Teaching and Learning with Virtual Teams

The growth of e-learning and distance education today creates an increasingly pressing need for research and writing on the pedagogy of e-learning. Teams are, or should be, an integral component of e-learning. Teaching and Learning with Virtual Teams develops this concept by investigating many issues around teams in the virtual and hybrid classroom, bringing a variety of current research and practice on the subject of virtual and collaborative teams in teaching and learning together in a single accessible source. The issues covered by this book include, but are not limited to, theoretical models, pedagogy of e-learning, virtual team design and management, collaborative learning, and strategies for effectiveness in teaching and learning. These issues are considered in virtual or online classes as well as an added pedagogical element in traditional classes."

About the Author :
Sharmila Pixy Ferris (PhD, the Pennsylvania State University, 1995) is an Associate Professor in the Interpersoanl Concentration of the Department of Communication at William Paterson University. With a Master's in English and a Bachelor's in Psychology, Dr. Ferris brings an interdisciplinary focus to her research in computer-mediated communication. This relatively new field builds on an investigation of the potentials and innovations introduced to the field of communication by new computer technologies. Within the broader area of computer-mediated communication, Dr. Ferris studies gender, small groups, orality and literacy, and adoption patterns. She is an experienced consultant, and has worked with regional, national and multi-national corporations to conduct diversity training as well as workshops in communication skills, leadership, and teamwork. She has been published in a variety of journals including Qualitative Research Reports, The New Jersey Journal of Communication, The Electronic Journal of Communication, Interpersonal Computing and Technology, The Journal of Electronic Publishing and Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine. Susan Hayes Godar is Associate Professor and Chairperson in the Department of Marketing & Management Sciences at the Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business, William Paterson University. Her research, primarily on virtual groups, the ethics of mobile commerce, and marketing practices, has appeared in such journals as Journal of International Management, Industrial Marketing Management, Services Marketing Quarterly, and Teaching Business Ethics. She is currently the Section Editor (e-Marketing) for Marketing Education Review Electronic Teaching Resources. Dr. Godar has served as a consultant to numerous companies and organizations in the aviation industry, and has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board. Prior to joining academe, she marketed helicopters and light airplanes. Professor Godar holds a BA in Sociology from Creighton University, an MBA from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. in International Business from Temple University.