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ENHANCING STUDENT COLLABORATION IN GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMSLaurel Powell
GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS
• Virtual Collaboration and Teamwork
• Collaboration Benefits, Social Competence, Psychological Health
• Used by: Cisco Systems, IBM, Intel, Shell Oil Company, Toshiba, Siemens, Microsoft Corporations, Accenture, Alcoa
DEFINITION
• Global Virtual Teams• Temporary• Electronically Mediated• Culturally Diverse• Geographically Distributed
SUCCESS FACTORS
• Clear Purpose
• Measureable Goals
• Appropriate Team Size (3-5 People)
• Team Norms or Operating Guidelines
• Effective Communication
• Decision Making Skills and Processes
• Strong Leadership (Particularly Difficult in Virtual Teams)
• Pedagogical, Technological and Cultural Issues
ADVANTAGES OF GVTS
• Exposure to Variety of Ideas, Perspectives and Problem Solving Approaches
• Creativity
• Cognitive and Social Development
• Improved Skills in Developing Arguments
MANAGEMENT OF GVTS
• Positive Interdependence• Perception that a team member cannot succeed without team success
• Promotive Interaction• Acknowledging and Challenging Ideas
• Individual Accountability• Objective Assessment of Performance
• Appropriate Use of Social Skills• Trust, Clear Communication
• Group Processing• Monitoring Work to Facilitate Social Interaction and Quality Work
COMPOSITION OF THE TEAM
• Larger Groups are Less Productive (3-5 Members per Team)
• Team Experts
• Diversity of Talents and Experiences
• Self Selected Teams v. Instructor Selected Teams
• Individualistic v. Collectivistic Cultures
• Task Specialization
MANAGEMENT
• Cohesiveness
• Communication Media• Computer Literacy• “Richness” of Media• Asynchronous v. Synchronous Communications
• Trust Among Team Members
MANAGEMENT
• Problem Solving and Decision Making• Different Tools for Different Parts of the Problem Solving Process
• Content and Format of GVT Deliverables
• Instructor Involvement
• Team Discussions• Highlight Common Ground• Mediate Conflicts• Engage Participants
EVALUATION
• Challenge for Instructors
• Evaluation Process
• Peer Rating
• Self Evaluation
DISCUSSION?
GARY F KOHUTTHE JOURNAL OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING, VOL. 12,NO. 3, 2012, 44-60