Collaborative Learning / Group Work
The terms group work, collaborative learning, and cooperative learning describe similar approaches to student participation in learning. All involve students working together -- in short-term problem solving exercises, long-term projects, and numerous variations in between. This section collects resources that address ideas for and issues involved in engaging students in group, collaborative, and cooperative learning experiences. Group work can be an effective strategy to help promote active learning. Though students may have had experience working in groups, they may not understand why it is beneficial, or how to engage it in productively.
Strategies for Enhancing Group Work
Instead of saying:
- "Okay turn to your partner to discuss." or
- "Get into groups and share your answers."
Try this instead:
- "Prakash, Amelia, and Hannah, you will be a group of three." or
- "Turn to your neighbor and review your problem set. This may require you to move your body and/or chair."
This may sound obvious to faculty, but students benefit from clear direction. Over time they will likely become more skilled at forming groups, but they will need support, repeatedly.
Share why you want students to work in groups. Your rationale may include things like:
- Working in groups supports the course learning outcomes, and in fact, the University Student Outcomes
- They will be expected to work collaboratively together in the future.
- Working together builds a classroom community
- Helps students build confidence in themselves and trust in their classmates
- Makes them more self-directed learners, responsible for their learning
- Students benefit from hearing/seeing different perspectives
- Small groups of 3-4 better facilitate individual accountability (Aggarwal and O'Brien, 2008).
- Assigning groups diversely in ability, skills, and backgrounds benefits all (Mannix, E., & Neale, M. A., 2005; Oakley et al., 2004; Wankat & Oreovicz, 1993).
- Think about how you arrange the furniture
to support active learning
- For example, moving tables to create small pods or groups makes it easier for students to speak to one another
- Create shared expectations for participating and attendance
- Consider assignment roles for each student (e.g., note-taker, time-keeper, reporter, etc.)
- Communicate how much time they have to work in the group (5 minutes, 15 minutes?)
- For longer projects, use a Team Charter/Contract and Task Schedule so student's can organize their team expectations
Assessing Group Work
Assessing group work is an important part of collaborative learning. Students should not only understand what is expected of them in group work, but also understand how they will be assessed.
In addition to determining how you will assess students in groups, you may consider having students practice their own self-assessment. Doing so can help hold them accountable for their contributions and teach them to be self-directed learners.
Additional Resources
Articles
Ebert-May, D., Brewer, C., & Allred, S. (1997). Innovation in Large Lectures: Teaching for Active Learning. BioScience, 47(9), 601–607.
Hall, D., & Buzwell, S. (2013). The problem of free-riding in group projects: Looking beyond social loafing as reason for non-contribution. Active Learning in Higher Education, 14(1), 37–49.
Hansen, R. S. (2006). Benefits and Problems With Student Teams: Suggestions for Improving Team Projects. Journal of Education for Business, 82(1), 11–19.
Lang, J. (2022, June 17). Why Students Hate Group Projects (and How to Change That). The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Ohland, M., Loughry, M., Woehr, D., Bullard, L., Felder, R., Finelli, C., Layton, R., Pomeranz, H., & Schumucker, D. (2012). The Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness: Development of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale for Self and Peer Evaluation. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 11(4), 609–630.
Qualters, D. M. (n.d.). Acquiring skills in working with others as a member of a team | IDEA.
Springer, L., Stanne, M. E., & Donovan, S. S. (1999). Effects of Small-Group Learning on Undergraduates in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 69(1), 21–51.
Weimer, M. (2018, June 20). A More Strategic Approach to Arranging Students into Groups. Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning.
Weimer, M. (2015, February 26). Use Team Charters to Improve Group Assignments. Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning.
Books
Barkley, E. F. (2014). Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty, 2nd Edition | Wiley (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
McManus, D. A. (2005). Leaving the lectern: Cooperative learning and the critical first days of students working in groups. Ankler Publishing.
Hunzer, K. M. (Ed.). (2012). Collaborative Learning and Writing: Essays on Using Small Groups in Teaching English and Composition (Illustrated edition). McFarland.
Lakey, G. (2010). Facilitating group learning: Strategies for success with diverse adult learners (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Websites
A broad overview of group work from the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University.
A step-by-step process for integrating Project-Based Groups or Teams in your class from the University of Michigan's Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.
Faculty Guide to Team Projects from the University of Minnesota's Center for Educational Innovation
Cooperative Learning is a comprehensive guide to incorporating collaborative learning activities and group work into undergraduate courses. It considers how and why collaborative learning works, the continuum of collaborative approaches, the roles and tasks of instructors and students in collaborative activities, and grading group projects. In addition, the site describes how teachers can approach creating groups, factors that make groups work, and why they fail. Teaching with Collaborative Activities and Small Groups looks at the educational goals and outcomes common to all collaborative activities, how to prepare effective collaborative experiences, and how to prepare students for group work.
View the GVSU General Education Faculty Resources page for information on how to teach this General Education Program student learning outcome.