Relationship Building in Breakout Groups

This chapter explores how a digitally designed course created room for personal relationship building using breakout groups as the learning arena. Lectures on theory were given in a virtual classroom, and following this, the participants cooperated in breakout groups, practicing career counseling skills. A dialogical approach to teaching was made possible through the chat and raise-hand functions and through group work, where the teachers were facilitators. Evaluations of the course show the importance of a smart course design with longer breaks, clear communication through dialogue and the value of keeping the same participants in the same breakout groups over time. The findings show that relationships can be built efficiently between participants in breakout groups when key aspects of teaching are present. Networking, a possibility in a physical course context, was impeded or even absent when the course was moved to a digital platform.