Facilitating Successful Group Work (Teaching Tip)

Wrapping up week two and heading into week three, we want to provide you with strategies that may be helpful if you are planning on incorporating group work into your course this semester. Group work can help to motivate students, encourage creativity, and provide critical thinking opportunities. Take these into consideration to set the stage for successful group work.

• Create Groups in Canvas: Consider setting all of the groups up in Canvas for easy collaboration among learners
• Assign Group Roles: Assign or ask students to self-assign to a variety of roles to ensure that all students have a clearly identified role within their group
• Provide Checkpoints: Using student (office) hours, consider having each group check-in for 7-10 minutes to allow for reflection and feedback
• Identify Potential Challenges: Help your students troubleshoot any challenges they may be having in their group, whether that’s pre- or mid-project
• Set Your Gradebook Up for Groups: With groups established, consider the different tools and methods available to grade group work

More methods and logistics can be found on the CELT website. You can also email celt-help@iastate.edu to set up a meeting with one of our instructional designers for assistance.