8 Ways Project Guides
Provoke Learning
Presented by Jenn Geddes, Kim Marin,
Shanna Johnson, Cheryld Emala, & Troy
Teeter
Overview

What is Coral?
 What are Project Guides?
 What are the 8 Factors of Learning?
 How do they tie together?
 How can this model be adopted into other
classrooms?
Coral: Collaborative On-line
Research and Learning

The collaborative project is an applied research
project of psychology students enrolled in two
different courses at WCU and CUP.
 Students at West Chester University are enrolled
in a Senior Seminar, Dynamics of Small Group
Behavior.
 Students at Clarion are enrolled in Psychology of
Women.
 Project Guides are former students of Coral.
Characteristic of Coral
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Teams based at two
different sites.
Collaborative
Learning.
Teamwork.
Shared goals.
Focused outcomes.
Teams develop a sense
of community.
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Course is consistently
changing.
Interaction &
Feedback.
Faculty & Peer
Guidance.
Constructive Criticism
Use of Technology.
Collaborative Technology
Tools
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Survey of Internet experience
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Web Board (web-based
discussion boards)
Coral Reef (real-time chat
room)
Video Conferencing (ISDN /
ATM)
File Manager
Coral Website
Desktop Video Conferencing:
Laptops with Net meeting
capabilities
On-line Calendars
Coral list-serv
E-Mail
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Web (Discussion) Boards
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Are the primary means of
communication.
Allow asynchronous
communication.
Encourage exchanging team ideas as
well as socializing.
Messages are threaded.
Messages are archived every 2
weeks.
CORAL Reef
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An on-line chat room
Used by teams for synchronous communication
Used on a weekly basis
Teams schedule chats
Video Conferencing
 Is used by students, not faculty.
 Is used for discussion and decision-
making in organizing their
research & collaborative analysis
proposal.
 Assists students in defining ‘teammember roles’. I.e. who is
responsible for various part of the
research proposal.
 Used for synchronous PowerPoint
presentations.
Video Conferencing
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Students’ clarify
asynchronous
misinterpretations.
Share knowledge with distant
site members – content.
Team members settle group
conflict via the face to face
interaction.
Encourages greater cohesion
among sites.
File Manager
Accessible anywhere on the Internet
On-line file managers are used to:
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Edit papers
 Exchange articles
 Stores drafts of papers
 Drafts of PowerPoint presentations
 The file cabinet for each team.
 Share teams communication patterns
Web Cams & Laptops
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Allow students access to CORAL tools, the discussion
boards, file-managers, chat rooms, and websites.
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Desktop video-conferencing via NetMeeting. Purpose –
to contact team members when decisions need to be
made outside of their scheduled class.
On-Line Calendars
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Organize due dates
Are used to schedule chats
Organize team members’ schedules
Organize differences in university schedules (e.g.,
spring breaks).
Project Guide
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Expectations
– Perception of project guide role
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Role: “Guide” not “Direct”
– Interpretive mediator between professors and students
– Start off with more “hands-on” approach and gradually
move “back” (child learning to walk)
– Allow mistakes to occur for learning purposes
– Offer suggestions and feedback to alleviate frustration,
offer guidance
Project Guides Begin to Become
a Role
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Trial and error
Begin to determine what a project guide should do
Help with organization
Focus more on communication and less of writing
style
Communicate with the professors
– Make suggestions as to how to improve class
– Give feedback
Role of Project Guide
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Students’ perception of us
– “Accessible”/non-intimidating resource
– Mediator between professors and students
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Evolution of role
– Hands-on approach
– Students highly reliant on P.G. for guidance and support
– Emphasis shifted from writing style to group dynamics
and effective communication
– Regarded as important resource
Project Guide Responsibilities
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Help team members establish academic and personal
relationships
– Facilitate and encourage team communication
– Discourage perpetuated influence of perceived and
speculated cultural differences
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Highlight individual personality types and encourage utilization of
individual strengths
– Compensate for experiential differences
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ex.(freshman non-major vs. senior psychology major)
Model effective online communication
– Maintain visibility
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Daily web board postings
Presence at video conferences
Presence at chats
Project Guide Responsibilities
cont.
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Provide direction for team members
– Importance of past experience as student in class with
P.G. responsibilities
– Post weekly plan with suggestions
– Help organize team to meet deadlines
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Encourage inactive team members through reinforcing emails
Answer or redirect technology questions
Answer or redirect assignment questions
Offer feedback and suggestions on assignments
Recommend available resources
Proactively offer help
Ways In Which Project Guide
Evoke 8 Factors of Learning
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Developed by Marilla D. Svinicki at the
University of Texas at Austin.
 Project Guides help facilitate learning of
students by means of peer mentoring.
Peer Mentoring aids in….
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Motivation of
students.
Using Prior
Knowledge
Clarifying goals.
Facilitating active
learning.
Deep processing.
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Working with others in
group setting within
sites and across sites
 Use situation variables
of group dynamics.
 Teach self-regulation.
1) Motivation level and
direction
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Motivation is influenced by:
– Utility of the task being learned
– Challenge and interest level of the task
– Expectations for success at the task
– Degree of perceived control by the learner
– Purpose of learning (learning vs grade)
Motivation level and direction
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Project Guides influence student’s
motivation by:
– Assist the task being learned.
– Challenge students to do their best work.
– Setting expectations of performance level.
– Provide direction and positive expectations
based on previous experience in class
2) Learner prior knowledge
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The more you know, the easier you can learn.
 Prior knowledge assists in picking out
important features to learn.
 Prior knowledge determines where and how
things will be stored.
 Misinformation is a barrier to learning.
Acting on Prior Knowledge
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The more the student knows, the easier it is
for them to learn task at hand.
 Use PG’s prior experience enabling students
to utilize it to reach own potential.
 Encourage students to teach each other.
 Build to strengthen prior knowledge ie.
Computer skills.
3) Clarity of goals of learning
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Clear goals.
– make the learning target easier to hit.
– help chart the path to success.
– allow learner to chart progress, which
influences motivation.
Clarifying Goals
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Setting clear goals
 interpret expectations set by faculty for
students
 Faculty takes back seat, while project guides
answer question
 Redirect group when necessary
 Help chart their progress individually or as a
group (WTW & Progress Reports)
4) Degree of active
participation
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Active participation:
– Influences motivation.
– Increases attention.
– Creates an opportunity for practice.
– Gives learner an opportunity for feedback
on understanding.
– Increases the probability of deep
processing.
Degree of Active Participation
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P.G. Increase the level of Active
Participation.
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Influences Motivation Level of Group
Increase individual attention
Gives opportunity for feedback from peers
Increases the probability of deep processing
Entire class is accomplished through active
participation
5) The depth of processing
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Learning can occur at several levels:
– Surface processing equals memorizing.
– Deep processing equals understanding.
 Deep processing involves developing
structural knowledge by making
connections.
 Deeper processed information is retained
longer and used more flexibly.
The Depth of Processing
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Learning occurs at several levels:
– Surface processing equals memorizing.
– Deep processing equals understanding.
 Act of actually performing group communication is
deep processing; “hands-on experience”
– Project Guides help students understand the
foundation principle of group dynamics.
6) The opportunity to work
with others
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Working with others:
– Forces learners to articulate their
knowledge.
– Provides multiple perspectives.
– Provides multiple models of thinking.
– Gives moral support to beginners.
– Provides social reinforcement.
– Exerts social influence on behavior.
The Opportunity To Work With
Others
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Class group dynamics function on working
collaboratively with team members
 Work with students on-site and across sites
 Function by working beside fellow
classmates, peer mentors and faculty
7) The situation present during
learning
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Learning is tied to whatever is present
during initial learning.
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Learning should occur under conditions
linked to real use.
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Varied practice aids in flexible transfer.
Situation Present During
Learning
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Class situation can be linked to the
professional work environment
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Various tools used which are also used in
the professional work environment
8) The degree of selfregulation by the learner
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Learning is a skill that can be learned.
 Self-regulation involves getting control
over:
– Learning strategies
– Motivation and emotion
– Resources
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Self-regulated learners can go on learning
without us.
Degree of Self-Regulation by
the Learner
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Class functions through self-initiative and
intragroup encouragement
 Group members set personal deadlines and
plan project completion time-lines
Suggested Changes
Clarion Mini-Conference
Experience
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Voiced concerns and suggestions
– Change in final project to focus on group dynamics
rather than presenting the final paper
– Start videoconference on the first day of class
– More of a focus on APA format
– Increase of progress reports to focus on the
collaboration process
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Acted as transitional period from student to
project guide
– Adjustments made
Current Guides Suggestion
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Availability of project guides in class
– Presence during class time, videoconferences, chats
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Concentrate second week of class on establishing
relationships between group members
– Geared towards each others strengths and similarities
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Relay and reinforce expectations of work ethic
and responsibilities to excel in class
Suggested Changes cont.
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Project guide’s responsibility for weekly
update of group dynamics
– Observations and suggestions
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Pull away from web board numbers with
greater emphasis on quality
 Separate web board and chats designated
for project guide collaboration
New Project Guides
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Suzy Nichols
 Ashley Lemak