Virtual group problem solving in the basic communication course: lessons for online learning

Journal of Instructional Psychology, March, 2006 by Roy Schwartzman

Skepticism about online instruction often erroneously blames the electronic medium for shortcomings in instructional design or technique. This essay discusses the performance expectations for fully online group problem-solving via threaded discussion boards. Four years of administering this assignment in a basic oral communication course yield detailed instructional guidelines that enrich the online learning experience and fulfill general education competency mandates. Experiences with online group problem-solving should encourage educators to adapt to technological innovations in pedagogy.

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In the early days of computer-augmented instruction, scholars lamented the dearth of theoretical frameworks for analyzing computer-mediated communication. Dordick (1989) observed that mass communication theories seem inapplicable to the communication environments created via computers, and traditional interpersonal communication theories fail to account sufficiently for asynchronous communication. Thought and discussion about online education still remains disturbingly anachronistic in some quarters. At a recent regional conference in communication studies, an audience member asked panelists who had just made presentations on online speech instruction: "Don't you think that some courses simply are not meant to be taught online?" The question is problematic for two reasons. First, the online medium can enable or limit instruction, but neither effect is necessarily or causally related to the instructional medium itself. An equivalent question might be: "Don't you think that some subjects just aren't meant to be the topics of poetry?" The automatic, unreflective answer would be "yes"--until an inventive poet composes a beautiful poem on that topic. Second, the question already has been answered by information technology (IT) specialists and not educators. Information technologists and private enterprise already have ventured where many educators feared to tread. An excellent case in point is the rapid progress being made in digitized instructional components known as learning objects. Some of the richest repositories of these online course resources are proprietary, despite public access repositories such as MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching; www.merlot.org).

While educators ponder whether certain courses or activities should be taught online, in many cases these very courses or components already are being offered. Educators confront a choice: to engage in philosophical debates about what should be taught online, or to behave proactively by recognizing the availability of the online medium and design pedagogically sound instructional materials. If educators do not step forward and participate actively in discussing online course content and design, then ultimately the quality of online courses will be in the hands of the technicians and commercial interests. Effective online education will emerge as a partnership among educators, IT experts, and software/educational product marketers. Educators need to enter this discussion to help shape online education; otherwise, teachers and ultimately students will be in the position of accepting what they are given rather than crafting what could emerge.

Denial that certain courses can be taught online may reflect a limit on imagination as much as a limit on technological capabilities. Oral communication courses, especially those that require live performances such as speeches, seem antithetical to the online instructional format. Yet, colleges and universities across the country are offering online oral performance courses. This essay discusses the techniques employed in teaching a rather rare breed of the online basic oral communication course, known as the "comprehensive" version because it extends beyond public speaking. The comprehensive basic course in this case covers public speaking, collaborative group projects, and interpersonal communication (interviewing and relationship skills). The wide array of communication skills involved in the course present challenges and opportunities that could inform the development and refinement of other online courses across academic disciplines.

The online basic communication course was first offered in Fall 2001 and has been offered continuously since that time. Because the course is required in the university's general education curriculum, students must fulfill the same competency requirements regardless of whether the section is online or in a traditional classroom. These competency requirements also fulfill state guidelines for general education, so consistency across sections has particular importance. This paper addresses the group problem-solving project. The group project fulfills three state and institutionally mandated competencies:

* communicate effectively in groups by adapting and responding to others;

* employ higher-order thinking in problem-solving, which specifies that students employ a version of Dewey's (1910/1991) reflective thinking process (identify problem, criteria for solutions, propose solutions, evaluate solutions, select solutions, test solutions);