We tend to make teamwork compulsory once it’s decided that an e-workshop is the way to go.
Note: We don’t take this decision lightly. eWorkshops are one type of e-learning delivery which have fantastic results, provided certain conditions are met in terms of subject area and target group. To read more about this, go to this page which explains eWorkshop design in a nutshell.
Why do we make teamwork compulsory? If people can decide whether they participate or not in some of the activities, the learning event falls over.
Teamwork forms the backbone of eWorkshops. The model has been specifically designed to establish, nurture and promote collaborative eLearning. We take the “work” in eWorkshops seriously. The tasks are not mere discussions. There is heaps of communication, yet the discussions are a means to an end. And the “end” is exciting.
In practice there are always a few participants who don’t participate in some of the activities because of circumstances beyond their control, but it should be clear that it is not a decision they make upfront.
Folks who don’t like working in teams don’t join eWorkshops. It’s like turning up for a face-to-face workshop and sitting in a corner with headphones on and refusing to say a word.
The clarity around these expectations as well as our great efforts to make the team tasks hugely engaging and supported by terrific e-facilitators, explain the very high participation/completion rates – which are very unusual in the e-learning sector, to say the least.
