Faculty Focus produced a great report titled “Student Collaboration in the Online Classroom.” I especially liked the article by Dr. Teshia Young Roby which gives advice on peer collaboration in online classes.

“17 Tips for Successfully Including Peer Collaboration in an Online Course”

1. Get rid of preconceptions.
2. Adapt and adopt existing collaborative exercises.
3. Begin with a manageable amount of collaboration.
4. Consider a course orientation.
5. Make the collaboration a stated course outcome.
6. Teach students how to collaborate.
7. Provide structure for and require deliverables from the students.
8. Organize the student groups early and stabilize the groups throughout the course.
9. Create groups of 3 to 5 students.
10. Instruct groups to report large problems.
11. Provide feedback often.
12. Carefully choose discussion topics.
13. Prepare in advance for chat room discussions.
14. Organize the discussion board for productive discourse.
15. Constantly facilitate and monitor online collaboration.
16. Promote peer collaborations through grading.
17. Receive student feedback on collaboration exercises.

To access the report, go to
http://www.facultyfocus.com/free-report/tips-for-encouraging-student-participation-in-classroom-discussions/
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