Innovative Learning & Teaching

Cooperation

Introduction

The second principle cited by Chickering and his co-authors is that good teaching “develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.” What does that mean? Few of those who cite the seven principles really define what these terms mean, but the principle clearly refers to communications among students. Reciprocity implies a mutuality in the communications. Cooperation involves students jointly working on tasks, activities, and projects. Therefore, this principle is the one that focuses on student communications and activities that are at least partly independent of the instructor.

Current thinking about teaching and learning in higher education considers learning to be at least partly social in nature. Discussing concepts, testing one's ideas, working together to create products are all part of a person's learning and understanding. Thus, Principle #2 has a central role in education.

Technology can not only play an important role in implementing Principle #2, it can transform it. Various technologies such as chat, threaded discussion boards, and collaborative technologies can enable students to communicate in new and different ways.

Relevance

Current thinking about college teaching emphasizes the social nature of learning. Many theorists maintain that the best and deepest learning occurs when students share ideas, test their understanding against that of others, and work together on meaningful projects. This approach to teaching and learning tends to be more engaging than the traditional, lecture-based, college classroom. It also tends to encourage active learning to a much greater degree. Among the teaching/learning techniques that we see emerging that are based on this idea are collaborative learning, cooperative learning, problem-based learning, WebQuests, and others.

We see increasing numbers of faculty trying to find ways to use group discussions and other activities in their teaching. This is occurring even in large classes, where implementing groupwork can be especially difficult. New technologies that make computer mediated communications (CMC) possible are having an important effect as well. These technologies make it possible for students to work together more easily and more often outside of class; in some circumstances they may make the interactions more effective.

Principle in Practice

This principle is actually quite vague, and many of those who cite it approvingly add little to our understanding of how it works. To be truly useful, this principle must be more concretely applied. Key questions are:

• How does one design activities that encourage and require students to work together, exchange ideas, and learn?
• How does an instructor assign students to groups so that they will be successful?
• How does an instructor help groups of students work productively while discouraging “social loafing” and other problems?
• How can instructors assign grades when students work in groups? What is the best mix of group and individual accountability?

Ideas for Application:

• A consultant, Ted Panitz , gives us a compilation of ideas about implementing Principle #2.
• Case Western Reserve University discusses how to implement Principle #2.
• The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtable discusses how to implement Principle #2.
• “No More Groupwork, Please” by George Watson of Arizona State University discusses student resistance to cooperative learning and similar approaches (Adobe PDF).
• The Evergreen State College has an excellent overview of cooperative and collaborative learning methods.
• The Teaching Enrichment Program at Tulane University offers some general guidelines for class discussions.
• Flinders University in Australia gives us guidelines for getting students to work successfully in groups:

More ideas to explore: A comprehensive listing of ideas for implementing this Principle, including cooperative learning, collaborative learning, problem-based learning, and more...

Assessing the Benefits

The claims made for including student interactions and group work in education can be extravagant, so it is important to assess the actual effects. Two key issues arise. First, how do we know what the effects are in terms of learning, student satisfaction, and other important outcomes? Second, if these techniques do work well in producing positive results, how do we assess whether we are using them effectively?

• Researchers from The Evergreen College spent two years assessing learning communities and collaborative learning. Here they give an overview of what happened.
• The Global Development Resource Center lists 44 benefits of collaborative learning. The next question is how do we know if these results actually occur.
• At Indiana University, these authors discuss specific tips for assessing learning in PBL, with examples from different disciplines.
• Gonzaga University helps you know whether you are implementing Principle #2 by providing an inventory.
• The College of St. Benedict and St. John's provides a general discussion of the seven principles with an inventory.

For more information

• An article by two of the leaders in cooperative learning on how the cooperative learning approach can improve faculty productivity.
• These authors discuss the various roles students take in cooperative learning situations.
• One researcher performed a simple study on whether collaboration actually enhances learning.
• For an excellent advanced article on collaborative learning, check out this one and go beyond the basics.
• To take collaborative learning online, you might start at Athabasca University. Here is an Athabasca article on collaborative learning used with postgraduate students in an MBA program.
• Starr Roxanne Hiltz is one of the leaders in online collaborative learning. Here, Hiltz and a co-author provide an important discussion of the topic.
• Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is an active research and development field. Here is an advanced discussion of the theories behind it.
• York University discusses how to avoid plagiarism in collaborative learning.
• This author discusses how to support students in the PBL process through scaffolding.
• The Learning and Teaching Support Network provides a comprehensive PBL handbook for economics (and the rest of us).
• Adelaide University in Australia has a complete, downloadable description of PBL (Adobe PDF).

Looking Ahead

Collaborative online technologies are improving rapidly. They are likely to provide the means for incorporating better interaction among students in more and more classes. For one vision of how technology might be used to increase the “richness” of educational experiences, see Weigel, V. B. (2002). Deep learning for a digital age: Technology's Untapped Potential to Enrich Higher Education . San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.

In the future we may find the following points about reciprocity and cooperation to be important:

• Developing effective ways to put this principle into practice in large classes will be an important challenge. The economics of higher education probably dictate the continuing use of large classes, especially for lower division survey courses. At the same time, it is evident that the traditional lecture method used in these classes is often ineffective and disliked by many students. How can such classes be organized and taught to encourage reciprocity and cooperation?
• The tasks and activities that we give students to do, whether they work in groups or individually, are critically important. Just telling people to discuss things (in class or online) and to work together are not enough. What kinds of activities are especially effective in promoting cooperation, collaboration, and learning?
• Technology may have a critical role to play in implementing this principle. Collaborative software that allows and even encourages students to work together is now available and becoming more capable and easier to use. Microsoft , IBM , Groove Networks , and many others are all companies that provide ways to bring groups together.

The Ohio Learning Network would like to thank Content Specialist Albert "Chip" Ingram for thoughtfully gathering and organizing the content about this Principle.