When designing eWorkshops in Moodle, I never use the groups setting in forums. The ‘groups’ setting means that participants can only see the work done by their own team. Instead, I create a separate forum for each team. Learners are not blocked from accessing other teams’ work.
This often surprises fellow e-course designers.
I’m sometimes challenged for keeping the forums open and visible to all. What’s the point, other designers say, if learners can just copy the work of their peers?
Others think it’s an oversight. Perhaps I am not aware of the group setting? I then have to explain it’s not an oversight but a strategic design decision.
So why then should we NOT hide the other teams in participatory eWorkshops?
Tags: Collaborative eLearning • eLearning Design • eLearning Development • eWorkshops • Instructional Design • Moodle • online group work • online team work