How Do Students Collaborate Online?

Overview

• What is different when groups work online?

• What kinds of group work can be supported using Boise State University tools?

Consider the use of third-party learning tools in Canvas when choosing collaboration tools. Some of these tools are supported by the Boise State Office of Information Technology, while others are not. When using supported software, faculty members, staff, and students benefit from the knowledge, assistance, and vetting that OIT provides. Refer to OIT-supported software and the Teaching and Learning Tools knowledge base for a list of recommended tools. 

If OIT support is not available, you will need to locate and share publisher or vendor-provided technical support information with other instructors and with students.

Collaboration Tools

• Groups

  • What are Groups? from Canvas Basics

  • Groups in Canvas from eCampus

  • Canvas Groups from LTS

• Canvas Collaborations

  • Canvas Collaborations from eCampus

  • How do I use the Collaborations Index Page?

• Google

  • Sharing Google Docs

• Zoom

  • Getting Started

  • Recording to your computer

• Social Annotation Tools

  • Perusall

  • Hypothesis

• Whiteboard (and other collaborative) Technologies

  • Zoom Share Screen > Whiteboard. Viewers can “view options > annotate” and it becomes an interactive, collaborative whiteboard

  • Google Slides is a great collaborative tool that can mimic a whiteboard

  • Padlet

  • Nearpod

  • Miro

  • Mural

• Slack for a communication backchannel

• Zoom - polling for meetings

Resources

• Student Organization for Student Success from Boise State eCampus Center

• Strategies for Supporting Student-to-Student Interactions in Online Courses - Boise State Community of Practice

• Reasons Why Collaborative Online Learning Activities Are Effective by Michael Higley at eLearning Industry

• Online Students Don't Have to Work Solo by Mark Lieberman at Inside Higher Ed

• How to Create a Collaborative Online Learning Environment by Meredith Hart at OWL Labs

• Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment