Post by catyblack on Oct 29, 2014 19:38:20 GMT -5
I can see this class functioning as a lecture in a successfully. I think that in order to put together a successful campaign with others face to face time is needed. One of the huge hurdles of the course was merely overcoming communications issues. It took three times as long to get a message across, evaluate options and come to a conclusion as a group of strangers functioning online. I feel like I could have produced better quality work if I had been able to work with people face to face. The technical issues that we had as a class during the first few weeks were fine. One thing that I thought really helped was when the weekly announcements and assignments due were posted early in the week.
I feel like the type of person who signs up for an online class is someone who wants to work alone, at their own speed and by their own schedule. Working on a project as a group online is a major obstacle. I wish that there had been an option to choose our own groups. I know that a lot of people in the class come from the Robertson School and that put our group at a huge advantage, because we are all communicators.
I wish that people were given more of a warning as to what is expected in a service learning class. Some people seemed confused as to why we were working with our non-profit clients. If everyone came into the class with the mindset of helping others then I think we would have a huge leg up and it would weed out the students unwilling to work.
I was very fortunate during the past few weeks to have been placed in a group that was able to get along, communicate with each other and deliver a project we are all proud of. We certainly had some moments along the way, but I’m happy to have met them and to have had the opportunity to work with them. If a class like this is offered in the future I would recommend the project model that we worked with which was communicating on Facebook, and working in a Google Doc. The advantage of working in this way is that you can see who has read posts, your able to see many different lines and strains of communication at one time without having to flip through emails. Formatting a Google Doc can be a challenge but it’s a great place to work as a group.
My only other recommendation for this class is that it’s only a 200 level course. Even with cramming things in to a mere six-week period I still feel like it should have been at least a 300 level elective.
I feel like the type of person who signs up for an online class is someone who wants to work alone, at their own speed and by their own schedule. Working on a project as a group online is a major obstacle. I wish that there had been an option to choose our own groups. I know that a lot of people in the class come from the Robertson School and that put our group at a huge advantage, because we are all communicators.
I wish that people were given more of a warning as to what is expected in a service learning class. Some people seemed confused as to why we were working with our non-profit clients. If everyone came into the class with the mindset of helping others then I think we would have a huge leg up and it would weed out the students unwilling to work.
I was very fortunate during the past few weeks to have been placed in a group that was able to get along, communicate with each other and deliver a project we are all proud of. We certainly had some moments along the way, but I’m happy to have met them and to have had the opportunity to work with them. If a class like this is offered in the future I would recommend the project model that we worked with which was communicating on Facebook, and working in a Google Doc. The advantage of working in this way is that you can see who has read posts, your able to see many different lines and strains of communication at one time without having to flip through emails. Formatting a Google Doc can be a challenge but it’s a great place to work as a group.
My only other recommendation for this class is that it’s only a 200 level course. Even with cramming things in to a mere six-week period I still feel like it should have been at least a 300 level elective.