Blog Six Group's Project

The purpose of Group 4’s project was to create a document that will successfully assist incoming online English 333 students. The final document produced will be a brochure with the intent of being placed on the English Department’s website. An online course is often seen as a convenient and self-paced alternative to the traditional classroom setting. However, an online course can also be seen as difficult and frightening for those that have little or no computer experience. The brochure and the information within will equip the individual with checklists, facts and proper technological requirements. Currently, a template for the aforementioned brochure has been selected. The next step is data gathering and publishing of the printed media. This report will give details of the work performed to date along with providing any possible issues that may arise/exist.

The work completed thus far on the project has gone relatively well. However, as with any group effort, there is always the possibility of issues that arise. It is imperative to have established or follow specific group dynamic principles to have a successful effort. In working within this group, I have adhered to the following principles:

•Make sure that everyone within the group understands the overall purpose of the project;
•Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each participant;
•Agreement on the form of media or product to be produced (print or digital);
•A list of tasks that will be done by each person;
•Select specific times for group meetings (in-person, email,telephone or other for of technology;
•Distribute progress reports or drafts within the group and
•Decide on which individual will submit the final document or other form of media to the proper individual

As stated earlier, there have been no major problems related to group communications/dynamics. However, the only problem (minor in nature) was how to gain input from other members of the class. It was discussed among those within the group whether to develop a survey and distribute to current class members or a mixture which included outsiders. The decision reached among group participants was to survey only those within the class. Input gathered to make this decision was done through email and phone conversations and didn’t consist of one individual having sole authority. The entire group decided to keep the survey short and allow for some questions that required participants to type responses. Instead of upgrading current software, SurveyMonkey (http://www/surveymonkey.com) was utilized. This is free software that is used to generate surveys that can be distributed to individuals. The only other minor problem is the difficulty in bringing everyone together at a specific time. However, this isn’t uncommon among those with children and hectic work schedules. However, extra effort has been made to select meeting times which doesn’t interfere with work or obligations at home. All three members within the group have communicated through email and telephone. In summary, there have been no major setbacks. It is anticipated that the project will be completed on or prior to July 31st.

The project is now almost 50 percent complete. Among the tasks completed related to this project have been: agreeing on a common goal (creating a brochure to assist incoming online English 333 students), designing a survey to be distributed among class members, distributing the survey and selecting a brochure design. Once information is obtained and tabulated from class members, more text will be placed within the document. A draft will then be completed and distributed among group members in an effort to give a final version to Professor Bandy. Everyone within this group is communicating either via email or phone. The aforementioned action makes a group process a successful venture. When a group communicates—success follows. However, if communication is lacking and a lack of concern exists; a project becomes a burden and will prove to be unsuccessful.

In regard to future projects, I recommend the professor assign personality tests or team building projects to those within the class. These projects will be both fun for class members but also assist in assigning individuals to specific groups. I realize that team building can be difficult to undertake in an online course. However, an in-class session would possibly need to be added to the curriculum. The interaction and results would benefit the instructor and those involved by further strengthening the group dynamic.