Collaborative Learning We're All in this Together ! Collaborative Learning Daniela Slater ADED 4F35 Please run the slide show and click on the sound button.

Let's Think for a Minute…. How did you feel when you first walked into a class and you didn't know anyone? How did you feel when you were told you had to work in a group? How did you feel when you had a question about an assignment but were afraid to ask the teacher? Next slide please…

Now Think Again… WHAT IF…. you made friends through your group instantly and now sit with them regularly? you love to come to class because you are now excited to work with your group? you were able to email your group member to ask for clarification on the assignment?

Hold it right there… OK, so it all sounded a bit surreal It doesn't always or ever work out that easily and quickly…does it…or could it? What if you were properly educated on working in a team environment? What would you want to be educated on primarily? Social skills? Cultural diversity? Conflict resolution? Team commitment? Let's look at this presentation with the assumption that team building skills were attained Please bear in mind that we can forget what we learned

Agenda Introduction Problem Statement Research Method What is Collaborative Learning Why is Collaboration Important Research Method Literature Review Collaborative Learning to Motivate Social Connectedness Increased Learning Opportunities Findings Data Collection Recommendations Conclusion Interactive Segment Take Away Videos References Vignettes Click on the topic to link direct to slide

Introduction Collaborative Learning has been considered to promote interaction, learning, new ideas, social and cultural connectedness, teamwork, cooperation and new perspectives With proper conditions and environment, collaborative learning can achieve all the above. This presentation will identify some of the these from the literature review and present recommendations based on the findings

Problem Statement This presentation will explore the value in collaborative learning in higher education based on the learners having prior instruction in team building skills. It further explains the topic through literature review, data collection, recommendations etc.

What is Collaborative Learning? According to Goodsell et al, (1992), collaborative or cooperative learning refers to a number of techniques used in joint intellectual effort and takes many forms and definitions depending on the author Working together in groups of two or more to find understanding and solutions (Smith & MacGregor, 1992) Refers to methodologies in which learners engage in a common task like projects Where each individual depends on and is accountable to each other who work together in search of understanding, meaning or solutions

Why is Collaboration Important? "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success" Henry Ford In theory, Henry is right. Do we enforce it enough? "Today, we face a greater need to master team learning in organizations" Senge (1990)

Research Method Case study tradition of qualitative research is best approach for studying collaborative learning Although believed to be somewhat successful, still requires further studies Students placed in groups to test success of group activity Experiments, surveys, interviews can be incorporated Allows collection and analysis of data, reporting results, grade scores Provides information for future research

Research Method… Empirical inquiry that investigates a real-life phenomenon Relies on multiple sources of evidence Benefits from prior development of theoretical ideas Allows others to draw conclusions (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010) Case studies are supported and well-formulated in (Lamnek, 2005): "The case study is a research approach, situated between concrete data taking techniques and methodological paradigms."

Research Method… Ethnography study not chosen as main focus of group work is not solely to study cultural norms Phenomenological study not chosen as individual interviews not as conducive to measuring group learning potential Grounded theory not chosen although used for wide range of topics, focuses on one process rather than multitude of factors relative to topic Content Analysis not chosen but could be conducted after many case studies have been completed to identify themes and patterns

Literature Review Let's take a look at what others have to say… Includes following areas through experimental studies Collaborative learning to motivate Social Connectedness Increased learning opportunities Results, speculation and conclusion were based on author conducting study Based on investigation of adult learners in collaborative learning environment in post-secondary classrooms Provides a diversity of issues and results to guide assessment process of this problem statement Let's take a look at what others have to say…

Literature Review 1 Collaborative Learning to Motivate Case Study: Vreven & McFadden (2007) Assessed two large lecture classes in short-term course to measure student knowledge/motivation at start/end of 3-week psychology course - one used Cooperative process Results Knowledge significantly improved in both sections No additional benefit derived from cooperative Motivation significantly decreased in cooperative Recognition of study's limitations concluded that cooperative learning has limited efficacy in large enrollment, compressed course

Literature Review 1 Collaborative Learning to Motivate… Speculative outcome causes Exhaustion from post-tests day prior to last exam Less time to form community and large class size Information-dense course for students new to discipline No monitoring to ensure groups gathered outside class Cooperative group met in poorer conditions than other Less committed due emphasis on group membership May have developed individual approaches to learning Vreven & McFadden (2007)

Literature Review 1 Collaborative Learning to Motivate… Conclusion No benefits to cooperative learning were yielded and techniques used may be effective for more "traditional" courses where more time is given to contribute to group efforts and where groups can be monitored Neither class size nor compressed schedule have negative effect on learning according to previous research Outcomes not compared to normal class size/schedule Limited efficacy in large enrollment, compressed courses Vreven & McFadden (2007)

Looks like certain conditions and considerations need to be met in order to be more successful with collaborative learning… …do you think so? ...let's move on…

Literature Review 2 Social Connectedness Case Study: Summers et al (2005) To validate the effect of collaborative group-learning methods in real classroom for: connectedness; classroom community; group processing To test differences in students' perceptions in social context Data collected from 54 faculty between 1999-2000 with various levels of group skills in varied course domains Students agreed to audiotapes to analyze quality of interaction, participation, interpretation, group process Modified evaluation scale used to measure students' feelings of community in classroom

Literature Review 2 Social Connectedness Results Collaborative learning, formal cooperative group work, campus connectedness, group processing- evaluation predicted positive classroom community Significant difference where no group work techniques were used Women formed more classroom community than men Class size had no significant difference Student retention improved Social connectedness reduced drop outs Summers et al, 2005

Literature Review 2 Social Connectedness Speculative outcome causes Student-Student & Student-Faculty contact described to improve retention (Astin, 1993) and indicator of student investment (Astin, 1984) in college education Women dominated over men by 80 students Negative effects in retention from poorly designed group learning and further refinement of procedures necessary (Johnson et al, 1991) Some faculty who never used group work and were identified Some faculty measured through observation only Summers et al, 2005

Literature Review 2 Social Connectedness Conclusions "…a new social context is created in which students have opportunity to share individual cognitions with their peers and come to a conclusion based on the sum…" Validation tools are encouraged to measure perceptions of social connectedness Researchers are encouraged to study this important and rich instructional method more thoroughly Summers et al, 2005

No offense guys but women do have the gift of the gab…but truly connecting with others has to enlighten us somehow… …do you think so?... …not convinced yet?...

Literature Review 3 Increased Learning Opportunities Case Study: Delucchi (2007) Students and faculty challenged with statistics course Faculty trying different methods to help students One method used was group projects Class met for 75 minutes twice weekly for 16 weeks Assessed 270 students in nine sections between 1996-2004 Study assessed relationship between student collaboration and their statistical skills and knowledge (group performance on exam scores)

Literature Review 3 Increased Learning Opportunities… Results Challenged/supported efficacy of collaborative learning Faculty techniques need change when evidence of learning cannot be empirically linked to collaborative experience Reported greater student satisfaction with learning experience (Cumming, 1983; Potter, 1995; Perkins & Saris, 2001) Reduced anxiety (Schacht & Stewart, 1992; Helmericks, 1993) Belief that performance better than working alone (Helmericks, 1993; Wybraniec & Wilmoth, 1999; Auster, 2000) Delucchi, 2007

Literature Review 3 Increased Learning Opportunities… Speculative outcome causes Limited background in math and anxiety over statistics First of two project scored less complaints about members not fulfilling duties (free riders) preferred no intervention by teacher - to "not make trouble" sought more reliable group members for next project Second project scored better test results primarily gained ability and motivation through previous experience degree of continuity between group project tasks examination material OR changes in group homogeneity in response to free riders "Esprit de corps" (morale) often caused members to tolerate free riders, avoid sanctions to social disapproval Delucchi, 2007

Literature Review 3 Increased Learning Opportunities… Conclusion Not convinced group projects enhance learning, however, wants to continue group projects with changes His closing statement is that during 1996-2004 teaching statistics course, student evaluation exceeded overall campus average Recommends faculty should find new ways to teach statistics and continue to experiment with collaborative strategies Assess learning outcomes systematically and be prepared to make changes Delucchi, 2007

Don't you love Delucchi…maybe his name Don't you love Delucchi…maybe his name?…no, seriously…he's an inspiration…he says we shouldn't stop trying to find better ways…I'm with him… …are you?... …so what else did we find…

Findings Time needed to assemble groups and for students to develop a comfort level with group members (Vreven & McFadden, 2007) Group needs to stay connected with Teacher (Vreven & McFadden, 2007) Further studies required based on discipline, institution, project design (Delucchi, 2007) Teaching evaluations, attitude surveys and final grade as learning outcomes doesn't measure adequately whether a technique increased learning (Delucchi, 2007) Females are believed more concerned with making connection with others (Summers et al, 2005)

Findings… Current literature on collaborative learning very specific about techniques and procedures necessary for teachers to follow for positive results (Summers et al, 2005) Process of working together, students acquire new strategies, knowledge about subject and thinking (Slavin, 1995a, 1995b) Groups create a new social context where students share cognitions with peers and draw own conclusions (Summers et al, 2005) Poorly designed teaching strategies can produce negative effects on retention in group projects (Johnson, Johnson & Smith, 1991)

Data Collection Case Scenario: Course is content-heavy; previous records show high student failure rate Students required to work collaboratively in group environment during 14-week period Students to form group of three and expected to exchange contacts and work closely, in/out of class All "group" activities assigned conducted with same group members for full period Students expected to build support system within group

Data Collection… Data would be gathered to assess motivation through: level of participation and engagement, teacher-student interviews to assess social connectedness through: group progress, conflict, communication, cooperation, peer evaluation to assess learning using evaluation tools through: tests, assignments, peer evaluation through unobtrusive measures (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010) from current and past faculty teaching this course to determine what worked and what didn't

Data Collection… In analyzing the data, triangulation (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010) of data would be used to find common elements that help support the problem statement comparison to literature reviews would help validity overall grade scores would be compared to other sections and past semester scores external validity would be more difficult, but peer evaluation would help support it feedback from the student's experience would only be subjective but a contribution, none-the-less

Recommendations Based on Delucchi's (2007) advice: Set the guidelines clearly at the start More experimental assessments in collaborative learning needed Make it difficult for free riders Students made accountable for their portion in writing based on McKinney & Graham-Buxton (1993) Establish permanent groups at beginning of semester to build relationship

Conclusion Only three main areas of collaborative learning were covered, yet there are many other aspects to be reviewed It is evident that many researchers have attempted to study collaborative learning in its many forms (see References) If students can feel a sense of community by interacting with others and sharing knowledge and improving performance and motivation, then collaborative learning and its context is worth applying and warrants more research If faculty attain group skills capable of handling group work resulting in student success, then it becomes a win-win situation

I'm convinced…..are you?... OK…I'm exhausted…let's work collaboratively and see what else we come up with…your thoughts?…

Interactive Segment The next two slides contain two activities Activity #1 is a question and answer session Activity #2 is a case Please choose what you would like to engage in (you are most welcome to engage in both activities - time permitting) Please post it accordingly to the designated threads created in my folder in Sakai I want to take this time to thank you and would like to show my appreciation by presenting you with the "Award of Participation"

Interactive Segment 1 - Q & A Please watch the following video Tips on Cooperative Learning What methods mentioned in the video do you use now? What methods would you like to try? Name three methods you like the most? Can you describe at least one team building exercise? What do you think are leading practises? Have you had experience with assigning group work? What do you think of mixed evaluation based on participation?

Interactive Segment 2 - Case Situation Students are in groups of three; one student barely shows to class Group leader has emailed student with no reply Do you….. go to the trouble of contacting the "missing student" yourself? go to the trouble of notifying college student advisor to find out if they know anything more about student - whether they dropped out? ask lead to give up on him/her and finish project with other member? ask lead to send an email giving the student an ultimatum (due date)? ask lead to send email and copy you (as the teacher)? ask lead to send email, copy you, advising the student the email is being sent on behalf of the teacher? have any other ideas?

References Astin, A. W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25, 297-308. Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Auster, C. J. (2000) Probability sampling and inferential statistics: an interactive exercise using M&M’s, Teaching Sociology, 28, 379-385. Baker, P. (1985) Does the sociology of teaching inform Teaching Sociology? Teaching Sociology, 12, 361-375. Chin, J. (2002) Is there a scholarship of teaching and learning in Teaching Sociology? A look at papers from 1984 to 1999, Teaching Sociology, 30, 53-62. Cumming, G. (1983) The introductory statistics course: mixed student groups preferred to streamed, Teaching of Psychology, 10, 34-37. Goodsell, A., Maher, M. & Tinto, V. (Eds) (1992) Collaborative learning: a sourcebook for higher education (University Park, PA, National Center on Teaching, Learning and Assessment).

References… Helmericks, S. (1993) Collaborative testing in social statistics: toward Gemeinstat, Teaching Sociology, 21, 287-297. Hilton, J. L. (1999). Teaching large classes. In B. Perlman, L. McCann, & S. H. McFadden (Eds.), Lessons learned: Practical advice for the teaching of psychology, vol. 1 (pp. 115–120). Washington, DC: American Psychological Society. Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. (1991). Cooperative learning: Increasing college faculty instructional productivity (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Rep. No. 91-1). Washington, DC: Association for the Study of Higher Education. McKinney, K. & Graham-Buxton, M. (1993) The use of collaborative learning groups in the large class: is it possible? Teaching Sociology, 21, 403-408. Perkins, D. V. & Saris, R. N. (2001) A ‘Jigsaw Classroom’ technique for undergraduate statistics courses, Teaching of Psychology, 28, 111-113. Potter, A. M. (1995) Statistics for sociologists: teaching techniques that work, Teaching Sociology, 23, 259-263.

References… Schacht, S. P. & Stewart, B. J. (1992) Interactive/user-friendly gimmicks for teaching statistics, Teaching Sociology, 20, 329-332. Senge, P.M. (1990). The Fifth Discipline. London: Century Business. Siegfried Lamnek. Qualitative Sozialforschung. Lehrbuch. 4. Auflage. Beltz Verlag. Weihnhein, Basel, 2005 Slavin, R. E. (1995a). Cooperative learning and intergroup relations. In J. A. Banks (Ed.), Handbook of research on multicultural education (pp.628-634). New York: Macmillan. Slavin, R. E. (1995b). Enhancing intergroup relations in schools: Cooperative learning and other strategies. In W. D. Hawley & A. W. Wells (Eds.), Toward a common destiny: Improving race and ethnic relations in America (pp. 291-314). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Smith, B. L. & MacGregor, J. T. (1992) What is collaborative learning? in: A. Goodsell, M. Maher & V. Tinto (Eds) Collaborative learning: a sourcebook for higher education (University Park, PA, National Center on Teaching, Learning and Assessment), 9-22.

References… Summers, J. J., Beretvas, S. N., Svinicki, M. D., Gorin, J. S. (2005). Evaluating Collaborative Learning and Community. The Journal of Experimental Education, 73(3), 165-188. Wybraniec, J. & Wilmoth, J. (1999) Teaching students inferential statistics: a ‘tail’ of three distributions, Teaching Sociology, 27, 74-80.

Vignettes Introduction to Cooperative Learning (1) 3:22 Tips for Implementing Cooperative Learning Activities 2:13 The Vocal People (amazing creative team work) 3:15 People Shapes - Team Work 1:17 Cooperative Learning 2:20

Again thank you and I would like to show my appreciation by presenting you with the "Award of Participation" Please visit my folder soon and post to receive your award ! (When you're ready to exit, click the left mouse)