Collaborative Problem Solving via the Internet

  

Learning Goals:

 

To expand student's expectations and raise their standards concerning problem-solving.

To give students experience in the collaboration process.

 

Instructions:

 

Note: Although students do not need to make any special preparations for this exercise, they do need to be familiar with WebCT discussion, group project, and chat room tools. They also need to be familiar with conventions regarding communications.

 

    Participant's Instructions

  

1.     The first step is to find a common time during which all participants could meet for up to an hour. (In my courses, I determine teams, in part, by how much feasible and preferred time blocks members would share. I determine the time blocks via a survey at the beginning of the semester or session.) Because your instructor will play a role in the exercise, you will need to coordinate with him, as well.

2.     At the appointed time, students receive initial instructions:

a.      You will be given a short description of a problem to solve that is a slightly simplified version of a real-world problem. It is presented in a manner that is similar to the way in which many real-world problems are presented. Your first task will be to read and understand this description and state the problem to be solved in your own words. This generally takes from ten to fifteen minutes. During this time, I will act as the client, clarifying points that may not be clear in the description.

b.     Once the team has stated the problem and has verified that it is on the right track, its members will enter the chat room that your instructor has designated for you. Your instructor will not monitor this conversation, but may check in from time to time to offer suggestions. Your task at this point is to come up with a solution. When the team has a solution, one member will email it to your instructor via WebCT email. Be sure you agree to the text, since to send an email, the member will have to leave the chat room. That member should re-enter the chat room after sending the email.

c.      After receiving the solution, your instructor will play the role of the client. Responses can range from, “Wonderful solution! I’ll get my staff working on it at once!” to “While this is an interesting solution, I am concerned about …) If you get the first sort of message, you are done with this part. If you get the second type, you will need to repeat Step 2 b. The client will list specific concerns. You need to address these concerns in your revised answer. You will have a total of three tries to get the first type of message.

3.     Finally, email to your instructor a short note stating what new thing you learned and why you feel that it is or is not important. This is your own personal reflection, not a report on the group consensus.

 

Assessment:

 

Group success will be gaged on the quality of the answer. Any answer that satisfies all constraints state or implied in the problem statement will be a valid solution.

Individual success will be gaged by each student's reflection. This is a form of self-assessment. My responses are geared to reinforce and, possibley, clarify the points the student reports.

Credit is given for participation. Performance is not a factor, unless, of course, the student doesn't participate.

 

QM Rubric standards comments:

 

Alignment : It is important that students are competent in the basic tools prior to the activity. It is also important that students appreciate the reason for the exercise  and are able to verbalize what they have learned.

  

I. COURSE OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION

 

 

While the activity itself is not highlighted at the start of the course, it would be briefly described as a problem-solving activity. Also, students do need to begin gaining competence in the basic tools from the start.

 

While netiquette is not an issue in my courses, it is important to establish conventions at the start. For example, students need to learn that files attached to WebCT emails should not have spaces in their names, to use “Quote,” rather than “Reply” in emails, to use “Reply,” rather than “Quote” in discussion posts, and to use DOC, rather than DOCX files. In a sense, this is a form of netiquette in that it shows consideration for others, but is also a matter of just learning how to do things.

Initial student introductions are  necessary at the start to help students learn how to use the tools so that by the time they need to use them, they will be second nature.

 

At the start, technology requirements, student skill expectations are low, but as the course progresses, both will increase to make collaboration feasible.

 

 

II. LEARNING OBJECTIVES (COMPETENCIES)

 

There are two sorts of learning objectives. One is in the exercise itself. The other is in mastering WebCT tools sufficiently. While measurement is possible, I use it in a diagnostic sense. The tools are a means to an end. What is evaluated in the accomplishment.

 

Finding a solution to the exercise involves high-level critical thinking.

 

III. ASSESSMENT AND MEASUREMENT

 

Students get points for participating. They also get reinforcement and feedback.

 

Students’ achievements are use to assess the efficacy of the exercise, itself. 

 

IV. RESOURCES AND MATERIALS

 

See above.

 

V. LEARNER INTERACTION

 

Students interact with each other and, as a team, with the instructor. The instructor provides guidance to keep students from going too far astray, as well as specific feedback on any issues.

 

This is a conceptual exercise which involves little, if any, course content. I did this so that all members of CEL 480/580 could comprehend the exercise. In an engineering course, the problem might be more technical in nature.

 

 

VI. COURSE TECHNOLOGY

 

The exercise enhances student’s ability to collaborate via the Internet.

 

All tools are ones that the student has access to and has already used prior to the exercise.

 

 

VII. LEARNER SUPPORT

 

Any infrastructure issues will be addressed as they become evident.

 

In addition to ICE resources, I provide some specific support in the form of structured exercises and the How Do I … resource.

 

 

 

VIII. ACCESSIBILITY

 

Any accessibility issues are addressed as they arise.

 

 

Accessibility and Usability considerations:

 

Any accessibility issues are addressed as they arise. By the time of this exercise accessibility is verified for all participants.

 

Ethical Considerations:

 

The exercise itself involves an ethical question. This is an introduction to what constitutes ethical behavior for engineers.

 

Reflection

 

Unfortunately, I was never able to get the team on the same page. After reflection, this simply reinforces the need to lay the groundwork in advance of the activity and assure that all participants are able to function effectively.

 

 

John Mullen

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