# data[].attributes.body
Online learning through group work meets the modern-day student’s academic, psychological, and socio-emotional demands. The benefits of virtual interaction with peers and the instructor foster a sense of togetherness and commitment for learners (Culduz, 2024). When students work together for a shared end goal, they learn how to synthesize various perspectives, while the time spent on digital platforms allows them to dig deeper and reflect beyond semantics and surface-level material. Online collaboration supplements lived experiences and offers opportunities to develop deeper problem-solving skills while preparing learners with job-ready skills. Employers report that the top skills they are seeking in candidates are problem-solving, communication, teamwork, adaptability, and a willingness to learn (Tushar et al., 2023). The skills needed for today’s professional success are emblematic of online learning objectives through engagement. The accelerated pace of evolving technological advancement, coupled with the globalization of the world, has rendered an interwoven tapestry where individuals will need to work together productively across a multitude of digital platforms.

Keep reading for more helpful perspectives on specific benefits of online collaboration, challenges, and a Best Practices toolkit.

# data[].attributes.body
Benefits of Working Together Online

Þ   Online collaboration platforms allow for increased topographical fluidity for learners to develop and apply time management skills (Choudhury, 2022).

Þ   Technological social networking affords learners to share one another’s interests, knowledge, and experiences, resulting in greater institutional commitment and identity (DiMicco et al., 2009).

Þ   Opportunity to expand on one’s own and the idea of others (Lane et al., 2023).

Þ   The capacity to view and review the project details at any time (Lane et al., 2023).

Þ   Leaners working in groups online report being more motivated when compared to learners completing solitary projects (Almarzooq, 2020).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Beige Minimalistic Pros and Cons List Decision Table A4 Document

# data[].attributes.body
Best Practices for Success in Group Learning Online (This includes instructor and learner responsibilities)

Þ   *Learners must enter an assignment or project with a clear understanding of the importance that Group collaborations provide.

Þ   *Group members must have a foundation of the skills needed to be successful in groups. It is advised that the facilitator spend some time disbursing, highlighting, and modeling aspects of positive communication for a group to achieve.

Þ   *Rubrics are highly recommended as they provide students with saliency on grading criteria.

Þ   Increased inclusion of each person in a group assignment can have a greater impact in a virtual setting when compared to a face-to-face environment due to the increased potential for psychological isolation (Driskell, 2003).

Þ   A welcoming tone must be established early by the facilitator, demonstrating support for each student as an individual and the overall success of the group.

Þ   While a facilitator’s presence is important through a scaffolding approach, the instructor should not be domineering in the class.

Þ   Multiple modalities of communication and assessment should be integrated in the online class to appeal to and support different learning styles and support neurodiversity.

Þ   Group projects denote the understanding that the assignment is on a bigger scale, therefore necessitating a small group for successful completion. As such, instructors must provide formative feedback (de Nooijer et al., 2021)..

Þ   Formative feedback should be personalized and clear. Recommended modality is through video to bridge the interpersonal connection (de Nooijer et al., 2021).

Þ   Heterogeneous groups mimic professional settings and offer opportunities for learners to cultivate, fine-tune, and expand their conflict resolution and problem-solving skills (Johnson et al., 2020).

*(Source: “Effective Online Group Work,” 2025)

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Use this area to pose questions that may arise in the process. I check this site once per day and will respond within 24 hours during the week, and within 48 hours during the weekend. Depending on the issue, we can also set up a quick video call. As some explanations may be clearer when live and synchronous:-)

# data[].attributes.body
References

Almarzooq, Z. I., Lopes, M., & Kochar, A. (2020). Virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: A disruptive technology in graduate medical education. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 75(20), 2635–2638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.04.015

Baran, E., & Correia, A.-P. (2020). A professional development framework for online teaching. TechTrends, 64(2), 524–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00491-0

Choudhury P. (2022). Geographic mobility, immobility, and geographic flexibility–A review and agenda for research on the changing geography of work. The Academy of Management Annals, 16(1), 258–296. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2020.0242

Culduz, M. (2024). Benefits and challenges of E-learning, online education, and distance learning. Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-4131-5.ch001

de Nooijer, J., Schneider, F., & Verstegen, D. M. (2021). Optimizing collaborative learning in online courses. The clinical teacher, 18(1), 19–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13243

DiMicco J., Geyer W., Millen D., Dugan C., Brownholtz B. (2009). People sensemaking and relationship building on an enterprise social network site [Conference session]. Proceedings of the 42nd Hawaii international conference on system sciences (pp. 1–10). https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2009.343

Driskell, J. E., Radtke, P. H., & Salas, E. (2003). Virtual teams: Effects of technological mediation on team performance. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 7(4), 297.

Haugland, M.J., Rosenberg, I. & Aasekjær, K. Collaborative learning in small groups in an online course – a case study. BMC Med Educ 22, 165 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03232-x

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A. (2020). Cooperative learning: Improving university instruction by basing practice on validated theory. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 31(4), 19–40.

Lane, J. N., Leonardi, P. M., Contractor, N. S., & DeChurch, L. A. (2023). Teams in the digital workplace: Technology’s role for communication, collaboration, and performance. Small Group Research, 55(1), 139-183. https://doi.org/10.1177/10464964231200015 (Original work published 2024).

Lowenthal, P. R., Borup, J., West, R. E., & Archambault, L. (2020). Thinking beyond Zoom: Using asynchronous video to maintain connection and engagement during remote learning. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 28(2), 383–391.

Tushar H, Sooraksa N. Global employability skills in the 21st century workplace: A semi-systematic literature review. Heliyon. 2023 Oct 29;9(11):e21023. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21023. PMID: 37954286; PMCID: PMC10637906.