Overcoming student resistance to group work: Online versus face-to-face

Abstract

This study compared student group work experiences in online (OL) versus face-to-face (f2f) sections of the same graduate course, over three years, to determine what factors influence student group work experiences and how do these factors play out in f2f versus OL environments. Surveys and student journals suggest that communication issues, personal feelings about group members and their participation play a prominent role in student perceptions about group work. Students in OL sections were more negative about group work, than were students in f2f sections. Because of OL norms of working individually and asynchronously, OL students were less satisfied with group work. Also, because of fewer channels of communication, lack of the immediacy of f2f meetings and other differences in the two learning environments, OL students were less able to resolve logistical difficulties associated with group work.