Online University Instructional Treatment Plan - Unit 1.0 Virtual Teams
Unit Descriptors
Course title: Working Effectively in Virtual Teams
Unit Number and Title: Unit 1.0 - Virtual Team Communications
Terminal Objective: Given a virtual working environment, avoid communication problems between virtual team members when working on a project.
Enabling Objectives: When assigned a task to be completed in a virtual team, you should be able to:
- Criticize unclear messages.
- Select appropriate communication tools for specified tasks.
- Evaluate advantages and limitations associated with virtual teams.
- Examine strengths and weaknesses of selected communication tools.
- Predict typical communication problems of virtual teams.
- Compare and contrast virtual and F2F team communications.
Prerequisites:
- Access and knowledge to use tools for virtual communication (email, chat, text messaging, etc)
- Entry behaviors
- minimum 12th grade ability in reading, writing, and comprehension
- ability to navigate and print websites on the Internet
Time Requirements: Approximately 1 week
Instructional Strategy and Media Selection
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Designer's Notes: Collaborative Problem Solving This unit does not cover attitudinal parts of the lesson. The Collaborative Problem Solving grounded instructional strategy has been modified to meet the needs of this unit. CPS is a learner-centered learning environment, with a learn-by-doing participation attitude for participants, and the encouragement of exploration of multiple perspectives. CPS is not suited for learning factual information or procedural skills, rather different ways to apply a complex set of knowledge to different ways to complete a task (Reigeluth, 1999). The majority of this portion of the training is intended to be web-based. |
Unit 1 Instructional Strategy
| Instructional Events | Description | Interaction | Media & Tool Selection |
| Build readiness (Prepare students for project.) | Creating an authentic learning problem is essential at this point (Stinson & Milter, 1996).
The review of the unit should address benefits and pitfalls of group work and how the group products will be evaluated. The instructor should ask students questions about the process and respond with appropriate adjustments, if necessary. Defining the exact problem for virtual teamwork should be done in collaboration with the learners. To guide the problem, the following guidelines should be used:
Learners will read the introduction on pages 118-119 on virtual team communications in the assigned text. Learners will also review the included web sites on the subject to help them become familiar with the subject matter. Unit Overview Unit 1.0 provides an overview of virtual teams by: (a) discussing benefits and pitfalls of virtual teams; (b) comparing them to face-to-face interaction; (c) listing rules and etiquette for virtual communication. The primary purpose is to avoid communication problems when working in virtual teams. Since Unit 1 is the start of your group work in this course, it will take slightly longer than other units with a full week commitment to complete. Start by reading pages 118-119 of your text to become familiar with the subject matter. When you have a good feel for the introductory text, post an authentic problem to the bulletin board you think might be possible to solve in the course of this unit. At the end of this unit, you will be assessed on your content knowledge and skills, group-process skills, and metacognitive strategies. |
learner - instructor, learner - content | Discussion board, text, web resources and email. |
| Form and norm groups | Users form their own groups of three to six members by posting profiles of their gender, ethnicity, relevant pre-existing knowledge or skills, and previous experience with working on a team (Reigeluth, 1999, pg. 259). Interested team members reply to posts to form groups. The instructor may need to assist learners having trouble finding a group. Instructor will create private discussion boards for each group or students will create a Yahoo group or use another collaboration tool with instructor approval. As part of the norming process, members should agree on operational guidelines. Assignment: Form Groups Post a short comment about yourself to the bulletin board with at least the following information: the problem you are interested in solving, sex, ethnicity, relevant knowledge or skills, and previous experience working with a team. Form teams of no less than three and no more than six members by replying to biographies. Each team should work with at least one person who is not already known. When teams are formed, send a short paragraph of some agreed upon operational guidelines for the group to the instructor. |
learner - learner, learner - instructor. | Discussion board, Internet resources. |
| Determine a preliminary problem definition |
Students will explore the challenges of virtual teams by reading pages 120-135 in the text on virtual team communications, and refer to suggested web sites that deal with the topic. Based on their findings they will summarize and determine which direction they wish to pursue in virtual team communications. They will need to focus on challenges facing virtual teams and validate these findings through their own virtual team experience. Each student will maintain a log of events throughout the virtual team experience. Assignment: Preliminary Problem Definition Develop a common understanding of the problem the group will solve. Each group member should post a short statement of their understanding of the problem. The group should choose one for the next step, and post it to their group presentation site. Be sure the selected problem statement has enough information readily available to support a timely solution before moving to the next step. |
learner - learner, learner - content | Discussion board, chat, instant messaging |
| Define and assign roles | Scribe and moderator are pre-determined by instructor. Students will need to determine and assign roles to other team members. It is important that the team member selected to be the moderator is aware of what is involved in keeping the project moving forward. The course information in WebCT on team roles will need to be reviewed. Assignment: Assign team member roles Students will need to understand the importance of clearly defined roles for an effective virtual team project. Each student will volunteer for a specific role within the team. Each student must understand the role they will be taking on to avoid misunderstandings and to make sure that each team member in a virtual team has a clearly defined role. |
learner - learner, learner - content | Discussion board, internet resources, email, chat, instant messaging. |
| Engage in collaborative problem-solving process | Learners engage in whatever means necessary to solve the problem.
Students will use the text, suggested web references, other web resources, and library resources to research their proposed problem. Students will need to clearly identify the area their specific area of research on virtual team communications being mindful of the strengths and weaknesses of virtual teams. Instructor will be available to answer online questions via the bulletin board, or email. Assignment: Engage in collaborative problem-solving. All team members need to contribute to the collaboration process. All team members will be expected to reply to discussion postings, virtual chat meetings (at established group times). Also, every team member is expected to participate in the instructor-student online chat session during the project as assigned by the instructor. |
learner - learner, learner - instructor, learner - content, learner - other, learner - interface, learner - environment | Discussion board, email, internet, chat, text |
| Finalize the solution or project | Students will write a 5-page group report on their findings.
This report will be posted to the course web site for other students to view and for the instructor to provide feedback and evaluation. Assignment: Finalize the project Review the assessment guidelines and write a 5 page group report on the findings of virtual teamwork. Post the final report to your group's presentation site. |
learner - learner | Web page, discussion board, email. |
| Synthesize and reflect | Each student will submit a one page summary of their experience being
part of a virtual team. This summary will focus on the challenges of
virtual teams, positives and negatives of the experience, and finally
a recommendation for future virtual team events. Students should also identify newly acquired skills from the group project and what, if any, metacognitive strategies they employed.
They will post two bulletin board postings on their recommendations for improving the virtual team experience. Part of this learning experience will also include a general chat time with the instructor on the experience as a whole. Assignment: Synthesize and Reflect Write a one page reflection. Discuss the challenges of working in a virtual team, the positives and negatives of the experience, what skills you acquired in the process, and what metacognitive strategies you employed, if any. Generate at least two recommendations for improving future virtual team events and post them to the bulletin board. Watch for a notice from the instructor about meeting in the chat room for a whole-class debriefing. |
learner - learner, learner - instructor | Discussion board, chat, email. |
| Assess products and processes | Each student will evaluate their learning experience and assign
letter grades to each member of the group based on the specified course
criteria using a teamwork evaluation form.
Students will provide comments on other student work in a constructive fashion via the bulletin board. Instructor will provide feedback on each groups report and virtual team summaries. Instructor will distribute electronic survey via email to all students to provide feedback on the virtual team experience. |
learner - learner, learner - instructor | Evaluation form, discussion board, email and multiple choice survey |
| Provide closure | Each student will receive a final grade on their final product, which
will include a group grade, and instructor direct feedback. The group evaluations will be summarized and shared with each member of the group for feedback. Student's will post wrap up insights on the whole process and will include what worked and what didn't work discussion posts. |
learner - learner, learner - instructor | Discussion board, email, grade tool. |
Media Selection Rationale
Webpages were selected to deliver most instructional events for a number of reasons (the tools in WebCT will be used for the project):
- Webpages provide the most accessible means of providing a combination of audio, video, text and graphics.
- The content and learning objectives for this unit is primarily focused on higher order cognitive skills. As such, the use of interactive online tools is essential for immediate feedback.
- No face-to-face interaction is necessary for virtual teams (and defeats the purpose of the virtual team experience).
- Web content can serves as a job aid for future reference.
- Face-to-face time requirements are eliminated for team members.
Email, chat, discussion board, and whiteboard will be used for various parts of the virtual team process:
- Email will be used for communications between individual team members and the instructor when communication does not need to include the entire group. Students need to learn the nuances of email usage and the impact that is has on communication in virtual teams. Poorly worded emails or emails typed accidentally in all uppercase may offend the receiver or at least make the send appear confused.
- Email etiquette is critical for students to learn so that they are less likely to send emails that are confusing or improperly worded. In a business or other professional environment emails must be written professionally and clearly.
- The chat room feature of WebCT exposes the students to an interactive communication (like instant messaging) in a group format. The more experience students get with collaborative virtual communication tools the better they will be prepared for their future careers.
- The discussion board is useful for posting questions or statements that need to be viewed by a wider audience. It also permits a threaded conversation to occur with input from a variety of participants.
- Deciding what types of messages are best suited for which media will make all of the difference in the effectiveness of the virtual teams communications.
Unit 1 Learner Assessment Alignment Table
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Designer's Notes: The enabling objectives for Unit 1.0 focus on higher order thinking skills, therefore an essay, discussion, and reflection are necessary for assessing virtual teamwork knowledge. The terminal objective for the virtual teamwork unit focuses on the cognitive domain. Each objective addresses the audience, required behavior, condition, and criteria or degree to which the performance will be measured. |
Unit 1 Learner Assessment Alignment Table
| Skill | Objective | Domain | Method | Item/Criteria |
| Communicate effectively in virtual teams | Terminal objective 1.0 - Given a virtual working environment, avoid communication problems between virtual team members. | Cognitive | reflective discussion | learner reflection, potential for real-world success, and the group processes of each team |
| Criticize virtual team communications | Enabling objective: 1.1 - Given example communications from virtual teams, criticize virtual team communications. | Problem solving | reflective discussion, post test: essay |
learners' gains in content knowledge and skills, group-process skills, and metacognitive strategies
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Select appropriate communication tools for specified tasks. |
Enabling objective: 1.2 - Given a problem situation, select the appropriate communication tools for the specified tasks. | Concept | reflective discussion, post test: essay |
learners' gains in content knowledge and skills, group-process skills, and metacognitive strategies
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Evaluate advantages and limitations associated with virtual teams. |
Enabling objective 1.3 - Given a teamwork situation, evaluate the advantages and limitations associated with using virtual teams. | Cognitive |
Post test: essay |
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| Examine strengths and weaknesses of selected communication tools. | Enabling objective 1.4 - Given a list of communication tools, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. | Problem solving | Post test: essay |
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| Predict typical communication problems of virtual teams. | Enabling objective 1.5 - Given a teamwork situation, predict the problems typically associated with virtual teams. | Cognitive | Post test: essay |
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| Compare and contrast virtual and F2F team communications. | Enabling objective 1.6 - Given a communication scenario, compare and contrast the using F2F or virtual environments as the communication medium. | Cognitive | reflective discussion, post test: essay | learners' gains in content knowledge and skills, group-process skills, and metacognitive strategies
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Appendix: Sample Assessment Instruments
Teamwork Evaluation Form
Your Name:
Name of Individual Being Evaluated:
Date:
Name of Individual Being Evaluated:
Date:
Total Score: ____ /25pts
Quality (___ /5pts): Completed all assignments to the level of quality expected by the group.
Responsibility (___ /5pts): Completed all assignments in a timely manner. Attended meetings.
Interpersonal Skills (___ /5pts): Worked well with other team members.
Attitude (___ /5pts): Projected positive attitude throughout project.
Contribution (___ /5pts): Contributed to the group in an equitable fashion.
Percent (%) Contribution:
Estimate the % contribution of the team member you are evaluating under the column marked "Individual" for major tasks completed by the team for each assignment. The % contribution of the individual plus the % contribution of all others MUST add up to equal 100% for each major task
| Tasks | % Contribution by Individual |
% Contribution by All Others |
|---|---|---|
Letter Grade: _____ (Letter grade is base on the team members overall contribution to the virtual team experience).
Additional Comments:
Sample assessment rubric for measuring achievement of terminal objective Unit 1
| Exemplary |
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| Proficient |
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| Developing |
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References
Reigeluth, C. (1999). Instructional-design theories and models: 2nd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Stinson, J. E. & Milter, R. G. (1996). Problem-based learning in business education: Curriculum design and implementation issues – Drawing on eleven years experience with a problem-based learning MBA program, curricular design and implementation. Retrieved March 1, 2006, from Ohio University Web site: http://www.ouwb.ohiou.edu/stinson/PBL.html
