Got Group Work?

Some may view working in a group as a positive experience, while others view it as a waste of time. The success of your group work experience depends on the communication used among members of the group and the level of respect that each member has for one another. Equal and deliberate participation is required by all members to ensure the group’s success. Here are a few guidelines that can improve your group work experience.

1. Put forth your best effort and work hard.
2. Be mindful of other people time. If you are required to meet at a certain time, try your best to be on time.
3. Be an active listener. Listen to what others have to say.
4. Be kind to one another. Stay positive and use kind words.
5. Stay focused on the task. Try using an agenda or planner to discuss the topics to be covered at each meeting.

- Used with permission from K. Thomas, NCVPS Teacher

There are several group assignments in Leadership Development. To find your group,

1. Click on the "Groups" icon in Global Navigation on the left side of your screen.
   
2. Click on the group that corresponds to your assigned module and your group's homepage will open (ex. Module 5 Group, Module 11 Group).
   
3. Click on "All Groups" if you do see the module group in your group list.
4. Click on your assigned module group and open your group's homepage.

Your group's homepage is designed for discussing your ideas with your fellow group members.

• Click on "People" to see the other members of your group.
  
• Click on "Discussions" to open your group's discussion forum. Respond to the first discussion board prompt posted by your teacher. If a classmate has posted, reply to his/her post. If you are the first to post, be sure to check later so you can respond to your group members' posts. Remember to use effective communication.
• Click on "Announcements" to read anything posted by your group or your teacher.
• Click on "Files." Here you will find any documents/templates already downloaded by your teacher and/or group members. You can also find the template with the original assignment in the module.

Tool #1:

Your Canvas homepage discussion boards are a great starting point to collaborate with your group members.

Tool #2:

Email and/or texting are available as collaboration tools. You will find your group members emails listed under the "People" tab of your homepage. You can send group members a Canvas message by clicking on each name or you can copy/paste their emails into your own email. Once you are in touch, you can continue to email or you may exchange phone numbers for texting.

Tool #3:

Another tool to use for online collaboration is Google Docs.

• If you are the first group member to collaborate, open the template found in the directions for your group activity. Copy the template into a Google Doc. By creating it here, any group member who has synced his/her Google Drive with Canvas will be able to view and edit the document.
  
• Document your participation. Choose a color for your ideas. Use this color when you write anything in the document. Be sure to put your initials next to any ideas you add to the document as well.

Although you collaborated as a group, only ONE group member needs to submit the assignment on behalf of the group. When that group member submits, Canvas will count it as a submission for each group member. Follow the same directions for submitting as you do for other activities and assignments in Canvas.