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Problem Solving, Team Conflict and Large Enrollment in Online Courses: Research and Design

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multidisciplinary seeking solutions
Seeking Solutions @Oregon State University

Core Education at Oregon State University launched summer 2025 and is designed to deepen how students think about problem-solving in ways that transcend disciplinary-specific approaches. It aims at preparing students to be adaptive, proactive members of society who are ready to take on any challenge, solve any problem, advance in their chosen career and help build a better world (Oregon State University Core Education, 2025).


Designing Seeking Solutions Signature Core category courses presents a few challenges, such as the nature of wicked problems, cross-discipline teamwork, and the global impact of wicked problems, to name just a few. In the past eight months, instructional designers at Oregon State University Ecampus have worked intensively to identify design challenges, brainstorm course design approaches, discuss research on teamwork and related topics, and draft guidelines and recommendations in preparation for the upcoming Seeking Solutions course development projects. Here is a list of the key topics we reviewed in the past few months.
1. Wick Problems
2. Team conflict
3. Online Large Enrollment Courses

Next, I will share summaries of research articles reviewed and implications for instructional design work for each of the above topics. 

Wicked Problems

A wicked problem, also knowns as ill-structure problem or grand challenge, is a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve due to its complex and ever-changing nature. Research suggests that wicked problems must have high levels of three dimensions: complexity, uncertainty and value divergence. Complexity can take many forms but often involves the need for interdisciplinary reasoning and systems with multiple interacting variables. Uncertainty typically refers to how difficult it is to predict the outcome of attempts to address wicked problems. Value divergence refers particularly to wicked problems having stakeholders with fundamentally incompatible worldviews. It is the presence of multiple stakeholders in wicked problems with incompatible viewpoints that marks the shift from complex to super complex. (Veltman, Van Keulen, and Voogt, 2019; Head, 2008)
The Seeking Solutions courses expect students to “wrestle with complex, multifaceted problems, and work to solve them and/or evaluate potential solutions from multiple points of view”. Supporting student learning using wicked problems involves designing activities with core elements that reflect the messiness of these types of problems. McCune et al. (2023) from University of Edinburgh interviewed 35 instructors teaching courses covering a broad range of subject areas. 20 instructors teaching practices focused on wicked problems, while the other 15 instructors whose teaching did not relate to wicked problems. The research goal is to understand how higher education teachers prepare students to engage with “wicked problems”—complex, ill-defined issues like climate change and inequality with unpredictable consequences. The research question is “Which ways of thinking and practicing foster effective student learning about wicked problems?” The article recommended four core learning aspects essential for addressing wicked problems from their study:
1. Interdisciplinary negotiation: Students must navigate and integrate different disciplinary epistemologies and values.
2. Embracing complexity/messiness: Recognizing uncertainty and non linear problem boundaries as part of authentic learning.
3. Engaging diverse perspectives: Working with multiple stakeholders and value systems to develop consensus-building capacities.
4. Developing “ways of being”: Cultivating positional flexibility, uncertainty tolerance, ethical awareness, and communication across differences


Applications for instructional designers: 

As instructional designers work very closely with course developers, instructors, and faculty, they contribute significantly to the design of Seeking Solutions courses. Here are a few instructional design recommendations regarding wicked problems from instructional designers on our team:
• Provide models or structures such as systems thinking for handling wicked problems.
• Assign students to complete the Identity Wheel activity and reflect on how their different identities shape their views of the wicked problems or shifts based on contextual factors. (resources on The Identity Wheel, Social Wheel, and reflection activities).
• Provide activities early in the course to train students on how to work and communicate in teams; to take different perspectives and viewpoints.
• Create collaborative activities regarding perspective taking.
• Evaluate assessment activities by focusing on several aspects of learning (students’ ability to participate; to solve the problem; grading the students on the ability to generate ideas, to offer different perspectives, and to collaborate; evaluation more on the process than the product, and self-reflection). 

Team Conflict and Teamwork

“A central goal of this category is to have students wrestle with complex, multifaceted problems, and evaluate potential solutions from multiple points of view” (OSU Core Education, 2025). Working in teams provides an opportunity for teammates to learn from each other. However, teamwork is not always a straightforward and smooth collaboration. It can involve different opinions, disagreements, and conflict. While disagreements and differences can be positive for understanding others’ perspectives when taken respectively and rationally; when disagreements are taken poorly, differences in perspectives rises to become conflict and conflict could impact teamwork, morality, and outcomes negatively. Central to Seeking Solutions courses is collaborative teamwork where students will need to learn and apply their skills to work with others, including perspectives taking.

Aggrawal and Magana (2024) conducted a study on the effectiveness of conflict management training guided by principles of transformative learning and conflict management practice simulated via a Large Language Modeling (ChatGPT 3.5).
Fifty-six students enrolled in a systems development course were exposed to conflict management intervention project. The study used the five modes of conflict management based on the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), namely: avoiding, competing, accommodating, compromising, and collaborating. The researchers use a 3-phase (Learn, Practice and Reflect) transformative learning pedagogy. 

  • Learn phase: The instructor begins with a short introduction; next, students watch a youtube video (duration 16:16) on conflict resolution. The video highlighted two key strategies for navigating conflict situations: (1) refrain from instantly perceiving personal attacks, and (2) cultivate curiosity about the dynamics of difficult situations. 
  • Practice phase: students practice conflict management with a simulation scenario using ChatGPT 3.5. Students received detailed guidance on using ChatGPT 3.5. 
  • Reflect phase: students reflect on this session with guided questions provided by the instructor. 

The findings indicate 65% of the students significantly increased in confidence in managing conflict with the intervention. The three most frequently used strategies for managing conflict were identifying the root cause of the problem, actively listening, and being specific and objective in explaining their concerns. 


Application for Instructional Design

Providing students with opportunities to practice handling conflict is important for increasing their confidence in conflict management. Such learning activities should have relatable conflicts like roommate disputes, group project tension, in the form of role-play or simulation where students are given specific roles and goals, with structured after-activity reflection to guide students to process what happened and why, focusing on key conflict management skills such as I-messages, de-escalation, and reframing, and within safe environment.

Problem Solving

Creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication—commonly referred to as the 4Cs essential for the future—are widely recognized as crucial skills that college students need to develop. Creative problem solving plays a vital role in teamwork, enabling teams to move beyond routine solutions, respond effectively to complexity, and develop innovative outcomes—particularly when confronted with unfamiliar or ill-structured problems. Oppert et al. (2022) found that top-performing engineers—those with the highest levels of knowledge, skills, and appreciation for creativity—tended to work in environments that foster psychological safety, which in turn supports and sustains creative thinking. Lim et al. (2014) proposed to provide students with real-world problems. Lee et al. (2009) suggest to train students on fundamental concepts and principles through a design course. Hatem and Ferrara (2001) suggest using creative writing activities to boost creative thinking among medical students. 

Application for Instructional Designers

We recommend on including an activity to train students on conflict resolution, as a warm-up activity before students work on actual course activities that involve teamwork and perspective taking. Also, it will be helpful to create guidelines and resources that students can use for managing conflict, and add these resources to teamwork activities.

Large Enrollment Online Courses

Teaching large enrollment science courses online presents a unique set of challenges that require careful planning and innovative strategies. Large online classes often struggle with maintaining student engagement, providing timely and meaningful feedback, and facilitating authentic practice. These challenges underscore the need for thoughtful course design and pedagogical approaches in designing large-scale online learning environments.

Mohammed and team (2021) assessed the effectiveness of interactive multimedia elements in improving learning outcomes in online college-level courses, by surveying 2111 undergraduates at Arizona State University. Results show frequently reported factors that increase student anxiety online were technological issues (69.8%), proctored exams (68%), and difficulty getting to know other students. More than 50% of students reported at least moderate anxiety in the context of online college science courses. Students commonly reported that the potential for personal technology issues (69.8%) and proctored exams (68.0%) increased their anxiety, while being able to access content later (79.0%) and attending class from where they want (74.2%), and not having to be on camera where the most reported factors decreased their anxiety. The most common ways that students suggested that instructors could decrease student anxiety is to increase test-taking flexibility (25.0%) and be understanding (23.1%) and having an organized course. This study provides insight into how instructors can create more inclusive online learning environments for students with anxiety. 

Applications for Instructional Design

What we can do to help reduce student anxieties in large online courses:
1. Design task reminders for instructors, making clear that the instructor and the school care about student concerns.
2. Design Pre-assigned student groups if necessary
3. Design warm up activities to help students get familiar with their group members quickly.
4. Design students preferences survey in week 1.
5. Design courses that Make it easy for students to seek and get help from instructors.

As Ecampus moves forward with course development, these evidence-based practices will support the instructional design work to create high-quality online courses that provide students with the opportunities to develop, refine, and apply skills to navigate uncertainty, engage diverse viewpoints, and contribute meaningfully to a rapidly changing world. Ultimately, the Seeking Solutions initiative aligns with OSU’s mission to cultivate proactive global citizens, ensuring that graduates are not only career-ready but also prepared to drive positive societal change. 

Conclusions

Instructional design for solution-seeking courses requires thoughtful course design that addresses perspective taking, team collaboration, team conflict, problem solving, and possibly large enrollments. Proactive conflict resolution frameworks, clear team roles, and collaborative tools help mitigate interpersonal challenges, fostering productive teamwork. Additionally, integrating structured problem-solving approaches (e.g., design thinking, systems analysis) equips students to tackle complex, ambiguous “wicked problems” while aligning course outcomes with real-world challenges. Together, these elements ensure a robust, adaptable curriculum that prepares students for dynamic problem-solving and sustains long-term program success.


References

Aggrawal, S., & Magana, A. J. (2024). Teamwork Conflict Management Training and Conflict Resolution Practice via Large Language Models. Future Internet, 16(5), 177-. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi16050177


Bikowski, D. (2022). Teaching large-enrollment online language courses: Faculty perspectives and an emerging curricular model. System. Volume 105 


Head, B. (2008). Wicked Problems in Public Policy. Public Policy, 3 (2): 101–118.


McCune, V., Tauritz, R., Boyd, S., Cross, A., Higgins, P., & Scoles, J. (2023). Teaching wicked problems in higher education: ways of thinking and practising. Teaching in Higher Education, 28(7), 1518–1533. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2021.1911986


Mohammed, T. F., Nadile, E. M., Busch, C. A., Brister, D., Brownell, S. E., Claiborne, C. T., Edwards, B. A., Wolf, J. G., Lunt, C., Tran, M., Vargas, C., Walker, K. M., Warkina, T. D., Witt, M. L., Zheng, Y., & Cooper, K. M. (2021). Aspects of Large-Enrollment Online College Science Courses That Exacerbate and Alleviate Student Anxiety. CBE Life Sciences Education, 20(4), ar69–ar69. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-05-0132

Oppert ML, Dollard MF, Murugavel VR, Reiter-Palmon R, Reardon A, Cropley DH, O’Keeffe V. A Mixed-Methods Study of Creative Problem Solving and Psychosocial Safety Climate: Preparing Engineers for the Future of Work. Front Psychol. 2022 Feb 18;12:759226. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.759226. PMID: 35250689; PMCID: PMC8894438.


Veltman, M., J. Van Keulen, and J. Voogt. (2019). Design Principles for Addressing Wicked Problems Through Boundary Crossing in Higher Professional Education. Journal of Education and Work, 32 (2): 135–155. doi:10.1080/13639080.2019.1610165.

Peer Review: Providing a Rationale for the Process

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As online educators, we strive for a balance of learning activities that incorporate three types of engagement: learner-to-content, learner-to-instructor, and learner-to-learner.  The learner-to-learner component is often filled through discussion boards or group projects, but an underutilized and undervalued option is peer review.

The Rationale

There are many ways peer review benefits students, among them Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation lists:

  • Empower students to take responsibility for and manage their own learning.
  • Enable students to learn to assess and give others constructive feedback to develop lifelong assessment skills.
  • Enhance students’ learning through knowledge diffusion and exchange of ideas.
  • Motivate students to engage with course material more deeply.

More broadly, the authors of The Knowledge Illusion argue that our individual capacity for knowledge is often much more limited than we realize and that our true depth of knowledge is held collectively.  They remind us that, “when you put it all together, human thought is incredibly impressive.  But it is a product of a community, not of any individual alone” (page 5).  In our increasingly complex world, some evidence of a shift towards building knowledge collectively can be seen in research. For example, in the MEDLINE database, “the average number of authors per article has nearly quadrupled from about 1.5 in 1950 to 5.5 in 2014” (page 226).  This is just one of many examples the authors use to illustrate how essential collaboration and relationship skills have become.  In nearly every field, students need to be prepared to be more than individual achievers, but rather to contribute effectively to a group.  Peer review provides students an opportunity to give and receive feedback with the goal of creating a better end product, but it is also an opportunity for students to practice and build their teamwork skills.

Moreover, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standard 3b emphasizes the need for students to, “evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.”  Peer review is a great way for us to meet this standard and to combat against misinformation, by teaching students to evaluate and challenge claims.  In Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era author Daniel J. Levitin shares strategies for how we can think more critically and evaluate the trustworthiness of what we are being told.  He notes that, “sometimes the people giving you the facts are hoping you’ll draw the wrong conclusion; sometimes they don’t know the difference themselves” (page xx).  If your students are in either of these groups, it benefits them to have an attentive reader review their work and provide respectful suggestions for improvement prior to a final assignment submission.  This may help you as the instructor to avoid catching errors too late in the process when students cannot revise their work.

The Explanation

However, students may not see the value of peer review on their own.  The Teaching Center at Washington University in St. Louis describes many reasons students may express uncertainty around peer review as, “Many students do not perceive feedback from peers as relevant to the process… students are likely to assume that it is only the instructor’s feedback that ‘counts.’”  Therefore, it is important that we explain to students why we are asking them to engage in peer review explicitly.

It can be helpful to explain specifically how this will relate to industry or field of study requirements as a student advances as a professional and scholar – it looks different for a researcher than it does for a project manager, so motivate students by sharing with them how they will engage in similar activities in the future as this gives them an opportunity to practice what Starting Point: Teaching Entry Level Geoscience describes as, “key skills such as abstracting, developing arguments, describing, assessing, criticizing, analyzing, and reviewing.”  As Faculty Focus advises, we can’t assume that students will implicitly understand the purpose of peer review.  When we craft a peer review assignment, we need to think carefully about how we will articulate the benefits of the process to students.  It can be helpful to answer questions like, “Why am I having students do this?” and “Why should students be excited about this process?”  Or, to take it a step further, we can anticipate the questions from our students’ perspective and proactively address the purpose and logistics in the assignment description, by answering questions like, “Why am I doing peer review?” and “How am I supposed to review my peer’s work?”  Make sure the technology needed and processes are clear and that resources are provided for students that need more guidance.

The Process

Remember, knowing why students are peer reviewing and being able to peer review are two totally different skills.  If you are an Ecampus instructor, talk with your instructional designer about strategies that can help your peer review process be more successful.  Some of the best practices suggested by Center for Instructional Technology & Training at the University of Florida include:

  • Clarify expectations in advance
  • Check your students have all the tools they will need
  • Provide enough time in the peer review process so that students can meaningfully engage – this may span more than one module
  • Model the type of feedback you want your students to use
  • Create a quality rubric as a guide

Your instructional designer can also talk to you about digital tools or strategies that can be used to introduce students to peer review. For example, you can discuss whether it makes more sense to use Canvas Peer Review or another tool, like Peerceptiv, which is research-validated peer assessment technology available for Ecampus courses.

Remember, students need opportunities to practice peer review, as they may never have done it before.  That means they have to get familiar with both the tools and the process.  It’s best if they can practice with the technology on a low stakes assignment before using it for a high stakes assignment, so that they can familiarize themselves with a peer review process without the added anxiety of a major grade on the line.  It will also take time for you as the instructor to get familiar with the process, but it is a completely worthwhile investment!

I invite you to consider some concluding thoughts from Levitin, “Information gathering and research that used to take anywhere from hours to weeks now takes just seconds… The implicit bargain that we all need to make explicit is that we will use just some of that time we saved in information acquisition to perform proper information verification” (page 253).  Let’s reinvest some of the time our students saved researching to engage them in verifying claims, evaluating evidence, offering commentary, and incorporating feedback – all of which support the development of a stronger student work and the building of a collective knowledge.