scholarly journals Learning in Virtual Teams: Exploring the Student Experience

10.28945/2947 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annegret Goold ◽  
Naomi Augar ◽  
James Farmer
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Learning Resource ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Mode

In 2005 an undergraduate course in project management was converted from face-to-face mode to wholly online mode. The online course was designed with an underlying problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy and used a simulated, fictitious telecommunications company, United Enterprises (UE), as a case study learning resource. The students worked in virtual teams to complete online learning activities and to solve authentic project management tasks for UE. This paper reports the findings of three surveys that were completed by students during the semester, to gauge their opinions about their experiences of working in virtual teams within the learning environment. Most students indicated that they valued the opportunity to discuss various aspects of the course with peers and faculty online, and to interact with real-life employees of UE. Overall the findings show that students were satisfied with this style of learning and enjoyed the experience of working collaboratively within a virtual team.

Learning together and working apart: routines for organizational learning in virtual teams

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 138-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Information Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Virtual Teaming

Purpose Research suggests that teaming routines facilitate learning in teams. This paper identifies and details how specific teaming routines, implemented in a virtual team, support its continual learning. The study’s focus was to generate authentic and descriptive accounts of the interviewees’ experiences with virtual teaming routines. Design/methodology/approach This case study gathered concrete, practical and context-dependent knowledge about virtual teaming routines in a specific environment. The main source of data was narrative expert interviews with working members of the team. Findings This study illustrates how a mix of face-to-face and virtual routines can ensure organizational learning in virtual teams. Research limitations/implications This case study is limited to one virtual team in the information industry. Future research could build on this research to study virtual teams in other industries. Practical implications This research offers specific examples of teaming routines that managers of virtual teams might adapt in managing their own teams. Social implications Given that the use of virtual teams is a growing phenomenon, understanding how to help those teams learn effectively is a critical issue. Originality/value This case study extends the research on teaming routines to virtual teams.

Applying Tools for Maximum Impact

2005 ◽  
pp. 133-145
Author(s):  
Robert Jones ◽  
Rob Oyung ◽  
Lisa Shade Pace
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Virtual Meeting

Early on, we mentioned that technology won’t solve all problems related to virtual teams. In fact, basic meeting management and project management skills and techniques are actually more important than trying to use the most sophisticated tools. For example, if you don’t have a meeting agenda with specific topics to discuss, identified decisions that need to be made, and owners for action items, the best virtual meeting tool is not going to automatically do those things for you. At the same time, if we didn’t have the tools we have today, virtual teams would not be possible, and the speed of business would be driven by how many face-to-face meetings we could squeeze into our schedules. Identifying and using the best tools for each situation is a key to maximizing the effectiveness of every virtual team. In many cases, people often start by selecting a tool, try to use it for every situation, and end up frustrated or confused. This is not surprising, since it’s like going to the kitchen, pulling out a bag of flour, and thinking, “Now what can I do with this?” rather than deciding you want to bake some bread and what you really need is bread flour. Let’s look first at what we want to do and then identify the most appropriate tool for that task.

scholarly journals The power of individual cultural values in global virtual teams

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audra I. Mockaitis ◽  
Elizabeth L. Rose ◽  
Peter Zettinig
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Global Teams ◽  
Global Virtual Teams ◽  
Team Processes ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Relationship

This paper investigates the perceptions of members of 43 culturally diverse global virtual teams, with respect to team processes and outcomes. Despite widespread acknowledgement of the challenges presented by cultural differences in the context of global teams, little is known about the effect of these differences on team dynamics in the absence of face-to-face interaction. Using a student-based sample, we study the relationship between global virtual team members’ individualistic and collectivistic orientations and their evaluations of trust, interdependence, communication and information sharing, and conflict during the team task. Our results suggest that a collectivist orientation is associated with more favorable impressions regarding global virtual team processes and that cultural differences are not concealed by virtual means of communication.

scholarly journals Innovation through i2Flex: The Transformation of a Classic in the Humanities Program

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4Β) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Jasonides ◽  
Janet Karvouniaris ◽  
Amalia Zavacopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Performing Arts ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Visual And Performing Arts ◽  
Essential Questions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Course Format

Innovative since its inception, the ACS Honors Humanities program has a long history of more than 40 years as an interdisciplinary team-taught course that examines essential questions through literature, visual and performing arts, philosophy and history.  This innovative approach has continued to motivate successive teaching teams to modify and enhance a program that challenges students academically, utilizing the best possible resources and taking advantage of new technology. In this article, we present one in-depth case study where we explain how we transformed the Honors Humanities course from Face To Face to i2Flex. We will describe and present examples of how we redesigned the course format and presentation, learning activities and assessment. We present data on student feedback and our findings regarding the benefits and challenges of adopting the i2Flex methodology for this course.

Implementation of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning through an On-Line Masters Program

2017 ◽  
pp. 888-918
Author(s):  
Klara Bolander Laksov ◽  
Charlotte Silén ◽  
Lena Engqvist Boman
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Time Study ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Part Time ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Individual

In this case study, the introductory course in an international masters program in medical education (MMedEd) called “Scholarship of Medical Education” is described. Some of the background to why the MMedEd was started and the underlying ideas and principles of the program are provided. The individual course, which consists of 10 weeks part time study on-line with an introductory face to face meeting, is described in terms of the intentions and pedagogical principles underlying the design, the teaching and learning activities, and how the students were supported to achieve the intended learning activities, as well as the challenges and concerns that arose throughout and after the course. Finally, some solutions to these problems are discussed.

A Close Look at Online Collaboration

2010 ◽  
pp. 212-233
Author(s):  
Kris M. Markman
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Online Collaboration ◽  
Analytic Approach ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Team Meetings ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Synchronous Chat

This chapter employs a conversation analytic approach to the study of group interaction in synchronous chat. Chat has been used in educational settings as an adjunct to traditional face-to-face classes and as part of distance learning. This case study examines how chat was used for virtual team meetings by specifically focusing on the structural features of chat conversation as they relate to various aspects of online teamwork. Chat conversations are characterized by disrupted turn adjacency and multiple conversational threads, requiring participants to adapt different strategies to maintain coherence. The advantages and disadvantages of using chat for group work are discussed, and suggestions for implementing chat in education settings are presented.

Using the Interaction-Combinations Integration Model to Explore Real-Life Learning in User-Created Virtual Worlds

2011 ◽  
pp. 47-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Antonacci ◽  
Nellie Modaress ◽  
Edward Lee Lamoureux ◽  
David Thomas ◽  
Timothy Allen
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Integration Model

User-created virtual worlds are emerging technologies with rapidly growing acceptance in education. Of the various reported educational uses of these virtual worlds, the focus of this chapter is on virtual worlds for constructivist learning activities, because this use has application to many real-life courses and has the potential to transform teaching and learning. To assist educators with recognizing and understanding virtual world learning activities, Antonacci & Modaress (2005, 2008) developed the Interaction-Combinations Integration model. However, this model has not been studied in actual virtual-world learning practice. Using a case study method, this chapter examines the usefulness of this model to organize and describe actual virtual world learning activities, provides additional learning activity examples, and describes what was needed to implement and conduct these learning activities.

Removing Space and Time

2011 ◽  
pp. 14-23
Author(s):  
Christie L. McDaniel
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Communication Barriers ◽  
Team Cohesion ◽  
Team Dynamics ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Managerial Styles ◽  
Geographic Boundaries ◽  
The World

Virtual teams are become more and more popular as the world becomes more connected; furthermore, research is suggesting that virtual teams are as effective as face-to-face teams (Baker, 2002). This chapter compares and contrasts virtual teams with face-to-face teams in order to determine what differences exist as the workplace become virtual. It investigates how relationships between team members change when geographic boundaries are removed and how managers should adjust managerial styles when leading a virtual team. Also, a discussion of team dynamics—including the development of trust, team cohesion, and communication barriers—is included. Tips and techniques for developing an effective team are provided for virtual team managers.

Leapfrogging an IT Sector

2005 ◽  
pp. 1799-1802
Author(s):  
Eileen M. Trauth
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Boundary Crossing ◽  
Building Relationships ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Global Coverage ◽  
Product Launches

How do virtual team leaders assess and respond to boundary crossing issues when building relationships with virtual team members? Virtual teams are a new phenomenon, defined as groups of people working on a common task or project from distributed locations using information and communications technology (ICT). With rapid advances in ICT allowing alternatives to face-to-face communication, virtual teams are playing an increasingly important role in organizations. Due to their global coverage, virtual teams are often assigned critical organizational tasks such as multi-national product launches, negotiating global mergers and acquisitions, and managing strategic alliances (Maznevski & Chudoba, 2000). Their use, however, has outpaced the understanding of their unique dynamics and characteristics (Cramton & Webber, 2000).

IT Project Managers' Perceptions and Use of Virtual Team Technologies

2011 ◽  
pp. 25-43
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Beise ◽  
Fred Niederman ◽  
Herb Mattord
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Fortune 500 ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Team Members ◽  
It Project ◽  
Information And Communication

This chapter presents the results of a case study pertaining to the use of information and communication media to support a range of project management tasks. A variety of electronic communication tools have evolved to support collaborative work and virtual teams. Few of these tools have focused specifically on the needs of project managers. In an effort to learn how practicing IT project managers employ these tools, data were collected at a North American Fortune 500 industrial company via interviews with IT project managers regarding their use and perceptions of electronic media within the context of their work on project teams. In this study, “virtual” describes the extent to which communication is electronic rather than the extent to which team members are geographically separated. Although the number of respondents was limited, the richness of the data collected leads to the conclusion that successful project managers and teams become skilled at adapting a variety of existing communication technologies to match the project task or process, the receiver, their own role as sender, and the content of the message. Groupware designers and developers need to better understand project management methods and best practices in order to provide better tools for practitioners, particularly as organizations expand globally and increasingly outsource various functions of their IT development and operations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document