of your team who hasn’t already conformed to your way of thinking 💭

Moreover, it is important to set clear expectations for the project, including each learner's roles and responsibilities. This ensures that everyone understands their individual contributions to the project and how they fit into the overall goals and objectives. By doing so, the learners can work together more effectively toward a successful project outcome.

Your guidelines and scaffolds should enable your students to achieve something they're satisfied with. That means that these guidelines should be flexible and allow the students to create a project that will improve their skills in their desired field. Avoid assigning pointless busy work, and assist students in coming up with the deliverables that will align with their project and project goals. Rubrics should be flexible, focusing not on the specifics of a deliverable, but on the student's understanding of why that deliverable applied to their project and why other deliverables were not applicable to their project.

I believe that if students and teachers together co-construct rubrics for learning… there is more buy in and self accountability.

Totally agree. This is our responsibility as a facilitator to the team! Setting timelines, for example stresses the importance of time management and enhances both communication and collaboration.

Totally agree. I generally ask my students to make a plan to clearly define the steps needed to get to the end result. Those steps need a deadline so that they can monitor themselves and readjust when necessary. With longer projects, I show them a GANTT chart.

The idea that stands out to me is accountability. When working with others it is crucial to hold your weight and do you’re share for the success of the group. In my experience I have noticed that most of the time students rise to the occasion and show that the can be counted on when working with others. But inevitably there are those who don’t do there part. In those cases you need to have a plan for how to assess that group without punishing those who did their part. The ability to see version history makes google apps good options for group work. Also, follow up surveys or questionnaires can be great for feedback.

Knowing how to contribute effectively to online projects requires each team member to be aware of their responsibilities, how those relate to the whole, and to whom they should reach out when sticky situations arise. Listening is key whether you are a teacher, manager, student or employee. As in chamber music, each player needs to have a sense of when to take the lead and when to lend support.

Providing multiple opportunities and formats for reflection enables students to choose a method that works best for them, which can increase engagement and the likelihood of students reflecting on their learning. Moreover, providing timely, specific, and constructive feedback on students' project work can help them understand what they did well and where they need to improve. It also promotes a growth mindset and encourages students to keep learning. Finally, soliciting student feedback on your instruction and the project design can help you to improve your teaching and the project outcomes. It also demonstrates to students that their input is valued and can help to create a more student-centered learning environment.

Constructive Feedback: The purpose of constructive feedback is to give the students insight into their strengths and areas for growth through facts and specific examples. Encouraging students to do their finest provides evidence of existing effective practices that students can apply to improve their performance. In addition, it clarifies the expected standards for this assessment and indicates where and how to improve. A video-based social learning platform called Flipgrid is also widely used by educators to engage their students in weekly reflections.

One thing I have found helpful is that engaging with students is essential. The process of the project, from beginning to the end. I also believe that as a teacher, we should discuss their strengths and provide constructive feedback that they may foster their growth, not just focusing on project based. This allows the child to what their learning objective is and how they can also apply to other future projects.

Finally, it is crucial to celebrate student success and recognize their achievements at the completion of the project. This can include sharing the project outcomes with a broader audience, highlighting student work in an online portfolio, or recognizing individual and group accomplishments through awards or certificates. This boosts their confidence and encourages them to continue learning and exploring innovative ideas.

Allowing students to realize that their work can be seen on a wider scope is crucial to motivating many students. Organizing a conference takes work, but it is work that students can do in a group. After the success of a short, lunch hour or half day conference, make plans to have students participate in a regional or national conference. Make applying and preparing for the conference a part of their skill set. The rewards for engaging with a wider audience are manifold.

As leaders, we're not always in a place to implement radical, sweeping change that will make everyone happy. In these instances, it's most beneficial to take the temperature of the culture within your virtual offices. How do people communicate with each other? Are conversations initiated and conducted with kindness, respect, and empathy? If the responses aren't positive, this is a perfect first place to start making improvements. Creating opportunities for training and practicing an improved culture can have enormous benefits on your teams. Despite everyone having conflicting tasks and goals to reach, if leaders take control of the culture - being the example themselves, not the exception - then the venue will not have to matter.