Adult learners who choose to take online courses often find themselves juggling myriad responsibilities, both professional and personal. To engage these students, flexible, meaningful, and authentic learning experiences, that build engagement and collaboration opportunities, should be considered when designing a course. One way to do this is by including both formative and summative assessments in collaborative group activities. Instructors can enhance student engagement and promote peer interaction, all while ensuring that weekly learning objectives and course outcomes are met. Additionally, group activities that require personal input and interaction are difficult to replicate with current AI tools. This encourages students to rely more on their own knowledge and experiences, allowing instructors to better assess learning and comprehension.
Collaborative Groups
Collaborative groups foster a sense of community, enabling students to share ideas and learn from peers, which is particularly effective for adult learners. This approach aligns with Malcolm Knowles’ principles of andragogy and the Connected Learning Framework when adapted for adults, emphasizing “colleague-supported, inquiry-driven, and improvement-oriented” learning (Eidman-Aadahl, 2012). By designing group activities that integrate adult learners’ professional and lived experiences into academic contexts, instructors create valuable opportunities for peer learning. This method deepens students’ understanding of theoretical frameworks and bridges the gap between theory and practice. The diverse perspectives within collaborative groups enhance the overall learning experience, making it more relevant and engaging for adult students in online environments.
Setting Up Group Projects in Canvas
Canvas offers a group project feature that instructors will need to set up prior to the beginning of a project, as it provides benefits for both students and instructors. This feature facilitates student collaboration, streamlines assignment management, and enables effective assessment throughout the project’s duration. Students can use their dedicated group area for communication and collaboration, which is private, meaning that non-members will not have access. Meanwhile, instructors can monitor group interactions, provide targeted formative and summative feedback, and automatically assign grades to entire groups, which will then populate in each group member’s gradebook, thus reducing their administrative burden. If needed, the ability to adjust a single student’s grade and feedback remains available.
For online courses created by Online Learning at Alliant, group project settings will have already been configured for a group assignment. As an instructor, you will need to complete the following to assign students to a group. Open your course, and complete the following steps:
- Navigate to “People”:
- In your course menu, click on “People.”
- Open the Group Set:
- Find and click on the name of the Group Set you want to add students to.
- Add Students to Groups:
- In the “Unassigned Students” section, locate the student you want to add.
- Drag and drop the student’s name into the desired group.
- Alternatively, you can click the “+” icon next to the student’s name and select the group from the dropdown menu.
- Verify Group Membership:
- Check the group to ensure the student has been added. The member count for the group should update accordingly.
NOTE: When teaching a course using Canvas at Alliant without Groups, instructors will need to complete the following steps prior to assigning group members.
- Create a Group Set:
- Navigate to “People” in your course menu.
- Click “+ Group Set” and name your project.
- Choose to create groups manually for more control.
- Form the Groups:
- Click “+ Group” within the Group Set.
- Name each group descriptively.
- Drag and drop students into their assigned groups.
- Create a Group Assignment:
- In “Assignments,” click “Add Assignment.”
- Check “This is a Group Assignment.”
- Select your created Group Set from the dropdown menu.
- Configure Assignment Settings:
- Set due dates and availability.
- Consider enabling peer reviews for additional collaboration.
- Decide whether to assign grades individually or to the group as a whole.
Implementing Effective Collaborative Projects
In a time when AI-generated content is increasingly prevalent, well-structured group projects serve as a tool for authentic engagement. Regular check-ins as students use Canvas for group work, combined with formative assessments, can help gauge individual contributions while providing ongoing actionable feedback. For example, rather than only grading the final product, students can create a “collaboration portfolio” to document their collaborative process throughout the project. This portfolio may include reflection journals, recorded team meetings, and peer feedback, serving as both a learning tool and a means for integrating formative assessments.
Conclusion
Collaborative group projects in Canvas, combined with thoughtful formative assessments, effectively engage adult learners. By fostering meaningful collaboration and providing ongoing feedback, instructors create a learning community that values original thinking and authentic engagement.
References
Eidman-Aadahl, E. (2012, 14 August). Communities of practice for professional learning: Connected learning for adults [Webinar]. Retrieved from https://educatorinnovator.org/webinars/elyse-eidmanaadahl-communities-of-practice-for-professional-learning-connected-learning-for-adults/
Hogue, R. J. (2019). Principles of Andragogy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= UgNeWsbKDUY