Dear Frontal Lobers —

The purpose of this group is to allow you to discuss, online, the research methods questions and help each other learn research methods.

Let me set a few ground rules and give you some hints for a successful discussion.

You have a time limit. Post promptly and check and reply often. You may wish to arrange your schedule (slightly) so you have two or three chances during the day to check the forum and reply.

Using the forum (bulletin board) is best. I’ve given you group email and a group chat room. The forum is best because once something is posted its there and cannot be lost (like an email). The chat works sometimes but most groups misuse it by a few people arbitrarily setting a time for the group to chat which does not include everyone. The chat function works the best when two or three people who have been given a sub-task get together and chat.

Facilitators. I’ve assigned Justine and Keisha as co-facilitators. A facilitator is not a leader and has no special responsibility. A facilitator provides structure (e.g. timetables, tasks) once the group has identified its goals. A facilitator should not provide goals or a direction to the group – those should come from the group itself. A facilitator is not a disciplinarian. My purpose for assigning a facilitator is to just remove the doubt of a common feeling, “who should take charge?”

This is a group activity so you should use your individual activity blogs. Also, you will do peer credit report.
Individual Activity Blog
Each student will be given an individual activity blog (IAB). Use it to document your work on the group project. This will time stamp your work. Making false entries on your IAB constitutes a violation of academic integrity.
Peer Credit Report
Upon completion of this group project, you will submit a Peer Credit Report (PCR). The PCR is simple. You will estimate the contribution of each member of the group to the project and tell me if you think someone’s contribution is so low that their grade needs to be reduced. This information will allow me to fairly and accurately grade students’ work on group projects.

Clinkers. I know from experience that a few students will only half-heatedly participate in this project — even with the threat of the PCRs affecting their grades. In the past, groups have let clinkers slow them down. All I can do is warn you.

Don’t let the non-participation of some students slow you down or make you believe that the group is not working. I’ve seen groups in the past let the clinkers set a group norm of not participating. Participate. Post. Ask questions. Interact. That’s the norm for a successful group.

I’ve tried to spread the clinkers across the groups evenly. Of course, I can only guess who a clinker can be, but I think I’ve made the groups so there is a core of 3 or 4 good students.

Best wishes,

Dr Ashton

Clinkers are pieces of ash that were not cleaned out of a coal furnace. They didn’t burn and they took up space in the furnace thus prevent coal, which would burn, from being in the furnace.

Frontal lobe? I don’t give groups names like A, B etc or 1, 2 ect. Research has shown than the people in group A get more A’s than the people in Group B (who get more B’s) etc.