Elliot Patton
Kansai Gaidai University
I have been a university instructor at the University of Alabama (USA), KAIST (Korea), and, since 2011, at Kansai Gaidai in Hirakata, Osaka. My main research interest lies in the application of sociological and psychological research to EFL instruction. At this JALT conference, my KGU colleague, Billunta Carter, and I will be presenting on the results of a survey of university faculty - misprinted as "students" in the guide - that we conducted regarding group cohesion in online courses.
Sessions
Creating and Maintaining Group Cohesion Online
The creation of a cohesive group is essential for a successful classroom. The abrupt transition to online classrooms creates barriers to that cohesion, forcing classroom teachers to adapt or risk losing the positive, encouraging atmosphere they work so hard to create. The survey-based research presented here provides Japanese university students’ perspectives on the group cohesiveness of eLearning cohorts in the COVID-19 era, along with recommendations for increasing the level of cohesiveness in online classes.