UNE College of Graduate and Professional Studies staff present at international conference

Two representatives from the University of New England College of Graduate and Professional Studies collaborated to present at an international education conference focused on new learning technologies in Barcelona, Spain.

At EDULEARN17, Barbara Fortier, program manager for the Science Prerequisites for Health Professions, and Olga LaPlante, instructional designer for the online Masters of Science in Social Work program, presented their research paper titled “Building a Community One Group at a Time.” The presentation was well attended and elicited lively discussion regarding student feedback on group work in online courses. It focused on students’ perceptions of working in groups within online courses.

Fortier and LaPlante conducted their own original research, and the paper they submitted discussed their findings on the strategies that worked within group settings. They found that overall students reported a positive experience with group projects. The students cited that one of the main reasons that they liked group work was that the collaborations allowed them to get to know their fellow students on a deeper level.

Fortier and LaPlante concluded that for a group project to be successful, it needs to be thoughtfully assembled. Roles need to be assigned and the instructor needs to be engaged through regular check-ins with the groups. The group work also needs to be intentional, so students know why they are doing what they are doing, and what skills they are expected to gain from the exercise.

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