Guidance Teams for Online Classes
Cam Caldwell
Assistant Professor of Management
One of the successful innovations that seems to be working
well with my current online Leadership course [Fall 03] is
the establishment of a Guidance Team – an organizational
support system outlined in Joiner & Associates The Team
Handbook. This PowerPoint
Presentation summarizes the role of the Guidance Team
as a key support function.
The Guidance Team formalizes the charter of each team that
is created in an organization. That charter identifies the
purpose of the team, the tasks that it is assigned to work
on, time frames when assignments are due, and expectations
about reporting to the Guidance Team.
In the online Leadership course the Guidance Team has been
involved in the following tasks:
- Overseeing class governance, addressing student concerns,
advocating those concerns in weekly meetings, and solving
problems as those problems arise.
- Determining the percentage of weighting for class assignments.
- Identifying and extending time frames for assignments,
as needed.
- Making recommendations regarding each assignment –
resulting in two assignments being reclassified as “Extra
Credit” opportunities and changing the final from
four essay questions to two essay questions.
- Monitoring the progress of class teams, and assisting
individuals and teams during the semester.
- Providing the class with a weekly update re: the Guidance
Team Agenda, Minutes of each meeting, and information for
students to help teams to be successful.
- Evaluating procedural and logistical opportunities to
improve communication, such as the process used in posting
information online, the creation of icons for individual
assignments, and more effective use of the Assignment Drop
Box.
- Critiquing suggestions from students to improve the class,
and determining how to implement good ideas.
Our Guidance Team meetings have been open to any and all
student visitors. The meetings are held each Wednesday at
8:30 p.m. in a class Chat Room. One of the students has accepted
the position of Guidance Team Leader. As Instructor, I accepted
the role as Team Facilitator and Coach.
Our meetings are informal in tone, although we adhere closely
to our agenda. The meetings have ranged from thirty minutes
to over an hour in length. The student Guidance Team members
seem to be highly motivated. They are each excellent students
and seem to be highly committed to the success of the class
– in addition to learning and to serving others.
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