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Cooperative Learning An Approach for Large Enrollment Courses Melanie M. Cooper Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 The large enrollment lecture format is, without doubt, one of the most efficient and cost-effectivemethods for informa- tion delivew, Few would arme with the proposition that it is probably not the most ef~cc;jvc method, pa<irularly fnm the viewwoint of the: studcnt. In surh a course finmat the studcnt is in a passive role hardly conducive to learning. Be- cause it is unlikely that the large lecture format will be re- placed at many Atitutions in the near future, it becomes particularly important to search for teaching methods that will counteract the student passivity and place the student in a more active learning environment. One such method in- volves cooperative learning. Cooperative learning is an instructional technique whereby students work together in small fixed groups on a structured task. Its beginnings were in pre-college educa- tion, hut there is now considerable evidence that coopera- tive learning is a viable alternative to traditional educa- tional strategies at the college level (l,2). Some Advantages of Cooperative Learning 1. Students Take Responsib~l~ty lor The? Own Learning and Become Actively involved Higher Education has been consistently criticized for its failure to involve students in the learning process (3). Over-reliance on the lecture method can cause students to assume the role of spectator in the classroom, and the en- suing lack of involvement can spell disaster for many stu- dents. One of the most difficult tasks facing any teacher is to convince students to take responsibility for their own learning. Many students seem to feel that the instructor will somehow provide them with an education if only they attend class; they fail to realize how much effort they must put forth to be successful. However, group exercises can be structured so that each member of the group will become involved in, and have responsibility for, the learning proc- ess. Students who learn by doing and becoming involved, rather than bv listening. are able to retain and compre- hend more. &dies alsoxave shown that students whouse cooperative learning techniques have consistently higher acahemic achievements (4). - 2. Students Develop Higher-Level Thinking Skills It is unfortunately true that students, even at the college level, may rarely rise above the level of rote memory in their work. This problem may be exacerbated by an over- reliance on multi~le-choice testing. where auestions that employ lower-levei thinking skills,-kch as regurgitation of facts and " ~ l u e and chue" Droblems, are much easier to de- . -. vise than questions that require some analysis or synthe- sis on the Dart of the student. If students are not expected tode\~elop'high~~r~,rdcr;;kills, it is unl~kely that such skills will be de\vlwed. E\.en if examinations nre constructod to test higher order thinking skills, students are unlikely to succeed if they have never been given the opportunity to 162 Journal of Chemical Education develop these abilities. Group work gives students an op- portunity to attain these skills. Students who are actively involved on a moup proiect are likely to have fewer-irrelevant and'disiricting thoughts; they will spend more time synthesizing and in- tegrating concepts than students who only listen to lec- tures. Problems given to groups can be significantly more difficult than problems given to students working indi- vidually. The thinking process can be very intimidating to many students who do not have all the skills necessary to accomplish a given task and, therefore, are unable to make Droeress. The members of the prouw. together. can Drovide . - - ., . . support in a non-intimidating manner. The group as a whole can accomplish more than any one of the individuals in the group because of the cross fertilization of ideas that result from interaction. The students can develop their skills and at the same time see how other students ap- proach a problem and observe the thought processes in- volved. -- -~ Since the team approach to problem solving is the norm in many industrial settings, these students will be prepar- ing for the world outside academe. 3. Increased Student Retention Studies reveal (5, 6) that as students become more per- sonally involved in their learning, they are more likely to graduate. Active involvement is especially critical for with- drawal prone students, such as disadvantaged minorities (shown by studies) to be particularly passive (7) because traditional classroom teaching practices in higher educa- tion favor the more assertive student. Cooperative learn- ing is an effective mechanism to counteract this Droblem because participation is encouraged in a group of non-com- ~etitive oeers. An additional benefit is that it mav h el~ re- ". move stereotyping by race, sex, or background. 4. Increases Student Satisfaction with the Learning Experience and Promotes Positive Attitudes Toward the Subject Matter Significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their learning experience are reported by students who have had the opportunity to interact with the instructor and each other, than by students who are taught exclusively by the lecture method. Specific Benefits of Cooperative Learning for Large Classes ('uuprr;iti\.t! learning incrt,:isrs claisroom commonira- tion. uncn a difficult task with larm rruuos of studcmts. In -- . a large class, student interaction with the instructor may be impossible simply by weight of numbers. Participation often is limited to a few assertive individuals, while the rest of the class plays a more passive role. Group assign- ments mean that there are fewer opinions to he heard, but since the group must come to a consensus before returning to the whole dass, each person must become actively in- volved in the thinking process. In addition, it is less threat-

Cooperative Learning: An Approach for Large Enrollment Courses

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Cooperative Learning

An Approach for Large Enrollment Courses

Melanie M. Cooper Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634

The large enrollment lecture format is, without doubt, one of the most efficient and cost-effective methods for informa- tion delivew, Few would a r m e with the proposition that i t is probably not the most ef~cc;jvc method, pa<irularly fnm the viewwoint of the: studcnt. In surh a course finmat the studcnt is in a passive role hardly conducive to learning. Be- cause it is unlikely that the large lecture format will be re- placed a t many Atitutions in t h e near future, it becomes particularly important to search for teaching methods that will counteract the student passivity and place the student in a more active learning environment. One such method in- volves cooperative learning.

Cooperative learning is a n instructional technique whereby students work together in small fixed groups on a structured task. Its beginnings were in pre-college educa- tion, hut there is now considerable evidence that coopera- tive learning is a viable alternative to traditional educa- tional strategies a t the college level ( l , 2 ) .

Some Advantages of Cooperative Learning

1. Students Take Responsib~l~ty lor The? Own Learning and Become Actively involved

Higher Education has been consistently criticized for its failure to involve students i n the learning process (3). Over-reliance on the lecture method can cause students to assume the role of spectator in the classroom, and the en- suing lack of involvement can spell disaster for many stu- dents.

One of the most difficult tasks facing any teacher is to convince students to take responsibility for their own learning. Many students seem to feel that the instructor will somehow provide them with a n education if only they attend class; they fail to realize how much effort they must put forth to be successful. However, group exercises can be structured so that each member of the group will become involved in, and have responsibility for, the learning proc- ess. Students who learn by doing and becoming involved, rather than bv listening. are able to retain and compre- hend more. &dies alsoxave shown that students whouse cooperative learning techniques have consistently higher acahemic achievements (4). -

2. Students Develop Higher-Level Thinking Skills

I t is unfortunately true that students, even a t the college level, may rarely rise above the level of rote memory in their work. This problem may be exacerbated by a n over- reliance on multi~le-choice testing. where auestions that employ lower-levei thinking skills,-kch as regurgitation of facts and " ~ l u e and chue" Droblems, are much easier to de- . - . vise than questions that require some analysis or synthe- sis on the Dart of the student. If students are not expected tode\~elop'high~~r~,rdcr;;kills, it is unl~kely that such skills will be de\vlwed. E\.en i f examinations nre constructod to test higher order thinking skills, students are unlikely to succeed if they have never been given the opportunity to

162 Journal of Chemical Education

develop these abilities. Group work gives students a n op- portunity to attain these skills.

Students who are actively involved on a moup proiect a re likely to have fewer-irrelevant and 'dis i r ic t ing thoughts; they will spend more time synthesizing and in- tegrating concepts than students who only listen to lec- tures. Problems given to groups can be significantly more difficult than problems given to students working indi- vidually. The thinking process can be very intimidating to many students who do not have all the skills necessary to accomplish a given task and, therefore, are unable to make Droeress. The members of the prouw. together. can Drovide . - - ., . . support in a non-intimidating manner. The group a s a whole can accomplish more than any one of the individuals in the group because of the cross fertilization of ideas that result from interaction. The students can develop their skills and a t the same time see how other students ap- proach a problem and observe the thought processes in- volved. - - -~

Since the team approach to problem solving is the norm in many industrial settings, these students will be prepar- ing for the world outside academe.

3. Increased Student Retention

Studies reveal (5, 6) that a s students become more per- sonally involved in their learning, they are more likely to graduate. Active involvement is especially critical for with- drawal prone students, such a s disadvantaged minorities (shown by studies) to be particularly passive (7) because traditional classroom teaching practices in higher educa- tion favor the more assertive student. Cooperative learn- ing is an effective mechanism to counteract this Droblem because participation is encouraged in a group of non-com- ~e t i t ive oeers. An additional benefit is that i t mav h e l ~ re- " . move stereotyping by race, sex, or background.

4. Increases Student Satisfaction with the Learning Experience and Promotes Positive Attitudes Toward the Subject Matter

Significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their learning experience are reported by students who have had the opportunity to interact with the instructor and each other, than by students who are taught exclusively by the lecture method.

Specific Benefits of Cooperative Learning for Large Classes

('uuprr;iti\.t! learning incrt,:isrs claisroom commonira- tion. uncn a difficult task with larm rruuos of studcmts. In - - . a large class, student interaction with the instructor may be impossible simply by weight of numbers. Participation often is limited to a few assertive individuals, while the rest of the class plays a more passive role. Group assign- ments mean that there are fewer opinions to he heard, but since the group must come to a consensus before returning to the whole dass, each person must become actively in- volved in the thinking process. In addition, i t is less threat-

ening for students to speak in front of a large class if they have first tried out their ideas within their group.

Several aspects to group learning have been fairly well defined (2). These are given below along with any modifi- cations necessary for dealing with large classes.

Group Make-up and Size

Groups should be as heterogeneous as possible with re- snect to sex. ethnicitv. and abilitv. For large classes where ", - group work will use a relatively small fraction of the course time, i t is possible to allow the students to form their own groups on an ad hoc basis. In a class of 200, i t would be extremely time consuming to group students heterogene- ously The size of the group could range from two to four, depending on the assignment. Group sizes of greater than four may mean that not all the students get to express their views.

Positive Interdependence

Each member of the group should understand that they are responsible for the other members of the group. That is they: "sink or swim together".

Individual Accountability

The grade for group work should he a minor component of the overall grade, so that each student remains indi- vidually accountable and is not tempted to let his team members do all the work. In our large freshman classes, mouu assimments count for no more than 10% or the total &ad;. ~he-rest of the grade being assessed by tests, exami- nations. laboratorv work. and cornouter-assisted instruc- tion.

Preparing for Group Work The concept of group learning probably will be foreign to

most of the students and so the e r o u ~ s should he eiven - . - some simple introductory task on which they can work to- gether and build up rapport and camaraderie. In the large sections, group membership may not be static (although most students seem to stay in their initial groups), so i t is important that the studenis understand the mechanics of group learning and their role in the group. Each person in the group should understand they are responsible for un- derstanding the material a t hand and for making sure that all the members of their group also understand. Initially, the process of forming groups may be a little time-consum- ine. hut a s the students mow accustomed to mouu work thytime involved decreases, and eventually i t $11 6ecome uossible to have students break UD into discussion mouos .. . severnl times in a lecture period w t h minimal disruption. This is oossil)le even in a large lecture hall with fixed seat- ing, since students can turnaround and face each other to form mouus. - .

The content of group learning tasks obviously will be subject specific, but valid choices for assignments might be those short answer questions or difficult multi-step prob- lems that some students have such trouble with on exami- nations. Working in a group gives students a chance to practice the thinking skills necessary to answer such prob- lems, receive feedback, and observe how others would ap- proach the problem. An example might he to give the stu- d(!nti data ;)n selected elemrnts and ask them to analyze, find any trends, and explain them. Freshman students niieht find this tvm of oroblem danntinn if thev \vc:rt! hccd wirh it individuzly, b;t within the group thky have the structure and s u ~ o o r t to develoo the needed skills. Al- though the othe; approach to learning the trends and strateeies that unite a subiect like chemistw. is s i m ~ l v to tell t h i students the periohic trends of the elemen& i n d

the reasons for them, i t seems clear that when students discover something for themselves, they are much more likely to learn the material and apply it.

Most group assignments a t Clemson are graded, and each group submits a single paper to the instructor. Each member of the group receives the same grade, but the grades of the group total less than 10% of the total course made for the individual. A couseauence of this i s that the kstructor has far fewer papers to grade, which in a class of 200 means that the instructor is more likelv to have time to provide useful feedback for each assignm&t.

Group quizzes are usually given midway through a class and serve two purposes: to break up the lecture portion of the class. since studies have shown that the attention soan of students falls off rapidly after about 20 min (a), anh to allow time for the instructor to discuss auestions eener- - ated by students during group discussion. Group quizzes, given a t the beginning of a class, can be used to prepare students for new material by having them discover trends, analogies, and ways of organizing material for themselves, rather than being told by the instructor. Another approach is to b e ~ u a lecture with a question or some kind of organ- izer r e k e d to the previous^lecture, and then have groups discuss i t for five minutes with the understandinp that the instructor will call on a student a t random to summarize the response of the group. Each member of the group is responsible for seeing that all members can answer the question. In this way it is possible to ensure that all stu- dents are processing the information and formulating an- swers. This method allows the instructor to call on stu- dents who might never weak UD in a larae class. without the potential for embarrassing them. when compared with strateeies that involve questioning the class and acceotine only v&mtary responses from the same few students the advantages of getting everyone involved are obvious.

Potential Drawback and Pitfalls of Cooperative Learning

Groun work is fun. students do better. and thev have a more positive attitude toward the subject; so why does group work not figure more prominently in the process of higher education? There are several commonly perceived oroblems with coooerative learninp which mav discourage - - instructors from trying it.

Covering the Material

One answer may be that we lecture to our students be- cause our urofessors lectured to us. Manv instructors feel that they must cover all the material, (the most frequently heard excuse used bv facultv in content soecific courses in sciences and engineering). %%at these f a h t y fail to real- ize is that they never can cover all the material. Knowl- edge is growing so rapidly that any attempt, even in a n introductory course, to discuss every item that might be deemed important and necessary is futile. Rather i t will become increasingly important that we equip our students with the thinking skills necessary to process and evaluate most of the information they will encounter. Passive accep- tance of the knowledge handed down from a podium by the professor will not provide such skills. In addition, it should not be necessarv to cover all the material in class. because most courses have adequate textbooks that students are expected to read and study. We have a well-defined list of objectives for the 1500-2000 students in our general chem- istrv courses. to make them aware of the touics that should be studied. Lectures can then be used to stress the impor- tant points and the connections between the different top- ics, as well a s to discuss problems brought up by students.

Volume 72 Number 2 February 1995 163

Lack of Control Summary

Another possible drawback to cooperative learning is that the instructor has to give up some control of the class, a threatenine DrosDect. esoeciallv in laree classes. I t is -. . .. possible to do group work in this situation and regain con- trol of the class. althoueh the instructor should be aware that the class &mosph&e probably will be significantly different from a formal lecture presentation. For example: our classes are quite animated and the noise level in- creases considerablv during these exercises. In addition, i t probably is a mistake to chink that even though we are lecturing with meat enthusiasm and clarity, that we have control over whHt students are thinking.

The "Hitch Hiker" Problem

One fear of many who are new to Cooperative Learning, is that the "good" students will resent working with others who may not have their own aptitude or work habits who might "hitchhike" onto the good students work. In courses where the author has used cooperative learning with large numbers of students there has been little or no indication of this resentment. There are probably several reasons for this. The instructor spends some time at the beginning of the first exercise expiaining the benefits of group learning to the students. The made for woup assignments is mini- mal, but the student; can see the value i f contributing to the work. That is, both peer learner and peer teacher bene- fit in such a situation. The instructor is careful to ~ o i n t out - - ~ - - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

that i t is theoretically possible (though not prodable) for everyone to make an "A" in the course because we do not grade on a m e , so helping another student does not ad- versely affect the chances of getting a good grade.

Student response to group work has been overwhelm- ingly favorable. Almost all of the students (99%, one per- son in a class of 190, dissenting) endorsed group quizzes, and typical responses (taken verbatim from evaluation forms) follow.

"I like the group quizzes hecause they allow people who don't understand the material to learn from those who do. It allows you to get other peoples view and it sometimes just makes the material 'click' ".

"I like group quizzes because they allowed for brainstorming which ailows you to remember things you may not have thought of." "Part of learnine is workine with others. Also. communica- -~~~ ~~ ~~~~

tmn of knowledge is important as well. Allows for quiz to he raken in an atmosphere that 1s less stressfill, mow likely tn grasp what you are learning."

"Generally someone in the gmup knows something that the others don't. which benefits and betters all that are in the group."

"Group quizzes let students talk and discuss themes in chemistry in group discussion the way all education should he administered."

"I found the group quizzes to be helpful especially since I think that manv students are often too intimidated to ask questions in front of the entire class. Group quizzes give stu- dents the chance to ask each other."

"Group quizzes are great; you leam mare that way and it forces you to THINIi so you don't let down your groupmates."

We have found that it is Dossible to incornorate m o u ~ learning strategies into large enrollment classes wzhoi t sacrificinn content. Student resuonse has been exce~tion- ally favorable, and we feel that ihese strategies can be in- tegrated into any course. Though cooperative learning is not a panacea for all that ails the teaching of large enroll- ment courses i t can be a significant tool for the instructor if used judiciously and thoughtfully.

Literature Clted 1. Johnson.D. W; Johnaon.R.T.. Smith KA.LeomingTogetkrondAl im:Ccp~~t i i i ,

Competifiw, m d Indiuidlalistic k r n i n g ; Holt. Rinehsrt and W,nstan: New York.1987.

2. Johnson, D. W; John-, R. T.: Smith K A.Aetiue Iaorning: Coop+mfion in the Col- lege C l a s m m , Interaction Book Company: Edins, MN, 1991.

3. Cmpr,J.; Presmtt, S.; Cook, L.;S&, L. Coop~mli"~laor"iqondColl.g.I"sfruc- tion: California State University Foundation; h n g Beach, CA, 1990.

4. %isman. P U. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Calfomia, Berkeley. 1986. Dis- sertation Abstracts International, 47,1641-A.

Appendix A: Examples of Group Quizzes and Discussion Problems

The following are some group-quiz problem types that have been successful in generating good responses from the students. Most would be suitable short-answer ques- tions on a n exam, but some are discovery problems in which the student must draw conclusions and learn new material before i t has been Dresented in lecture. Manv of these problems are especialiy suitable for mid-class quiz- zes followed by discussion of the implications of the mate- rial generated. Examples drawn from real life are also good choices, particularly where the answer is not clear cut.

1. Give students a list of data (for example entropies, boiling mints. meltine mints. heat caoacities. densities) of se- iected'elements or compounds and ask'them to find the trends and explain them.

2. Give students a more complex problem than you would normally, for example a multi-step equilibrium calcula- tion. Ask them if the answer makes chemical sense.

3. Explain the significance of Rutherford's experiment. 4. Predict the outcome of reactions; i.e., which products farm

and why 5. Predict the trends in properties (e.g., boiling points melt-

ing points, solubilities) for a list of compounds and give reasons for the expected trends.

6. Explain the basis of various laws, (e.g., the gas laws) i.e., why gases expand when heated or why lighter gases dif- fuse through a membrane more quickly than heavier gases.

7. After calculating the cell potential under nonstandard conditions using the Nemst Equation, the students are asked to rationalize their answer in terms of LeChatelier's principle.

8. When given the rate equation for a reaction, students are asked to suggest possible mechanisms and give reasons far their choices.

164 Journal of Chemical Education