7 Ways to Improve Virtual Collaboration in Online School
by Valerie Kirk
6 min to read
Collaboration is a key element of life; employees have to work with people across departments and students collaborate on teacher-assigned team projects. But collaboration for students enrolled in brick-and-mortar schools looks a little different for students working on group projects in online school. Online school students typically collaborate through video conferencing platforms chosen by the school, which offer a secure and safe environment to meet and share ideas. The technology allows them to talk to each other and work on tools like virtual whiteboards as if they were sitting in the same room together.
Why Project Collaboration in Online School is Important
Working with others on projects helps online students learn valuable soft skills that they will need to be successful after graduation, such as teamwork, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills as well as conflict-resolution techniques that they will need to be successful after graduation. When students collaborate, they learn those techniques.
They also build critical social skills and make important connections that turn classmates into friends, which helps improve their school experience. Collaboration also helps students see things from different and diverse perspectives, which expands their knowledge.
Overcoming Virtual Collaboration Challenges
Collaboration offers many positive benefits for both in-person and online students. However, there are some unique challenges to virtual collaboration that students should prepare for:
Scheduling. Due to the flexibility of online school, when students collaborate virtually, their peers may have other obligations that can create scheduling conflicts that make it difficult to get everyone together. Because of that, it’s important to know when every member of the group is available so that virtual meetings can be scheduled at a time convenient for everyone.
File sharing/version control. While not completely unique to virtual collaboration, if students are working on the same document as part of their group project, it can be hard to capture all of the changes everyone makes and to know which document is the latest version. Establishing a file system, document naming conventions, and an online folder that every team member can access can help overcome version control issues.
Team participation. This is also not unique to virtual collaboration, but it can be easier for team members to remain silent or be overlooked during online collaboration sessions, especially if there are stronger voices in the group. It’s important for all students to engage in virtual collaboration sessions to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to share their ideas equally.
Virtual Collaboration Best Practices
Students new to online collaboration may not know what to expect or what to do, which may cause anxiety, but these best practices can help virtual students have a positive online collaboration experience.
1. Establish Goals, Roles, and Responsibilities at the Beginning
Students who are collaborating are typically working towards a goal, such as completing a project. It’s critical that every person on the team understands what the goal is and what their own personal responsibility is in achieving that goal.
For example, if the project goal is to complete a paper, students need to decide who will focus on researching different topics, who will help write the paper, who will edit it, etc. It could be that several people do the same role, but that should all be decided early in the project to avoid misunderstandings and ensure that project deadlines are met.
2. Schedule Regular Meetups
The magic of collaboration happens when people talk to each other and share their ideas. To ensure this happens throughout the project, it’s important to schedule regular times where students can update each other on their progress, talk about challenges, and introduce new ideas.
In addition to these scheduled meetups, students who are collaborating can also engage regularly via email or chat if they encounter issues or if they want to share something new and interesting outside of scheduled meeting times. Try keeping ideas and notes going in a shared document or group chat. The key to success is to stay in regular contact with every member of the collaboration team throughout the duration of the group project.
3. Build an Inclusive Environment Where Everyone Feels Seen and Accepted
Better outcomes happen when every voice and perspective can be heard. When collaborating with a group on an assignment, ensure that everyone on the team has the opportunity to share their ideas and opinions.
If one team member is not engaging, ask them questions to help bring them out of their shell. For students that are afraid to speak up, they should share their fears with their teacher or team lead. Together they can brainstorm ideas with the larger group to help the student become more comfortable and involved in the project.
4. Set Communication Ground Rules
Setting communication ground rules at the beginning of the collaboration project also helps build an inclusive environment. These ground rules should include things like respecting everyone’s ideas, raising virtual hands when someone wants a turn to speak, and staying focused by not engaging in side conversations outside of the chat.
Communication ground rules can also cover how to resolve conflicts in case they arise, such as talking through contentious issues. If the conflict is impacting the collaboration work, the team should consider bringing in a trusted mediator such as a teacher or school counselor.
5. Get to Know Team Members
There could be times when students are assigned to collaborate, and they don’t really know anyone in their team. Because positive collaboration involves engagement and a level of trust, it’s important for students to get to know each other! Students may want to try ice breakers at the start of the project and take a few minutes at the beginning of each touchpoint to get to know each other, such as upcoming weekend plans. Becoming more familiar with each other can help students feel more comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas, and working through conflicts.
6. Create a Group Chat
While regular touchpoints are important, informal communication also supports positive collaboration. Messenger services and group chats are a great way for students to share ideas in the moment. They can help bring teams together and enhance collaboration. Group chats should be included when establishing the ground rules though, such as appropriate times when chats can be sent (e.g., between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.) and what types of content can be shared in the chat.
7. Share Documents
Collaborating on team projects typically includes working on a document, whether it is a slide presentation, a paper, or something else that must be turned into a teacher or organization. It’s important for each team member to be able to access all of the project materials so they can work on them together and complete their assigned tasks. There are many online tools where students can share documents and file access to support collaboration; be sure all group members can access the program and are familiar with how it works.
Preparing Students for Success
Providing opportunities for students to collaborate and build key soft skills is just one way that Connections Academy prepares students for future success. Learn more about our college and career readiness opportunities that are helping students prepare for future careers while they are still in online high school.
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