I’m a big fan of drawing slips of paper for randomly-assigned group works. I also love notecards. The pandemic has forced me to find new solutions to communicating different discussion activities. Cue the Google Doc Round Robin.

Round Robin (the game, not the burger joint) involves each person contributing a little in one spot and then moving on to a new position or objective. In ping pong, this is done by hitting the ball once and then quickly moving to the right, circling the table. I applied this approach to a series of Google docs in my health communication class. We did it to explore the process of creating campaigns for a variety of different audiences. This activity could really be applied to any class topic that can be completed in stages — in-person, as long as each individual has a computer, or through a virtual platform with breakout rooms.

Prep Work for the Google docs

1. Before class, decide how many different groups you would like to have. I opted for five clusters for my class of 17.
2. Create the same number of Google docs. Include a distinct header and a file name for each one.
3. Write out your scenario (or whatever you will differentiate between the groups).
4. Number and state the objective of each stage. Copy and paste into all of the Google docs. In other words, most of the worksheet is the same, with the variable listed at the top.
5. On our D2L site, I created a submodule for the in-class activity with online resources and links to the 5 Google docs.

Running the Activity

1. Split the class into groups or have them form their own groups. On Zoom, you could set up break out rooms.
2. Assign each group a different Google doc. Explain the activity, emphasizing that they should only complete one stage and stop. List out the rotation for the class.
3. Have each group start at step 1, reading the tasks and doing necessary research. While the groups are working, you can bring up all of the Google docs on your own computer and see the class progress.
4. After a set time (5-7 minutes), have each group stop and rotate to the next Google doc.

Doc 1–Doc 2–Doc 3–Doc 4–Doc 5–Doc 1

5. Use this format and rotation as the groups move through the docs and through the steps, building on what the groups before them have written in the docs.
6. On the last step, have the groups summarize their current Google doc, briefly presenting the ideas to the class.

With this approach, students are working both within their groups and with the whole class to complete the activity. It is also easy to monitor which groups may need help since you can access the docs at the same time. For my class, it was a nice break from our usual discussions and prompted them to work together. This activity could be modified for a variety of disciplines, keeping the concept of each group or individual contributing a little to create the whole. Of course, you may not be able to work the Rock into your scenarios.