WebJunction

Why learn together?

From solo learner ... ...to group cohort

It is quite feasible for an individual to sit alone in front of a computer and acquire new, useful knowledge through online, self-paced courses. However, learning is enriched when we can share the experience with others. Humans are social animals and learning is essentially a social activity.

By working through a course with a cohort, learners have the opportunity to hear how others interpret or react to the course content. They benefit from the background and experiences that each person brings to the topic, and they can share related articles and stories that enhance the basic content. For courses that are not specific to libraries, your colleagues add the library context through their observations and reflections on how to apply the information to their work.

The level of motivation is intensified. Whether it’s the competitive factor of who gets to print the certificate of completion first, or the camaraderie that makes learning more compelling, the outcome is greater success with online, self-paced learning.

Create a cohort group

Creating a group for a learning cohort is just like creating any group on WebJunction. Read the step-by-step instructions for creating a group.

Naming your group:

• Please observe the naming convention of starting with “Group:”
  
  • Group: [name of group]
  • It makes the groups easier to find through search. o It makes it easier to differentiate a group from a general topic page.
• Consider incorporating the title or theme of the course into the group name.
  • The cohort collects conversations and documents related to the course topic, so the group becomes an ongoing resource for others to discover.

Invite participants:

• Broadcast the URL (web address) of the group page through any of your outreach channels.
• Participants will need to create a WebJunction member account (it’s free), if they are not already members.
• Members may then navigate to the group page and use the “Join this Group” link in the Group Members box.
• You may also invite participants directly through the “Invite People” link in the Group Members box. Do use this feature, you will need to know the email address of the recipients. (Note that for internet safety issues, it is not possible to customize the invitation message.)
• Groups are not private and may be viewed and joined by any WebJunction member.

Set up the learning environment

The typical group consists of these four components:

1. Group Members box
This displays the class roster, where learners get to find out more about their colleagues.

• Encourage participants to fill out their member profiles to add more “flesh” to their presence in the group.
• Encourage them to “friend” each other and comment on each other’s profile pages in order to establish firmer online relationships.

2. Overview
This is the entry point for the cohort. Use this space to state the purpose of the cohort. Add an image to make it a colorful and welcoming spot. This is a place to post key information:

• Link to the course details page(s), from which members can enroll
• Post announcements of upcoming events, assignments, deadlines
• Point to the location all important information for the course You can update this page as often as you’d like. Keep the information here current and fresh as the course progresses.

3. Documents
This is the place to post information about the course that is too extensive to fit in the overview. It is also the place to collect articles, images, slideshares, videos, etc.,—anything that learners discover as they research the course subject.
Key documents may include:

• The course syllabus
• Elaboration of the purpose and learning objectives
• Reading list
• Assignments

4. Discussions
This is a place where conversation happens, where learners record their reactions to the course content, where informal reflections flow. Some general guidelines for online discussions include:

• Post an “Introduce yourself” topic as a way to get acquainted.
• Encourage participants to subscribe to every conversation thread so they will receive email notifications of activity in the forums.
• Separate topics into different threads with descriptive subjects so that it’s easy to decide which conversations to dive into.
• As a discussion facilitator, it is not necessary to respond to every post. Allow the conversation to evolve between learners and only step in to stimulate the flow or correct misleading information. See the resources at the end for further reading about online interaction.

Good learning practices

Manager buy-in

Even managers who understand that online learning is viable and worthy of staff time may not be ready to give the full support that it needs. It’s one thing to agree that it would be good for staff to take some online classes; it’s a whole other level of commitment to make sure the time is carved out of the staff person’s schedule and the necessary equipment and facilities are in place. It is also the manager’s role to create structures that allow staff persons to share, demonstrate, and apply their learning.

Time management tips

• Encourage learners to create a recurring calendar item with reminders.
• Instead of scheduling it as an end-of-the-day item, try it as first-thing-in-the-morning learning; the mind may be more clear and you won’t be nagged by that reminder popping up all day.
• Encourage learners to treat self-paced learning time as if it were a webinar: let everyone know, including your manager, that you are not available during the hour.
• Create a timeline with defined targets, expectations, and deliverables.
• If the timeframe is greater than 3-4 weeks, schedule a synchronous gathering to “keep the flame alive.” The longer the duration, the harder it is to sustain attention.

Group communication tips

• Encourage participants to watch their My WebJunction page for cohort activity. All activities performed on the site by a learner’s “friends” will appear in the “Updates” panel of their My WebJunction page. (Note that joining a group does not automatically create “friend” relationships; this must be done one at a time by visiting each learner’s profile page.)
• Encourage participants to subscribe to each discussion thread as it appears.
• Encourage participants to set an RSS feed from the group and to check their feedreaders daily to be alerted to any overview updates or document postings.

Tips for maintaining engagement

With a facilitator

It is an advantage to be able to identify one person to be the lead facilitator. This “nudger” will be the one who:

• Scans the course ahead of the start date and prioritizes chapters and information.
• Sets up the syllabus and timeline, with clear targets and expectations.
• Seeds the discussions with pertinent questions.
• Collects email addresses from participants and sends out reminders about the timeline and deliverables.
• Schedules check-in sessions via phone, live chat, or web-conferencing to:
  
  • take the pulse of the group’s energy and commitment
  • help members feel more obligated to keep up with the schedule
  • provide some live support if they’re having trouble
  • counteract feelings of being alone in the learning process

Without a facilitator

If the group is to be largely self-motivated, there are still some seeds that an administrator or manager can plant:

• Identify the “what’s in it for me” for all participants; start a discussion topic that asks participants how they think they will benefit from taking the course.
• Create some level of accountability or compelling reason to complete the course. Is there a CE requirement? Is there recognition for meeting learning goals?
• Encourage group members to check-in with each other periodically via phone, live chat, Twitter, or other social tools
• Determine whether a learner really needs to complete the whole course or if it’s sufficient to absorb the information from selected chapters. If the certificate is not important, focus on the parts most relevant to the learning needs.
• Build in some way to affirm that actual learning has occurred and the new knowledge has been applied.
  
  • Have learners teach other staff their new skills.
  • Have learners give a presentation at a staff meeting about how they have applied the learning to their jobs.

Expand the social possibilities

We are all involved in a grand experiment—using social networking tools to enliven the online learning environment. Distance academic programs and corporate training centers are just starting to realize how essential the social aspect is to successful learning. We are at the leading edge and this is a work in progress. Please share your discoveries, failed efforts, and success stories with the library field.

Together, let’s:

• Discover and share ways to make the experience fun and rewarding, to tap participants’ creativity, and encourage story telling.
• Identify ways to blend synchronous opportunities with self-paced cohort learning.
• Create a competition with recognition and prizes to stimulate cohorts to get creative in their use of WebJunction tools.
• Try embedding or linking to other tools, like chat rooms, Skype, or Twitter feeds.
• Encourage users to complete the courses in which they are enrolled through this social learning experience.

Resources

Online Interaction

Some Considerations for Facilitating Online Interaction
Author Nancy White shares many insights into starting and encouraging conversations, pacing, dealing with problems, and other ways of engaging with the community

The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online
This is a great article about the facilitator role from Howard Reingold, one of the originators of the first and perhaps, most influential, virtual community, The Well.