New Guide on Project-based and Dynamic Collaborative Learning

Posted by Stacey Johnson on Friday, October 29, 2021 in News.

The newest addition to the CFT’s Course Development Resources (CDR) site, entitled Project-Based and Dynamic Collaborative Learning, is all about how instructors can design meaningful, effective group work through research-informed strategies and the intentional use of technology. The guide explores the research on collaborative groups and answers questions such as:

• How should we form groups?
• How can we effectively prepare and support students to function as a group?
• What are some design considerations in shifting face-to-face work online?
• As well as many other important considerations.

The guide also includes a detailed list of resources and technologies to support collaborative learning in online, hybrid, or technology-enhanced face-to-face settings.

Access the guide here. 

This guide is the product of an ongoing collaboration by the authors. Center for Teaching (CFT) Assistant Director Julaine Fowlin and Vanderbilt faculty Bobby Bodenheimer, who is a Professor of Computer Science, first started exploring this topic in the fall of 2020 as part of the CFT’s Online Teaching learning community.  In January 2021 as a continuation of the learning community, Julaine organized and moderated an online panel discussion on the topic of group work and collaborative learning. The panelists included Bobby Bodenheimer; Corbette Doyle, Senior Lecturer in Organizational Leadership; and Heather Fedesco, Senior Lecturer in Human and Organizational Development.  The guide includes video from that panel as well as research and resources from Julaine and Bobby’s ongoing work on this topic. If you are interested in learning more about the Online Teaching learning community or about the CDR site, feel free to reach out to the learning community facilitator Stacey Johnson using this contact form.