What communication tips can I give students?
Many teams find that efective communication is one of the most difficult, and most persistent problems, to solve.
Establish Structures and Templates
Unless your course objectives is for students to solve ill-defined problems, the more structure you can provide for students, the easier it will be for students to find common ground.
Some tips include
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Provide project templates or progress sheets. - A template could include blanks for scheduling, sample meeting agendas, lists of tasks, "job titles," or any aspect of the project that must be completed.
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Provide a way to communicate questions and answers about projects to the entire class.
TECH TIP: Many instructors use online message board or announcements page to post answers to frequently asked questions. -
TECH TIP:Establish central file spaces for teams to post files. This avoids them needing to establish spaces of their own. File space for teams can be created in ANGEL or in PASS COLA space. The CLC Labs U: drive service which allows students to store files on Penn State Computer Lab Classroom network.
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TECH TIP - Establish threaded discussion areas or electronic bulletin boards so students can post messages to each other which are saved for future reference. Some Penn State options include ANGEL
- TECH TIP - Establish chatroom areas. Chatrooms can be set up in ANGEL or in Breeze (Adobe Connect). Adobe Connect/Breeze also allows audio chat or video chat if students all have microphones or cameras.
Point Students to Communication Tips
Some links include:
- Student Tips for Effective Communication
- Royer Center Discussion Guidelines for Students
- Schreyer Institute Puzzled About Teams
Emphasize the following points
- Make sure students introduce themselves in the beginning. Team names can help form a sense of team solidarity.
- Conflicts in perspectives/opinions are very common, but students need to learn to resolve them without having conflicts become "personal".
- Active listening is just as important as clear speaking.
- Small talk and jokes are allowed!
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