Cooperative Learning: Best Practices

Resource Title:

Concepts Principles and Techniques
Forming Groups
Group Dynamics
Grading Issues
Use of Small Groups in Large Classes

Concepts Principles and Techniques

Cockrell, K.S., Caplow, J.A.H., & Donaldson, J.F. (2000). A Context for Learning: Collaborative Groups in the Problem-Based Learning Environment. The Review of Higher Education, 23(3), 347-363.
Cooper, J. (1991). Sabotaging cooperative learning: Or, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Cooperative Learning and College Teaching, 1(2).
Cuseo, J. (1992). Cooperative learning vs. small-group discussions and group projects: The critical differences. (download document). Cooperative Learning and College Teaching, 2(3).
Felder, R.M., & Brent, R. (1994). Cooperative learning in technical courses: Procedures, pitfalls, and payoffs. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service ED 377038)
Fink, L.D. (2004). Beyond small groups: Harnessing the extraordinary power of learning. In L. Michaelsen, A. Knight, & L.D. Fink, Team-Based Learning: A transformative use of small groups. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
Foundation Coalition. (n.d.). Active/Cooperative learning handout.
Jackson, D., Davis, J., & Licklider, B. (1998). Ten myths of cooperative learning in engineering education. Proceedings of the IEEE Frontiers in Education Meeting, Tempe, Arizona, November 4-7, 1998
Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (1999). Making cooperative learning work. Theory into Practice, 38(2):67-73.
Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., & Smith, K.A. (1998) Maximizing instruction through cooperative learning. ASEE Prism, 8(2), 24-28. (Article is available through the UM library).
Ledlow, S. (1999). Cooperative learning in higher education.
Ledlow, S. (1999). Tips for climate setting in cooperative learning classrooms.
Livingstone, D., & Lynch, K. (2000). Group project work and student-centered active learning: Two different experiences. Studies in Higher Education, 25(3), 325-345.
Michaelsen, L.K. (1998). Three keys to using learning groups effectively. Essays on Teaching Excellence: Toward the Best in the Academy. The Professional & Organizational Development Network in Higher Education
Michaelsen, L.K., Fink, L.D., Knight, A. (n.d.) Designing Effective Group Activities: Lessons for Classroom Teaching and Faculty Development.
Panitz, T. (1997). Collaborative versus cooperative learning: Comparing the two definitions helps understand the nature of interactive learning. Cooperative Learning and College Teaching, 8(2).
Paulson, D.R., & Faust, J.L. (n.d.). Active Learning for the College Classroom.
Shaw, J.D., Duffy, M.K., & Stark, E.M. (2000). Interdependence and preference for group work: Main and congruence effects on the satisfaction and performance of group members. Journal of Management, 26(2), 259-279.
Smith, K.A., Sheppard, S.D., Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (2005). Pedagogies of engagement: Classroom-based practices. Journal of Engineering Education, 94(1), 87-101.
Stahl, R.J. (1994). The essential elements of cooperative learning in the classroom. ERIC NO: ED370881 (.pdf) .
Wankat, P.C. (2002). Problem-oriented learning. In The Effective, Efficient Professor (pp. 93-122). Boston: Allyn and Bacon (Available at UM Library).
Wankat, P.C., & Oreovicz, F.S. (n.d.). Nontechnological Alternatives to Lecture. In Teaching Engineering (pp. 114-142).

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Forming Groups

Felder, R.M., & Brent, R. (2001). Effective strategies for cooperative learning. Journal of Cooperation and Collaboration in College Teaching, 10(2), 69-75.
Goltz, S.M. (1998).Composing a team. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 25, 194-200.
Michaelsen, L.K., Fink, L.D., & Knight, A. (1997) Designing effective group activities: Lessons for classroom teaching and faculty development. To Improve the Academy, 16, ed. D. Dezure, 373-398
Oakley, B., Felder, R.M., Brent, R., & and Elhajj, I. (2004). Turning student groups into effective teams. Journal of Student Centered Learning, 2(1), 9–34.
Wankat, P.C. (2002). Problem-oriented learning. In The Effective, Efficient Professor (pp. 93-122). Boston: Allyn and Bacon (Available at UM Library).

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Group Dynamics

Abramson, J.S. & Bronstein, L.R. (2004). Group Process Dynamics & Skills in Interdisciplinary Teamwork. In C. Garvin, M. Galinsky & L. Gutierrez (Eds.). Handbook of social work with groups (pp. 384-399). NY: Guilford Press.
Cohen, E.G. (1994). Restructuring the classroom: Conditions for productive small groups. Review of Educational Research, 64(1), 1-35. Available through UM Library: JSTOR.
Jackson, J.M., & Williams, K.D. (1985). Social loafing on difficult tasks: Working collectively can improve performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49(4), 937-942.
Mu, S., & Gnyawali, D.R. 2003 Developing synergistic knowledge in student groups. The Journal of Higher Education, 74(6), 689-711.
Oakley, B., Felder, R.M., Brent, R., & and Elhajj, I. (2004). Turning student groups into effective teams. Journal of Student Centered Learning, 2(1), 9–34.
Parikh, A.A. (2000). An undergraduate student struggles with group work. Change, 32(1): 24-25 (Article is available through the UM library).
Toseland, R.W., Jones, L.V., & Gellis, Z.D. (2004). Group Dynamics. In C. Garvin, M. Galinsky & L. Gutierrez (Eds.). Handbook of social work with groups (pp. 13-31). NY: Guilford Press.

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Grading Issues

Bartlett, R.L. (1995). A flip of the coin. A roll of the die: An answer to the free-rider problem in economic instruction. The Journal of Economic Education, 26(2), 131-139.
Egawa, K. (1997). Collaborative learning and evaluation. In J. Hamilton (Ed.), Collaborative learning: Teaching and learning in the arts, sciences, and professional schools (pp. 82-100). Indianapolis: Indiana University, IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning. (Article is available through UM Library).
Ewald, J.D. (2005). Language-related episodes in an assessment context: A 'small-group quiz'. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 61(4), 565-586.
Kaufman, D.B., Felder, R.M., & Fuller, H. (1999). Peer ratings in cooperative learning teams. Proceedings of the 1999 Annual ASEE Meeting, ASEE, June 1999.
Kaufman, D.B., Felder, R.M., & Fuller, H. (2000). Accounting for individual effort in cooperative learning teams. Journal of Engineering Education, 89(2), 133-140 (Available online to ASEE members).
King, P.E., & Behnke, R.R. (2005) Problems associated with evaluating student performance in groups. College Teaching, 53(2) 57-61.
Smith, K.A. (1998). Grading cooperative projects. In R.S. Anderson & B.W. Speck (Eds.), New Directions for Teaching and Learning: No. 74. Classroom assessment and the new learning paradigm (pp. 59-67). New York: Wiley.
Zimbardo, P.G. Butler, L.D. Wolfe, V.A. (2003) Cooperative college examinations: More gain, less pain when students share information and grades. The Journal of Experimental Education, 71(2), 101-125.

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Use of Small Groups in Large Classes

Beichner, R.J., & Saul, J.M. (2000, July). Introduction to the SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs) Project. Paper presented at the meeting of the International School of Physics, Varenna, Italy.
Cooper, J.L., MacGregor, J., Smith, K.A., & Robinson, P. Implementing small-group instruction: Insights from successful practitioners. In J. MacGregor, J.L. Cooper, & K.A. Smith, P. Robinson (Eds.), New Directions for Teaching and Learning: No. 81. Strategies for energizing large classes (pp. 63-76). New York: Wiley.
Cooper, J.L., & Robinson, P. (2000). Getting started: Informal small-group strategies in large classes. In J. MacGregor, J.L. Cooper, & K.A. Smith, P. Robinson (Eds.), New Directions for Teaching and Learning: No. 81. Strategies for energizing large classes (pp. 17-24). New York: Wiley.
Geer, U.C., & Rudge, D.W. (n.d.). A review of research on constructivist-based strategies for large lecture science classes.
Smith, K.A. (2000). Going deeper: Formal small-group learning in large classes. In J. MacGregor, J.L. Cooper, & K.A. Smith, P. Robinson (Eds.), New Directions for Teaching and Learning: No. 81. Strategies for energizing large classes (pp. 25-46). New York: Wiley.