University of Pittsburgh - CIDDE - Center for Instructional Development&Distance Education

"Collaborative learning," "cooperative learning," and "group learning" are terms that are often used synonymously. While some people carefully try to distinguish between the three terms, we use them to refer to an instructional approach in which students work together in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal. Collaboration can be as simple as a two-minute, in-class exercise involving pairs of students, but term-length projects in or outside of class are the most common. Most collaborative/cooperative group models adhere to the following principles:

Group projects are selected and designed for teamwork.
Students usually work and learn in groups of three to six.
Positive interdependence and cooperation is a necessary component.
Interpersonal/cooperative skill building is addressed in class.
The teacher is viewed as a coach or facilitator.
Students are individually accountable for contributing to the groups work.
Students are individually accountable for meeting the objectives of the unit of study.

Collaborative learning groups can overcome student resistance to class participation, even if one member of the group reports to the class as a whole.
Promoting and modeling group cooperative behavior in class can have positive effects on students' interactions with one another outside of class.
Cooperative working relationships are required for many jobs.
Student collaboration in learning promotes active engagement with materials, critical thinking and communication skills, rather than passive forms of learning.

Effective group work requires careful planning and structuring. The process must be planned in detail before it is communicated to students. Group work should be based on objectives developed in the instructional design of your course.

Break projects into specific and sequential tasks the groups will perform.
Small groups should present their findings to the class as a whole.
Specify roles for group members and tasks for the group.
Consider how you will provide students with incentives to work as a team and hold students individually accountable for contributing to the group's work and for mastering the content.
Consider electronic communication (e-mail, discussion groups) as means for students to work together.
Half of each student¹s grade will be an individual assessment of the sample cooperative learning activity.

A portion of each student's grade will be the average of grades earned by all members of the group for the group learning activities;
A portion of the project grade will reflect each student¹s participation and contributions as assessed by other group members.

The difficulty of students getting together outside of class.
Fairly evaluating individual work, since some students feel they do most of the work while others do not try to do their share.

Some Suggestions
The following recommendations may support effective group work:

Provide groups with adequate descriptions of assignments, processes, evaluations, and objectives. Get the students in their groups early in the course and let them remain together for the duration of the project. Allow groups to have a say in team assignments. Set team size by pedagogical objectives. Look for ways to train students in skills that will help them to work in groups. Give sufficient instructions on outcomes and process. Identify and encourage the following defined roles: group facilitator, record keeper/folder monitor, timekeeper, or reader, reporter, checker, encourager.
The following links contain additional detailed information on group learning:

Are you thinking about how to integrate cooperative/collaborative learning into your course? This site from Indiana University provides instructors with a comprehensive collection of ways to make group work an important part of learning in the university. Various links take you to overviews of collaborative learning principles, articles dealing with the values of group learning in the college classroom, and cooperative/collaborative learning centers at universities across North America.

Cooperative/Collaborative Learning "is an instructional approach in which students work together in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal." This resource provides you with an introduction to cooperative/collaborative learning concepts. Through a series of links, instructors can learn about collaborative learning models and theories, classroom management, effective icebreakers, and team building strategies, among others.

"Teaching with Collaborative Activities and Small Groups"
Group learning promotes "active learning, critical thinking, conceptual understanding, long-term retention of material, and high levels of student satisfaction." In this discussion, Penn State highlights a variety of ways to put cooperative/collaborative learning to use: for example, informal discussion and study groups, formal problem-solving groups, and long-term group projects. As you ponder which technique will work best in your course, consider the learning goals you have in mind for the students.