How to effectively use groups in e-learning

Groups in e-learning

For many people, online learning still feels like a very solitary experience. However, more and more people—especially in recent months—have discovered that you don't necessarily need to meet in a classroom or conference center to learn and develop.

In the world of e-learning, huge strides have also been made to make online learning even more fun, interesting, engaging, and accessible.

Interesting (technological) developments in e-learning make it very easy to integrate group work into your courses—staring at a computer screen all by yourself is a thing of the past! This not only makes learning more fun, but it also stimulates intrinsic motivation.

Collaborating in groups gives learners the chance to develop interpersonal communication skills, build relationships with fellow students, and raise the collective skill level of the group.

Why should you choose group learning within e-learning? And how can you shape this within your own e-learning environment? In this blog, we’ll tell you all about it!

Why learn in groups? Learning together motivates!

You’re probably familiar with this: you want to achieve a goal, but on your own, you often give up after just a few days. Think of losing weight, exercising, meditating, and so on. But when you make a commitment with a group to encourage and motivate each other to reach a common goal, the chance of success is much higher!

It works the same way for learning: if you have to meet a deadline for a project together, for example, you are much more likely to push yourself to finish it. If only to avoid letting your group members down. After all, their success depends on you, too!

Sharing successes and setbacks

When learning gets tough or you experience a setback, the temptation to throw in the towel is much greater when you’re on your own. When you can touch base with other learners, present your situation to them, and ask for tips and advice, you are much more likely to persevere.

When a culture of open communication exists within the group, you’ve likely seen other learners share their own blunders or doubts, which helps you realize you aren't the only one who finds things difficult sometimes. Celebrating successes is also fantastic: achieving a goal feels even better when your fellow learners and the trainer are proud of you and join in the celebration!

Informal feedback

Receiving feedback from fellow learners always feels different than getting it from a "teacher" or an automated system. Learning in groups creates a simple and informal way to give each other valuable feedback by responding to each other's contributions, engaging in discussions, and offering advice.

How can you shape group learning within e-learning?

There are several ways to structure groups within e-learning.

Group projects

Create groups of learners within the e-learning environment. It is important to keep the groups small and odd-numbered, establish ground rules, and evaluate the learner both individually and for their group work.

Examples of group projects that fit perfectly within e-learning include creating a blog together about the training topic, holding a debate, or giving a group presentation.

Encourage interaction

Many e-learning platforms, such as Pluvo, offer the ability for students to connect with one another. For example, via the Pluvo chat, a discussion forum, or external tools like Padlet and Prezi.

Provide each group with their own space within your LMS to hold discussions and share files. The trainer can create and name these virtual spaces (such as the Pluvo chat, where you can create groups) in advance, so every group knows exactly where to start their group work.

Social media

Social media is also extremely well-suited for creating a sense of community. When students encounter each other both in the online learning environment and on social media, for example, it creates a "cross-pollination" and a stronger sense of connection.

For instance, you can add students to a Facebook group or a private Instagram account.

Just make sure the group remains active and that there are a few ground rules in place, so that everyone feels at ease and comfortable enough to contribute and be vulnerable.

Social media groups are also useful for sharing other resources, such as articles, videos, podcasts, etc., with one another.

Gamification

We previously wrote a blog about gamification in e-learning. Gamification is the use of game elements to make learning activities more challenging and fun. Traditional game elements such as scoring points, competing with others, and following game rules are applied to increase engagement in learning.

In addition, you can also have groups of students compete against each other: a bit of healthy competition!

Plenty of reasons for groups in e-learning

In short, there are many reasons why it is a great idea to have students collaborate in groups within e-learning.

Through group projects, interaction, social media, and gamification, it becomes easier for students to give each other feedback, learn from each other's successes and setbacks, and stay motivated to finish the training and achieve good learning results. A win-win-win!