Collaborative Projects
Make Collaboration High Impact
Although we all likely use collaboration naturally in our classes, for collaborative projects to be truly High Impact, there need to be a few intentionally designed elements:
- sustained time on task (longer than 1-2 classes)
- purposeful team building especially with those with different backgrounds and life experiences
- challenging problem solving
- sharpening one’s own understanding by listening seriously to the insights of others
- public demonstration of competence
- reflection
Why Collaborative Projects?
Social Benefits
- Develops a social support system for learners
- Builds an understanding of diversity among Team members
Psychological Benefits
- Increases students’ self-esteem
- Cooperation reduces anxiety
Academic Benefits
- Promotes critical thinking
- Engages active learning
- Increases student motivation to learn
Want to Learn More?
- Carnegie Mellon Eberly CenterUsing Group Projects Effectively
HIPS Collaborative Projects can be achieved in two basic formats at PPCC: a group project or a study group.
Design for Collaborative Projects
1. Decide on the student learning outcomes you want to emphasize through a project. Also decide on project ideas that best fit your course.
2. Design the group project in phases, like these problem-solving steps
- Define the problem. Ask "why" or "so what" to problem; collect information; decide causes.
- Identify the best solution. Generate alternatives, evaluate, and select.
- Implement solutions. Plan, test, and review.
3. Give students choices, like team roles, topics, presentation style.
4. Include some individual components, like reflective questions or researched facts.
5. Schedule time for group set up, work, and reflection.
- Have students get to know each other
- Review the Tuckman Model for reflection on team dynamics
- Review roles and responsibilities.
- Prepare students to solve problems and create processes
- Regularly ask reflective questions
Design for a Collaborative Study Group
Tuckman Model for Team Dynamics
Source: http://www.mspguide.org/tool/tuckman-forming-norming-storming-performing; Okpalad, based on Tuckman and Jensen (1977)
Collaborative Project Resources
This page provides an overview - along with tools, discussion, prompts, and other resources - to help faculty develop Collaborative Projects and Assignments coursework.
Example Collaborative Assignments
Below you will find several examples of collaborative project assignments that have been used in PPCC courses. These samples may include: assignment descriptions and details, grading rubric examples, examples of team/peer and individual project evaluation, and examples of student papers/projects. Included next to each example is the instructor who developed the assignment and the course in which it originated.
End Lunch Shaming (Andrea Ulrich for HWE100 - Human Nutrition)
- End Lunch Shaming PacketAndrea's original packet, specifically adapted for her HWE 100 Human Nutrition course.
This can be used for guidance when adapting the Collaborative Project Team Packet for your own course.
- Lunch Shaming Literature ReviewAnnotated printout of an online submitted literature review which was part of the HWE 100 collaborative project. It contains instructor feedback and comments (last 3 pages).
- Phase 1 Peer Review and Grade ExampleThis document - another copy of an online version, which contains the graded rubric, the student’s average point value and individual grade for this phase, as well as the feedback from the team. Each student receives one of these each phase.
- Phase 2 Projects ProposalThis example is from a different team than the example for Phase 1, just to give you some variety of teams. This example is from a different team than the example for Phase 1, just to give you some variety of teams.
- Phase 2 Peer Review and Grade ExampleEach student also receives these documents and completes them.
- Teamwork Value RubricFrom which the collaborative rubric was developed from, courtesy of the Association of American Colleges & Universities.
Misuse of Graphics Group Project (Karen Summerson for MAT 135)
- Misuse of Graphics Group ProjectExcellent example of a collaborative assignment handout that details the entire project process to students. Includes the grading rubric used to grade their work.
- Personal Evaluation Form for Team MembersTool for students to evaluate their fellow team members (they do not submit this form), to identify those who have been active and cooperative members of the team.
- Peer Review of Team MembersAllows students to rate the degree to which each member fulfilled his/her responsibilities in completing the team assignments. This form is submitted to the instructor.
Adaptable Math Collaborative Assignment
Food Insecurity at PPCC - Small Group Project (Ann Cushman for MAT 125)
- Food Insecurity at PPCC - Small Group ProjectIn this assignment, students were required to calculate the number of PPCC students potentially experiencing food insecurity, complete comparative analysis between national percentage data and their calculations, and do research on how many students visit the Community Table food pantry each week.
Student entrepreneur Kalie Baker and her team arranged a trial launch of mobile Aspen Market Cafe (pictured) in Fall 2018. Various members of the PPCC faculty/staff community, including Betsy Tuma, Patricia Diawara, Matthew Valdez, Warren Epstein, and Matt Radcliffe provided advice and support for the project.
Coffee and best-selling muffins were "carted" to strategic locations on campus. Kali and Heather have agreed to continue to work together into the Spring of 2019.
“I was lucky enough to have more than a couple classes where we did group work, where the outcomes of our projects made a real-world difference.” -A student describes the value of opportunities to network, prepare career paths, and demonstrate learning through community projects.