The ability to work in groups across
time and space has become a frequent requirement for the workplace and
is becoming increasingly more common in higher education, but there is a
surprising lack of research on how online groups work. This study
applies analytical approaches used in studies of face-to-face classroom
"talk" to multiple groups in two asynchronous online high school
courses. We investigated two activities focused on group problem-solving
styles-one for deciding how to work as a group, and a second for
responding to the content of the assignment. We found successful groups
to have benefited from directive leadership, and the division of labor
amongst most groups to be in parallel rather than collaborative.