Online Classes: Virtual Team Aspects

WHAT?

This semester, I have chosen to take Accounting 211 online through my community college back home,

Northern Virginia Community College. This class is required for business majors, and I had heard that it is easier to understand when taking it online rather than through a lecture style classroom. In this class, one of the requirements is to work within an assigned group and communcate to eachother through email by posting on the discussion board forum.  On the discussion board form, we write about case studies that we read in each chapter and then respond to eachothers' posts. This leads to a discussion within our assigned group, and we are graded on the points we make during our posts and entries and how we have evaluated each case study.
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SO WHAT?
These online groups are perfect examples of Virtual Teams, a type of group we recently read about in leadership class. According to chapter 15 in the textbook, virtual teams are teams "whose member interactions are mediated by time, distance, and technology" (Levi, 259). The chapter discusses how virtual teams can be both beneficial and harmful. Virtual groups usually have improved technological communication (email, cell phone, chat rooms), but they can also lead to isolation and lack of social relations due to no face-to-face communication. I have never met any of my group members because I am so far from Northern Virginia, but have only communicated to them through the forums and email. When our group formed, we were not cohesive at all and showed very poor communication skills. Some group members were not checking their email or doing their part by posting on the forums. An act known as "flaming" or offensive message posting online may occur as well because of the increased level of anonymity in the group. In the chapter, some of these communication setbacks are what were listed as the disadvantages of Virtual Teams There is also always the risk of miscommunication through improper interpretation of emails and forum posts. 

NOW WHAT?
 Using the Knowledge I have gained from reading this chapter, I want to make sure my group improves its' communication, doesn't remain isolated, and establishes some sort of social connection with eachother so that we aren't so anonymous to one another (more than knowing just the group members name and email). I plan on doing this in a creative way, such as creating a Google Document that requires any contact information group members are willing to give out, and possibly some background about each group member. I also will personally never use any offensive or langauge that may be miscommunicated, and hope that the group reaches an understanding of what language to use when sending emails and posting on the forums. If the group continues to improve our communication and itneraction with eachother, I believe we can all receive very good grades on the case study forums and portray the beneficial side of Virtual Teams.