Online groupwork

Online groupwork requires the use of online environments for communication, co-creation, file management, submission of assignments, etc. 

Online groupwork is usually made up of different stages and requires the use of online environments for communication, co-creation, file management, submission of assignments, etc. Teaching staff may select and configure the necessary environments and provide learners with detailed information about them in the groupwork instructions. In some cases, group members may decide themselves which environment to choose. However, you will still need instructions for division into groups (who divides learners into groups, where, for how long, based on which criteria), instructions about the content of groupwork (goals and description of assignment), instructions regarding the form and presentation of groupwork, assessment criteria, and participation requirements (incl. time planned for work). 

Recommendations for participation in groupwork: 

• Try to get started and finish the work on time. 
• If you are running out of time, please notify your teammates well in advance rather than after the due time. 
• Carefully read the study materials that the assignment is based on. 
• Read the instructions carefully. 
• See if all group members have understood the assignment in the same way. Write or tell your teammates what in your opinion you should do next. 
• Agree with other group members about subtasks and deadlines. 
• Encourage and, if necessary, advise your teammates. 
• If necessary (incl. to specify the task), ask the course instructor or tutor for help or advice. 
• Do not deviate from the topic – if necessary, make a remark to your group member or ask guiding questions. 
• Use synchronous and asynchronous communication tools, whichever your group deems appropriate. 
• Take a critical view of the information you read or hear, rather than criticize the writer or the speaker. 
• Focus on achieving the optimal solution, not the victory. 
• Encourage your co-learners to express their thoughts to collect as much information as possible. 
• Listen to everyone’s ideas even if you disagree with them. 
• If someone presents an unclear idea, ask them to clarify or elaborate it. 
• Try to understand the views of both sides. 
• Be prepared to change your personal opinion if evidence clearly supports the opposite. 

Learners can use Teams for video conferences, co-creation and file management. A Moodle e-course may be linked to Teams and in this case, you are automatically added to a group in Teams. If the e-course has not been linked to Teams, the learners can use Teams and add co-learners to a team in Teams. Teaching staff may also create and set up BBB breakout rooms for group video discussions. In a Moodle e-course there may be private group forums (for text-based communication and file exchange), a group wiki (for creating text), and assignments. 

Instructions 

•    BBB instructions: https://sisu.ut.ee/juhendid/bbb–instructions-users 
•    Teams instructions: https://wiki.ut.ee/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=90674578 
•    Zoom instructions: https://wiki.ut.ee/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=90695802 
•    Moodle instructions: https://sisu.ut.ee/juhendid/moodle-instructions-students 

Contact and help 

In case of technical problems and questions, please contact the instructional designer of your faculty (see https://ut.ee/en/academic-developers-instructional-designers) or eope@ut.ee. The lecturer of the course can help with problems related to the content and organisation of the course.