- The document discusses challenges with online group projects and strategies to address them, drawing from examples in economics and sustainability management courses. It emphasizes the importance of clear expectations, project management, individual accountability, and addressing issues promptly to ensure success. Faculty play a key role in supporting collaborative work through their guidance and availability.

1. Can We Make Online Group
Projects Work?
NU Spring Symposium March 2014
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1
Nelson Altamirano (SOBM)
Ben Radhakrishnan (SEC)
Mary Beth McCabe (SOBM)

2. General Approach to Group Learning
• After listening students must do something
Learning by doing
• Students not so comfortable. Instructors help build
confidence
Motivate creativity
• A group learning project shows who are dependable and
who are not (free riders)
Group and individual responsibility
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3. We want
people who..
work together
to generate
new ideas and
find solutions
commit to the
team and be
dependable
willing and
wanting to
cooperate and
pitch in to help
communicate
clearly,
concisely,
creatively
coordinate with
others
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4. ECO203: The Assignment
Objectives
• At the end of this assignment
students will understand
economics at a deep level and
learn how to differentiate theoretical
results from real situations; gain
excel skills, team working skills
and game creation skills that are
useful in their working environments;
• reinforce their writing and
presentation skills; and finally
learn economics by doing it and
having fun.
• The deliverables of the game
assignment are three: a paper in
word, a game engine in excel and a
presentation in power point.
Game Paper
• This short written assignment is
5 to 10 page long without
including the pages for the title,
references and appendixes. It
contains the following
distinguishable sections:
A. Abstract
B. Instructions
C. Game Board and Excel Engine
D. Microeconomics Debriefing
Section
E. References
F. Appendix
G. Attachments
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5. ECO203: The RubricThe Products (80%)
(i.e. Paper, Game Board and Engine)
The Process (20%)
(i.e. your participation and contribution to the
team work)
This is a group grade, all members receive the
same grade based on the group submission. One
group member should submit all 3 documents
(paper, excel engine and board) by Week 4.
This is an individual grade with two components to
be evaluated when you submit the paper, excel
engine and game board in Week 4. At that time,
each group member must send the self and peer
evaluations.
Paper (40%)
The paper will be graded based on
Content
Structure
Style
Self Evaluation
Give yourself
10 if you did as much as everyone else in
the team, i.e. a ‘fair’ contribution
6 if you did below the ‘fair’ contribution
but helped the team
3 if you did almost nothing over the entire
week
0 if you did nothing
Game Board (15%)
The game board will be graded based on
Design
Integration with Engine
Engine (25%)
The engine will be graded based on
Design
Formulas that express game rules
Formulas that calculate winners
Peer Evaluation (average of points you receive
from your teammates)
Evaluate every other team member’s contribution
to the team project. Give each of them
10 if you think this person did as much as
everyone else in the team, i.e. a ‘fair’
contribution
6 if you think this person did below the
‘fair’ contribution but helped the team
3 if you think this person did almost
nothing to help the group
0 if you think this person did nothing
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6. ECO203 - Logistics
Tue Thu Fri Sun
W1 Session 1
Excel Basics
Session 2
Excel D/S
Office Hour Exam1
Group members
W2 Session 3
Excel Elasticity,
Consumption
Session 4
Excel Profit, Costs
Office Hour
Game Description
Exam2
Comment on Game
Description
W3 Session 5
Excel Perfect
Competition
Session 6
Excel Monopoly
30‟ Advising
Office Hour Assignment
W4 Session 7 Session 8
Game Presentations
Office Hour Exam3
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7. ECO203 – Student
Work
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8. ECO203 – Problems & Challenges
• Time needed: “after listening they
MUST apply concepts to games”
• Faculty time intensive. Can all
ECO203 instructors do the same?
• Huge effort, big accomplishment
reward for students
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9. Groups in Simulation
• Online marketing simulation
• 7 students/3 groups
• Graded on performance of value and
decision making ability
• 60% of grade group driven
• Six decision rounds completed
• MBA Marketing Capstone
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10. Sample: Group work
Advertising and Research
Strategy:
Advertising and research were spent focusing on the
target market for each product. For the earlier rounds, it
was only necessary to promote for the Sonite Brands;
we attempted an even split between MOVE and MOST.
Once MOVE took the market lead for high earners and
professionals we began to allocate more budget to
advertising MOST and to target shoppers and savers.
Group: Mobile
Final Report,
2013

11. Share Price Index

12. Feedback
• “We had to alter different strategies in
each round in order to stay ahead of the
game. Therefore, I think it was important
and imperative that we worked in teams
because it helped make our decisions
more quickly and effectively. It was nice
to go over and get the advice and
suggestions of my team member. We
started very strong in first place at the
start of the game and we ended in
second towards the end.” (Student)
12
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University

13. Challenges
– One Freeloader
– Technology
– Complex subject matter
– No textbook, just manual
– Timing and holiday schedule (Nov/Dec)
– Faculty time intensive, esp. prior to class
begins.
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14. MS Sustainability Management
Online
• Capstone Project (SEM610A & B)
– Clear Indication of „Team project‟ in the course
outline
– Complete a project Idea paper in SEM610A, and full
project implementation in SEM610B
– Team selects a Team Leader
• Facilitates Team activity
• Leadership and project management opportunity
• Instructor promotes situational leadership
• Team feedback is part of the final grade evaluation
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15. MS Sustainability Management
Online
• Capstone Project Teamwork Feedback Process
– Team‟s responsibility to keep the instructor in the
loop when team is not working right
• Follow team
• Time is short and recovery is hard; quick resolution is important
• Chat session Agenda item on teamwork
– Recommend resolution from within the team
• Instructor will intervene as necessary and as required
– Formal Feedback from each member of the team, a
requirement for grading.
• Individual grade can be different (lower) for poor teamwork per
formal feedback
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16. MS Sustainability Management
Online
• Feedback Form • Real Feedback
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17. MS Sustainability Management
Online
• Project Completed
– LEED Certification for a
commercial real-life building in CA
– Team worked with a company
sponsor
– Team made a fine final capstone
presentation to our Faculty (Dean,
Chair and others)
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18. MS Sustainability Management
Online
• Challenges
- Students from across the country
with time differences
- Students who have not completely
been with the cohort for all courses
- Cultural and communication
differences
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19. MS Sustainability Management
Online
• Support to the Team Members
• Instructor‟s encouragement and talking-up why
teamwork is important
• Reflects most of real world environment
• Remote working is the new norm
• Instructor‟s unwavering support and availability
(phone calls, emails)
• Instructor‟s offer to intervene and meet only with
team
• Do not take sides but be objective
• Reflect on the positives of working together
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20. Q&A
What advice would you
have from your group online
projects?
20
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