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Module 1 emphasised Group working, specifically in an electronic conferencing environment, for which the First Class conferencing software was provided.
Having worked extensively in groups through my career in the Army I looked forward to partaking in group exercises, and hoped others would also be as keen to get involved.
However, the group environment that the course utilised was non hierachical, communicated remotely and by an asynchronous method. These factors made the situation unfamiliar to me and led to quite some considerable frustrations on my part. My prior perceptions were that the electronic conferencing environment would be easy to use and quite effective for group working. I felt as any messages posted would utilise forthought and thereforebe more considered. Also I believed the asynchronous nature of such communication would allow each person an equal opportunity to put across their point. However much of this was disproved by ongoing group work exercises.
The texts provided regarding the issue of group work pointed out issues such as the possible requirement for coordination within the group from an appointed individual. No such individual was appointed although a few appeared to me to want to take the lead, but such was the apparent apathy within the group that their efforts were not recognised. In this case nobody was aware of each others backgrounds, skill or weaknesses, which made it difficult for a natural leader to emerge.There was so little in the way of regular contibutions to the group that at one stage I thought the conferencing software was not working.
Our group followed the development process as the course material suggested by forming , storming, norming and performing.
I became aware quite early on in the group forming process of the frustrating aspects in working in the remote group environment, and due personal circumstances not allowing me to get regular sufficient access to the Internet (and therefore to the group), I felt I missed out somewhat in the initial group formation. This may have led to later frustrations on my part in not being able to establish proper realations within the group in order to complete an exercise we were given.
