Education is embracing the mobile student and needs to move toward enhanced online classes. At the same time, we are in a global world and students must be able to work in collaborative project groups.Collaboration and group meetings are a challenge to manage in an online environment where students may be great distances apart. What methods can be incorporated by the instructor and what tools are available to manage these online collaborative projects? How are we to build that community feelingwithin these online project classes? How are we to overcome these challenges and effectively teach these project classes? How do online collaboration tools, such as Adobe Connect Pro, help us reach that ultimate goal?

1. Managing Online Projects
Joey Bryant
Forsyth Technical Community College

2. Agenda
• Distance Learning/Online Statistics
• Collaboration
– Benefits
– What’s the Buzz?
• Challenges
• Issues
• Solutions
– In Class
– Technology
• Questions/Comments/Discussion

3. Statistics
• Survey by ITC
• At least 70% of
coursework is
completed
online
• 78% offer at
least one full
online degree
program
Instructional Technology Council

4. Collaboration - Benefits
• Faculty Focus Special Report
– Job Skills
– Teamwork
– Negotiating
– Feedback
– Communication
– Project Management
– Interpersonal/Social
– Critical Thinking
– Decision making

5. Collaboration – What’s the Buzz?
• Student Survey Responses
– Builds bonds for other people in the same program
– Students learn to collaborate in a virtual environment
which is where education and corporate America is
heading
– Every job requires email and web based project
correspondence
– Teaches students how to work in these environments
that are utilized in industry

6. Challenges

7. Student Issues
• Student Surveys
– Getting students to collaborate outside the classroom
– Severe time constraints
– Students may not have access to resources/tools
– Different schedules – lack of face-to-face interaction
– Lack of participation by group members
– Communication

8. Instructor Issues – Have you heard?
• I didn’t know this was a project class
• In a real world, projects aren’t distributed this way
• I have a crazy schedule and not a lot of free time
• I don’t know how to start the project
• Online class is taken so you don’t have to stick to a
schedule
• Students take online courses to meet THEIR needs
and not their peers needs or instructors

9. Solutions
• Introductions
– Use LMS to facilitate student introductions
• Timelines
– Have guidelines for project deliverables
– Have groups provide time sheets
• Meetings
– Schedule meetings with each group
– Online tools will be discussed

10. Solutions
• Group contract
– Elements to include
– Identify group members
– State purpose of group
– Ground rules (professionalism, schedules)
– Communication
– Participation
– Personal Accountability
– Consequences

11. Solutions - Technology
• Adobe Connect
Pro
– Record sessions
– Share screens
– Video/Audio
– Breakouts
– File Sharing
– Whiteboards

12. Solutions - Technology
• Other Free Tools
– Skype
– Google Docs
– Windows Live/SkyDrive
• VYEW
• Edmodo
• Bubble.US
• Collaborize Classroom

13. Comments
Suggestions
Questions