Collaborative Assignment

I think I had THE MOST fun in this course with the collaborative assignment. I'm not usually a fan of collaborative assignments due to group members not contributing equally. But my group was stellar! The first collaborative assignment we had in the beginning of the semester was a bit challenging because we started late and it was a little hard trying to get everyone going.

But this time we were ready. Even though we were only given one week to complete the project, I think we did an outstanding job! Everyone came and was ready to work and this is such an important aspect of group work. It's funny that we were able to come together and effectively complete this project asked each group to come up with a class to implement at a learning institution and analyze it using the ACTIONS model and we came up with designing a course on Organizational Effectiveness.

Each group member brought their own area of expertise which helped to produce a cohesive project. I particularly like assignments that call for us to analyze a situation/product/etc because it helps me to learn more about it. The ACTIONS model consists of Access, Costs, Teaching and Learning, Interactivity and User Friendliness, Organizational Issues, Novelty, and Speed. We had to use these components to analyze the practicality of implementing a course such as this via distance education and if it would be beneficial to the students and the institution.

The ACTIONS model closely resembles the SECTIONS model that I had to use in a previous MDE course. I should have posted the question to the discussion board asking what the main difference was between the two models since they basically cover the same things. I kept finding myself wanting to refer back to the SECTIONS model and had to keep reminding myself not to do so.

But back to the project, while I at times fight against collaborative work, I do recognize the benefits. Collaborative learning has been shown to maximize the learning experience and my reaction to this project is example of just that. I felt I learned a lot from working with the other students on one assignment. Working with this group restored my faith in group work and I look forward to doing more. I feel my leadership potential shine through more when I work in groups. Is that weird?