Our featured faculty member was Melinda Schoenfeldt. Melinda began her presentation with an overview of the research regarding online collaboration, student perceptions, and techniques and strategies for creating an online community of learners. She summarized that online collaboration involves a social presence where people connect on a personal level, a cognitive presence where they connect with content and construct personal meaning, and a teaching presence where someone may structure and lead the educational process.
Next, Melinda talked about features of small-group work that foster collaboration including: communicating frequently with the members of the group, making as much interaction public as possible, creating a space for non-classroom-related interaction, understanding the limitations and strengths of the technology you are using, and asking questions often.
Finally, Melinda discussed future ideas for fostering collaboration including adding role-playing opportunities and using online games.
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