Teaching with Online Collaboration Tools: U-M Faculty Examples

This page features innovative uses of online collaboration tools (OCTs) for teaching and course management. You can browse the full list or use the search criteria to find the examples most relevant to you. Click on any title for a full description or use the Links to watch short videos of faculty describing their teaching strategies and see examples. For a summary of practical recommendations for effectively implementing OCTs in one's teaching, see CRLT's Occasional Paper No. 31: Teaching in the Cloud: Leveraging Online Collaboration Tools to Enhance Student Engagement.
Online Collaboration Tool Title Faculty Name & Discipline Course Type Links
Google Sites Providing Alternatives to Traditional Writing and Speaking Assignments with Collaborative Websites George Hoffmann
Romance Languages and Literatures
Discussion
Blogger Increasing Student Interaction in a Large Course via Blogging Robin Queen
Linguistics
Lecture
Blogger
Wordpress
Blogging as a Way to Support Student Dialogue and Critical Engagement Melanie Yergeau
English
Discussion
Box Improving Team Projects Through Cloud-Based Storage and Collaboration Melissa Gross
Kinesiology
Studio
CTools wiki Coordinating Multiple GSIs Using a Course Wiki James Morrow
Political Science
Lecture
Google Docs
Google Spreadsheets
Google+ Hangouts
Google Forms
Managing a Large Course Using Google Apps Jeff Ringenberg
Engineering
Lecture
Google Docs
Google Drawings
Google Forms
Enhancing Small Group Discussions in a Large Lecture with Google Docs and Google Forms Mika LaVaque-Manty
Political Science
Lecture
Google Docs Crowdsourcing Study Guide and Exam Question Development Using Google Docs Margherita Fontana
Carlos González-Cabezas
Dentistry
Lecture
Google Docs
Google Drawings
Google Forms
Enhancing Small Group Discussions in a Large Lecture with Google Docs and Google Forms Mika LaVaque-Manty
Political Science
Lecture
Google Drawings Improving Teamwork Through Online Synchronous Discussions Robin Fowler
Engineering
Lecture
Google Forms Using Google Forms to Clarify Difficult Concepts in Large Courses Pamela Davis-Kean
Psychology
Lecture
Google Docs
Google Spreadsheets
Google+ Hangouts
Google Forms
Managing a Large Course Using Google Apps Jeff Ringenberg
Engineering
Lecture
Google Docs
Google Drawings
Google Forms
Enhancing Small Group Discussions in a Large Lecture with Google Docs and Google Forms Mika LaVaque-Manty
Political Science
Lecture
Google Docs
Google Spreadsheets
Google+ Hangouts
Google Forms
Managing a Large Course Using Google Apps Jeff Ringenberg
Engineering
Lecture
Google Docs
Google Spreadsheets
Google+ Hangouts
Google Forms
Managing a Large Course Using Google Apps Jeff Ringenberg
Engineering
Lecture
Piazza Crowdsourcing Q&A to Engage Students: Efficiently Answering Students' Questions in a Large Course Trisha Wittkopp
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Lecture
Sitemaker Crowdsourcing Learning: Students Collaboratively Analyze and Annotate Course Materials Benjamin Paloff
Slavic Languages and Literatures & Comparative Literature
Discussion
Wikipedia Editing Wikipedia to Improve Writing to a General Audience Anne McNeil
Chemistry
Discussion
Blogger
Wordpress
Blogging as a Way to Support Student Dialogue and Critical Engagement Melanie Yergeau
English
Discussion