The Management and Coordination of Virtual Teams in Large Classes: Facilitating Experiential Learning

Abstract

The management and coordination of classroom teaching continues to be a challenge, particularly as enrollment trends suggest that class sizes are growing. In the past, many faculty have divided their large classes into smaller groups to incorporate experiential exercises. In this article, we discuss the challenges of managing an experiential exercise featuring a large number of teams in a virtual setting. These challenges include (a) coordinating class communication with a large number of teams, (b) managing teams and facilitating team communication and trust, (c) managing virtual team performance and instructor feedback throughout the experiential exercise, and (d) managing and evaluating student engagement. We also provide practical suggestions for management educators on how to address each challenge based on insight gleaned from our years of experience using virtual teams in large classes. Finally, we highlight avenues for future research in the area of virtual teams and large class size teaching.

Our Pedagogical Epiphanies: Moments of Clarity in Our Teaching Practice That Created Windows for Change

“…In fact, it was not even one of my learning objectives. Previous research argues that “the use of teams in large classes to encourage active learning is well-documented” (O’Connor et al, 2021, p. 743). It just did not seem logistically feasible to coordinate teamwork or team assignments with 120+ students in a large lecture hall.…”

“…The breakout rooms—during class time—enabled me to introduce teamwork into the course, as well as apply a scaffolding approach (e.g., Puntambekar & Hubscher, 2005; Reiser, 2004; Rosenshine & Meister, 1992; Wood et al, 1976) to complete the team project. The deliverables submitted after each work session and the individual team member evaluations at the end of the project (O’Connor et al, 2021) also fostered accountability and served as useful and motivating tactics to keep many group members engaged in the breakout room meetings.…”

“…That said, I am in my Zoom office during our allotted class time to meet with students who have questions about the course material (another moment of clarity, in how I can make a large class feel small). In fact, regular virtual office hours and “multiple sets of office hours” (O’Connor et al, 2021, p. 750) can aid in facilitating feedback to virtual teams or team representatives. When we have remote synchronous classes, we all meet on Zoom for live class meetings.…”

Strategies for Developing Trust in Virtual Project Teams

“…Information and communication technology advances have contributed to the increased popularity of the VPT [6]. When it comes to virtual teams, technology can be a valuable tool, which enables group members to communicate effectively [6,10,11]. The choice of the communication medium affects the social dynamics within virtual teams [13].…”

The 2022 Roethlisberger Award: Experiential Learning and Large Class Size as Themes of the Year

“…It is worth noting the next three highest-ranked articles during the award selection process, not only because these authors also deserve recognition for their contribution to the field, but also because the themes of these papers (i.e., large class size, experiential learning, faculty burnout) mirror those in the award recipient. Experiential learning and large class sizes continued to take center stage in work by Nadine Page, Amanda Nimon-Peters, and Alexander Urquhart (2021) in their article “Big Need Not Be Bad: A Case Study of Experiential Leadership in Development in Different-Sized Classes,” as well as for Christina O’Connor, Kenneth Mullane, and Denise Luethge (2021) in their article “The Management and Coordination of Virtual Teams in Large Classes: Facilitating Experiential Learning.” The first of these specifically addresses leadership development while the second centers on virtual student experiences. The third runner-up was the article titled “Shedding Light on Restorative Spaces and Faculty Well-Being” written by Nicholas Rhew, David Jones, Linda Sama, Sarah Robinson, Victor Friedman, and Mark Egan (2021).…”