Group activities are a frequently used strategy in online courses. They help to overcome the sense of isolation that students often develop and provide opportunities for interactivity and active learning. According to Ko and Rossen (2004), group activities can be effective strategies in classes of any size. Mixing individual and group assignments can provide a variety of contexts for learning and building skills. They can be informal or highly structured.

• Organizing groups—instructors should play an active role in organizing groups. Students usually find it difficult, confusing, time-consuming, and irritating to work out groupings on their own, especially online.
• Size—determined by the assignment. While groups of ten to twelve are fine for discussions, they may be too large for complex assignments requiring a high degree of collaboration.
• Duration—try to maintain group composition for the duration of the course. It takes time for groups to develop a working dynamic. Frequent changes waste time and can cause frustration and inefficiency.
• Group roles—assign and rotate roles (leader, recorder, etc.).
• Communication—state the venues available for group communications (e-mail, asynchronous group discussion area, synchronous chats, file-exchange area, etc.)
• Supervision—direct instructor supervision and grading of individual group members helps to avoid unequal efforts or uncooperative behavior. It is reassuring to students.
• Guidelines, goals, objectives, and timelines—collaboration doesn't just happen. Clearly articulate what the end product of the groups' assignment or project is to be, how it is to be delivered, and how it will be assessed.