COLLABORATIVE LEARNING:

Selected Resources for Faculty and Students in Relation to Collaborative Learning

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Concepts, frameworks, and overall guidelines of Collaborative Learning

  • Guidelines for Student Groupwork/Teamwork. Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development. Oxford Brookes University.
    A brief guideline for faculty in terms of what they should provide for student group work.
  • Cooperative Learning: Students Working in Small Groups [pdf]. Speaking of Teaching. Vol. 10(2). 1999. Centre for Teaching and Learning. Stanford University.
    This newsletter outlines suggestions for using collaborative tasks to accomplish course goals, including advice on how to set up group tasks, and how to avoid potential problems.
  • The Experiential Learning Cycle. By Ahterton, J.S. 2002.
    This site presents a discussion of Kolb's theory about Experiential Learning which provides a framework for facilitating any group work.
  • How Does Collaborative Learning Actually Work in a Classroom and How Do Students React to It? A Brief Reflection. By Nico Wiersema. Mexico City. 2000.
    The article answers two questions: What is collaborative learning? How can it be used productively?
  • Collaborative Learning from WikiEd. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champion
    This wiki provides general general concepts of collaborative learning, as well as issues and concerns for teacher and student as well as for course design and administration.
  • Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited. By Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen. Group & Organization Management. Vol. 2(4): 419-427. 1977.
    Bruce Tuckman developed the four stages of group development in 1965, which is still a popular module nowadays. 10 years later he and Mary Ann refined the module into five stages, including forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.
  • Building Learning Teams: The Key to Harnessing the Power of Small Groups in Higher Education. By Larry K. Michaelsen, University of Oklahoma, and Robert H. Black, Growth Partners.
    Team learning = course design + classroom management + student group composition + performance evaluation. The authors identify the structural differences in the roles that instructors for effective team learning are defined. New tools for integrating course design, classroom management, group composition and performance evaluation are described.
  • Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. By Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson.
    A popular article in teaching and learning in higher education.
  • Doing More to Teach Teamwork Than Telling Students to Sink or Swim. By Gretchen N. Vik. Business Communication Quarterly. Vol. 64(4): 112-119. 2001. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Reviews advantages and disadvantages of teamwork in classes. Reviews basic tenets of teamwork design, including the "forming, storming, norming, and performing" stages of team development. Notes that carefully defined teams and projects may offer a solution. Includes a 28-item bibliography of helpful resources for teamwork.
  • Leaving the Lectern: Cooperative Learning and the Critical First Days of Students Working in Groups. By Dean A. McManus. Bolton, Massachusetts: Anker Publishing Company, Inc. 2005.
    (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB2331 .M395 2005)
    In this book Professor McManus speaks from his experience for the first term he changed his course to cooperative learning, with detailed description of those critical first few days of the term. This book is a journal that you will witness both the achievements and the mistakes.
  • Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors. By Linda B. Nilson. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Co. 2003. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB2331 .N55 2003)
    In this book, Chapter 18: Learning in Groups, is particular focusing on group work, such as crucial elements of cooperative learning, management tips, and tried and true strategies.

Tips, Strategies, and Toolkits for Faculty

  • Collaborative Learning: Group Work and Study Teams. From the book Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross-Davis. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993.
    An on-line version of the widely-used text for teaching in higher education, Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis. This book is a compendium of classroom-tested strategies and suggestions.
    Tools for Teaching is available from Ryerson Library electronically. (Call No.: LB2331 .D37 1993eb)
  • FAQ's About Teaching Collaborative Activities: Collaborative Group Work Project [pdf]. Teaching Support Services and the Learning Commons. University of Guelph.
    This document addresses issues and concerns encountered in the postsecondary environment and offers tips, strategies and guidelines for use (e.g., assessment, forming groups and group conflicts).
  • Tips Sheets [pdf]: Teaching & Learning Activities, Group Work; Group Work in the Classroom: Small-Group Tasks; Implementing Group Work in the Classroom; When Things Go Wrong: Handling Problems During In-Class Group Work. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    The University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence has produced handy how to tips geared to the situations encountered by university professors. Here are some tips regarding collaborative learning.
  • Team-Based Learning: The Power of Teams for Powerful Learning. University of Oklahoma.
    A good how-to website to help get started. It also includes video demonstrations and successful team-based courses.
  • Teaching Strategies: Cooperative Learning. Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. University of Michigan.
    This website provides a few resources for useful teaching strategies for student group work.
  • Toolkit - Developing and Assessing Students’ Group Work Skills: Supporting Staff in the development and Assessment of the UNSW Graduate Attributes [pdf]. Learning and Teaching Unit. University of New South Wales.
    A quite useful booklet covering various of topics in terms of strategies and tools for preparing students for group work, suggestions about how to deal with common issues in groups, strategies to develop students' ability to deal with challenges, information to assist in the implementation of group work, tips and assessment tools in evaluating group work, as well as ideas that how to support students in reflecting on their development of group skills.
  • Groupwork for Staff. University of Sydney.
    This website provides excellent strategies and tips for faculty to develop group work for students. The website also provides series of template/checklist that may assist faculty in planning, conducting, and reviewing the effectiveness of teamwork, such as team contract, peer evaluation form, qualitative progress report, team meeting minutes.
  • Team Learning Across the Curriculum: Essential Skills Booklet (Version 2.2) [pdf]. By Beccy Rodgers and Annique Boelryk. Centre for Teaching and Learning. Georgian College. 2005.
    This booklet attempts to provide ideas and strategies for integrating team learning across the curriculum in a way that addresses many of the frequently encountered challenges and questions. It also includes a set of useful sample instruments and checklists to help faculty structure the task, structure the team, structure the assessment, and support team development.
  • Guide to Best Practice: Group Work. Teaching and Learning Services. Lincoln University.
    An informative resources covering various topics related to group work.
  • Teaching Tips: Cooperative and Collaborative Learning: Using Groups Effectively. Teaching Resource Center. University of Virginia.
    Several publications on cooperative and collaborative learning from Teaching Concerns, a newsletter for faculty and teaching assistants.
  • Study Group Guide for Professors and Teaching Assistants. By Katie Caldwell. Department of Mathematics and Statistics. York University.
    A quick guide on the role of professor and TA in study group learning, how to groom students, how to get feedback effectively, how to response problems, and common problems and possible solutions.
  • Team-Based Learning. Faculty of Applied Science. University of British Columbia.
    CIS Wiki on Team-Based Learning
  • The Cooperative Learning Center at the University of Minnesota. Cooperative Learning Center. University of Minnesota.
    This website provides several articles on different popular issues in group work.
  • Working in Groups: A Note to Faculty. Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. Harvard University.
    This guide is a brief note for faculty to consider.
  • Small Group Teaching: Self-Checklists. Center for Instructional Support. University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
    A set of self-checklists for group works, including self-checklists for general tasks in preparing for small groups, preparing yourself for leading groups, conducting small group sessions, special tasks for co-leaders, planning and conducting discussions, and planning and conducting problem-based learning.
  • Small Group Teaching. By David Jaques. Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development. Oxford Brookes University.
    Developed by the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development at the Oxford Brookes University, this is a comprehensive primer about all of the issues and concerns associated with facilitating group work in a university setting.
  • Ideas on Cooperative Learning and the Use of Small Groups. By James Bell. Howard Community College. 1998.
    A description of various group techniques, many referenced to McKeachie (1994), teaching tips: A guidebook for the beginning college teacher (ninth ed.). Lexington, MA : D. C. Heath. pp. 33-34.
  • Building Blocks for Teams. Teaching and Learning with Technology. Pennsylvania State University.
    This website provides information about team management for students and faculty.
  • Faculty Handbook: Team Work. University of California, Davis.
    This handbook provides information on setting up teamwork in classroom, conducting meetings, and dealing with difficulties and conflicts.
  • Collaborative Learning: Small Group Learning Page. National Institute for Science Education - College Level One. University of Wisconsin, Madison.
    This website provides information regarding collaborative learning, including stories from teachers from different disciplines describing the collaborative learning implemented in their classrooms, group dynamics and collaborative learning techniques, etc.
  • Two Techniques to Foster Collaboration within a Group. By Marlene K. Rebori. Journal of Extension. Vol. 38(4). 2000.
    Two strategies for fostering collaboration are described, “ground rules” and a “consensus framework.” The document provides structured guidelines to facilitate their implementation.
  • Tips for Climate Setting in Cooperative Learning Classrooms [pdf]. By Susan Ledlow. Center for Learning and Teaching Excellence. Arizona State University.
    It is suggested that for cooperative learning to work optimally, the whole class, not just the team, should become a community of learners. This article talks about how to create a class climate that encourages cooperation.
  • Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. By Elizabeth F. Barkley, K. Patricia Cross, and Claire Howell Major. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. The Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series. 2005.
  • Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups in College Teaching. Edited by Larry K. Michaelsen, Arletta Bauman Knight and L. Dee Fink. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC. 2002.
  • Using Student Teams in the Classroom: A Faculty Guide. By Ruth Federman Stein and Sandra Hurd. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company. 2000. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB1032 .G78 2000) (Book excerpts)
  • Interactive Learning in the Higher Education Classroom: Cooperative, Collaborative, and Active Learning Strategies. Edited by Harvey C. Foyle. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association of the United States. 1995. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB1032 .I49 1995)
    This book has four sections. Part I, The Rationale for Change, provides the "why" or need for changing from traditional instructional methods to methods that involve more student collaboration with the instructor. Part II, Applications, specifies collaborative methods as examples in specific courses. Part III, Assessment, supplies practical methods and forms for evaluating group work. Part IV, Off the a Good Start, furnishes instructors with ready-to-use collaborative strategies that can be used immediately by both novice and experienced faculty.
  • Student-Assisted Teaching: A Guide to Faculty-Student Teamwork. Edited by Judith E. Miller, James E. Groccia, and Marilyn S. Miller. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc. 2001. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB1031.5 .S78 2001)
    This book provides a range of models for undergraduate student-faculty teams, or partnerships, to help faculty make learning more student-centered, more effective, and more productive. Each model focuses on four main aspects of student-assisted teaching: 1) implementation, 2) evidence of effectiveness and learning benefits, 3) details of time and cost expenditures (or in some cases, savings) needed for implementation, and 4) specific suggestions for replication to save those wishing to emulate the model from experiencing the setbacks of the original designers.
  • The Handbook of Group Research and Practice. Edited by Susan A. Wheelan. Sage Publications. 2005. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: HM716 .H24 2005)
  • Collaborative Learning 101. By Kathryn Patricia Cross. League for Innovation. 2000. (Book on Order at Ryerson Library.)
  • Strategies to Improve Student Reaction to Group Work [pdf]. By Lynda Kriflik and Judy Mullan. University of Wollongong. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice. Vol. 4(1). 2007.
    Abstract: After receiving negative feedback from students and tutors about their group work experiences in a health subject, strategies to resolve these collaborative learning issues were considered. The objectives were to facilitate students ability to resolve group work issues, highlights group work as an important graduate attribute and to improve perceptions of the benefits of group work. A literature review assisted in identifying several strategies that had been used elsewhere to resolve issues similar to those raised by the students in this study. Consequently a number of support resources were designed for the revised delivery of the subject to the next cohort of students. These included a structured instruction to elements of group work and several strategies to improve the group work experience. At the conclusion of the subject students indicated that the group work experience was of value. The overall response suggested that active tuition in the elements of group work contributes positive to student understanding of both the process and group dynamics.
  • Learning in Groups: A Handbook for Improving Group Work. By David Jaques. 3rd Edition. Routledge. Taylor & Francis Group.

Guideline and Strategies for Students

  • Teamwork Guide for Students. School of Retail Management. Faculty of Business. Ryerson University.
    This helpful guide provides excellent resources to support students in working effectively on team projects. Topics includes forming groups, team contracts, managing team projects, how to conduct effective and efficient meetings, virtual teams, how to write reports as a group, strategies dealing with common situations, and presentation skills.
  • Tip sheet for students: Strategies for Working in Study Groups, Surviving Group Projects, and Resolving Conflicts in Group Projects. Learning Success Centre. Ryerson University.
    A set of resources offered by Ryerson Learning Success Centre on strategies for students on initial planning and conducting study group sessions; surviving tips for students to work together effectively; and how to handle conflicts to achieve team common goal.
  • Groupwork for Students. The office of Learning and Teaching in Economics and Business. University of Sydney.
    This website provides a wide range of resources to help students get prepared for group work tasks. The topics cover group development, group meetings, meeting deadlines, spotting and dealing with problems, writing together, presenting together, self and peer evaluation.
  • Advice for Students Working in Teams - Working Together: Personal Skills for Productive Teams [pdf], University of Michigan.
    A comprehensive guide for students to enhance their knowledge and experience in working with teams, including team building, effective meetings, building trust, self-awareness, multiple perspectives, accountability, setting goals, being proactive, time management, sharing information, active listening, and giving & receiving feedback.
  • Fastfacts: Collaborative Group Work. The Learning Commons. University of Guelph.
    This article provides useful information for students to learn about key issues related to group work, including getting started, group dynamics, scheduling problems, dealing with conflict, working efficiently, problem members, domineering members, getting help, etc.
  • Puzzled about Teams [pdf]. By Tracy Gill, Kara Heermans, and Roshani Herath. Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning. Pennsylvania State University. 1998.
    This handbook provides advice and guidance for students on team work, including brainstorming, team conflict, goal setting, group communication, group development, group problems, studying as a group, teambuilding, group work beyond the classroom, etc.
  • Study Group Guide for Students. By Katie Caldwell. Department of Mathematics and Statistics. York University.
    This guide is written for students by a fellow student from her own experience, on what to do at first meeting and other meetings, student roles in the group, and common problems with possible solutions.
  • Building Blocks for Teams: Student Tips. Teaching and Learning with Technology. Pennsylvania State University.
    Suggestions for students based on frequently asked questions, e.g. what's my role on the team? What can I communicate my ideas effectively? How can the team get organized and stay on track? What happens if a team member is not doing his or her part? What happens if we don't get along?
  • Working in Groups: A Quick Guide for Students. Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. Harvard University.
    This guide is intended to be short and simply written for students who are working in groups, but who may not be very interested in too much detail. Topics include how to get started, engaging everyone and their ideas, group leadership, focusing on a direction, how people function in groups, roles that contribute to the work, and some common problems with solutions.
  • Online Discussions: Tips for Students [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    To be successful in online discussions, you need to translate your face-to-face discussion skills to the online environment. The tips provided here help highlight key features of effective online discussion strategies.
  • Online Discussions: Tips for Students [pdf]. Educational Development Centre. Carleton University.
    The point of a discussion is a back and forth conversation, rather than a show and tell of ideas. This is harder to do in an online setting. Here are some tips to help students achieve this goal.
  • Tips for Students: Conflict Resolution Tips. Teaching and Learning with Technology. Pennsylvania State University.
    Tips for students to deal with team conflict.
  • Making Group Contracts [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    Writing down and agreeing upon norms in the form of a contract provides a way to clarify and enforce these norms when necessary. Sample contract included.
  • Student Guide: How to Form Study Groups [pdf]. Office of Educational Development. UC Berkeley.
    Successful study group tips.
  • For Students - VARK: A Guide to Your Learning Preferences. By Neil Fleming.
    An online questionnaire for students to find out their preferred learning styles and how they learn best.

Please see the section of Other Collaborative Learning Practices from Ryerson Community and Beyond for the sample tools students working in groups can use.

Understand Your Students and How Students Learn

  • Educating the Net Generation [pdf]. By Diana G. Oblinger and James L. Oblinger (Eds.).
    Understand today’s student, the Net Generation. Most of our students today have grown up with the internet, and are constantly "connected" through email, instant messaging, text messaging, cell phones etc.  How does that affect how they learn? Read this article. 
  • Understanding and Motivating Millennial Students [ppt presentation]. By Terri A. Tarr and Megan M. Palmer. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 2006
    The presentation describes generational perspectives, characteristics of the Millennial learners, and understanding and motivating millennial students.
  • Tips to Improve Interaction Among the Generations: Traditionalists, Boomers, X'ers and Nexters. From the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association Office of Diversity.
    Values can collide when members of different generations work and learn together. This article helps you better understand of today's major generations and provide tips for successfully communicating with them.
  • 30 Things We Know for Sure about Adult Learning. By Ron and Susan Zemke. Innovation Abstracts. Vol, VI(8). 1984.
    This article helps you understand the characteristics of adult learners and their motivation, curriculum design for adults, and working with adults in the classroom.
  • Principle of Adult Learning. By Stephen Lieb. Faculty Development. Honolulu Community College. 1991.
    This article provides learning tips for effective instructors coping with adult learners.
  • Achieving Success with Adult Learners: As More Mature Adults Pursue Career Changes, Educators Must Be Ready! Thomson Delmar Learning. 2005.
    This article discusses the specific factors as they apply to adult learners how educators can help accommodate their needs.
  • Best Practices for Attracting and Retaining Undergraduate Adult Learners [pdf]. By Debora Cheney. Quality Endeavors. No. 82. Office of Planning and Institutional Assessment. Pennsylvania State University. 2005.
    This newsletter addresses the myths and the realities of Pennsylvania State University's adult learner population and looks at what other academic institutions are doing to meet the educational needs of this student population. Some of the issues might be useful for Ryerson as well.
  • How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. By John D. Bransford, Ann L. Brown, and Rodney R. Cocking. (Eds). National Research Council. 1999.
    Science now offers new conceptions of the learning process and the development of competent performance. Recent research provides a deep understanding of complex reasoning and performance on problem-solving tasks and how skill and understanding in key subjects are acquired. This book presents a contemporary account of principles of learning and new science of learning.
  • For Students - VARK: A Guide to Your Learning Preferences. By Neil Fleming.
    An online questionnaire for students to find out their preferred learning styles and how they learn best.
  • Student Expectations. Center for Support of Teaching and Learning. Syracuse University. 2005.
    It is from Promoting Reasonable Expectations: Aligning Student and Institutional Views of the College Experience, published 2005. This article describes student expectations about teachers and how they should behave and what they should expect in the way of student effort and behavior.

Prepare Students for Group Work

  • Preparing Students for Group Work. University of Sydney.
    A useful resource to guide faculty preparing their students for group work. The topics include common student concerns, valuing diversity, academic honesty, team building exercises and more.
  • Enhancing Experiences of Groupwork: Preparing Students for Groupwork, Getting Group Started, and Group Work Resources. Institute for Interactive Media & Learning. University of Technology Sydney.
    The articles helps faculty provide students with a written rationale for group work, help students become familiar with others in their class prior to group formation and right after group formation, as well as help students to get prepared for group work. Several useful team-building exercises and templates are provided.
  • Tips Sheet: Meeting Strategies to Help Prepare Students for Group Work [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching in Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    Meetings are key events in group work. This tip sheet describes several techniques for running effective meetings.
  • For Students - Five Issues to be considered in Teambuilding [pdf]. By Darwyn Linder and Susan Ledlow. Arizona State University.
    The five critical issues in teambuilding are discussed in this article. They are cohesiveness, roles and norms, communication, goal specification, and interdependence.
  • Featured Team Building Activities. Active/Cooperative Learning: Best Practices in Engineering Education. Arizona Board of Regents. Arizona State University.
    A useful website introducing various teambuilding activities including activity plan/instructions.
  • Chapter 5: Group Exercises. From the book Using Student Teams in the Classroom. By Ruth Federman Stein and Sandra Hurd. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB1032 .G78 2000)
    This chapter introduces two sample teambuilding activities to could help bond team members and build team spirit.
  • Cooperative Group Activities for the First Week of Class: Setting the Tone with Group Web Pages. By Murry Jensen, Randy Moore, and Jay Hatch. The American Biology Teacher. Vol. 64(2): 118-120. 2002. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Some of the most important events of an entire course occur in the first few minutes of the first class meeting. This paper introduces group web project and other first-week activities to set a positive tone within course and enable groups to pursue more serious tasks during the rest of the semester.
  • Team-Skills Training Enhances Collaborative Learning. By Jane S. Prichard, Robert J. Stratford, and Lewis A. Bizo. Learning and Instruction. Vol. 16(3): 256-265. 2006. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: This study investigated the effects of team-skills training on collaborative learning in a university setting. Groups worked under one of three conditions: (1) groups received team-skill training as a group and remained in that group (Trained-Together), (2) groups received team-skills training, but were then reassigned into new groups (Trained-Reassigned), and (3) groups received no training (Untrained). Each group completed a collaborative task and then group members were tested on the material learned. Scores were highest in the Trained-Together and lowest in the Untrained condition. Results are explained in terms of levels of planning, time management, distribution of effort and strategies adopted.
  • Teaching Groups to Become Teams. By Marie McKendall. Journal of Education for Business. Vol. 75(5): 277-282. 2000. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: This article describes the format, objectives, and content of a course focused on teaching students how to function effectively as members of a work team through a semester-long, hands-on, application-based approach. It also offers guidelines for any instructor who allocates a significant portion of class time to teaching group skills. The article describes a semester project that I believe interests students more and teaches them a wider variety of group skills than the usual oral and written reports that student teams are required to do.
  • Student Evaluation of a Learning Exercise Designed to Develop Effective Meeting Skills. By Janet K. Winter. Journal of Education for Business. Vol. 75(4): 210-214. 2000. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: The purpose of the study was to compare the reactions of different types of student group members to a teaching method designed to develop small-group behaviors. Following a brief lecture on meeting effectiveness, students (a) wrote statements to exemplify 20 typical behaviors; (b) tried to practice the behaviors; (c) observed other group members and recorded behaviors; (d) rated one another’s small-group skills; and (e) received summaries of the ratings. Most students believed that the program was valuable, rating the experience 5.05 on a 7-point scale. There was no significant difference among students who considered themselves leaders, cooperative members, or shy members.

Course Plan and Design in Relation to Collaborative Learning

  • Steps for Implementing Team-Based Learning [Microsoft Word]. Team-Based Learning: Alternative to Lecturing in Large Class Settings. Centre for Instructional Support. Faculty of Applied Science. University of British Columbia.
    A useful checklist for course development.
  • Facilitating Small Groups: Elements of a Teaching Plan [pdf]. Center for Teaching and Learning. Stanford University.
    A how-to instruction for faculty on facilitating group discussion.
  • Problem-Solving in Groups. Center for Instructional Development and Research Bulletin. Vol. 6(1). University of Washington. 2002.
    Suggestions on course design and plan from the perspectives how students learn more effectively from group work.
  • Course Syllabus Checklist [pdf]. By Jody Hendry, 1999. Adapted by Peter Wolf, 2004. University of Guelph.
    This checklist provides faculty with some ideas what needs to be considered in course syllabus.
  • Writing a Syllabus [pdf]. By Howard B. Altman, University of Louisville, and William E. Cashin, Kansas State University. Center for Faculty Evaluation & Development. Division of Continuing Education. Kansas State University. 1992.  
    A good article on syllabus construction although it may not be quite related to collaborative learning.
  • Course Planning and Teaching: Alternative Strategies and Active Learning. Center for Teaching and Learning. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
    As you consider various modes of instruction, keep in mind that student learning depends primarily on what the students do, both in and out of class rather than what the teacher does. This section briefly describes some additional active learning strategies for instructors to select activities through which students can master course objectives.

Forming Groups

  • Belbin’s Team Roles. By R. Meredith Belbin.
    Team roles theory developed by Dr. R. Meredith Belbin after studying teams at Henley Management College. It helps to identify and have a good balance group membership.   
  • Student Guide: How to Form Study Groups [pdf]. Office of Educational Development. UC Berkeley.
    Successful study group tips.
  • Enhancing Experiences of Groupwork: Forming Effective Groups. Institute for Interactive Media & Learning. University of Technology Sydney.
    This section provides suggestions for forming student groups. It issues such as: how many students should be in each group, what formation methods are available, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
  • Using Student Skill Self-Assessments to Get Balanced Groups for Group Projects. By Paul Blowers. College Teaching. Vol. 51(3): 106-110. 2003. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson University)
    Abstract: Communication abilities, conflict management, and delegation are all important to students’ success in the work force. Instructors often simulate situations that give students skills in these crucial areas by assigning group projects. It is often difficult for instructors to select individuals who will work successfully together. Common methods for selecting groups, many of which are ineffective, are discussed. A student self-assessment method used by the authors to group students according to their skills is described. The method, used for two years in both sophomore- and senior-level courses, has been proven to prevent intragroup skill imbalances.

Group Assignments, Group Activities, and Group Papers

  • Designing Effective Group Activities: Lessons for Classroom Teaching and Faculty Development [pdf]. By Larry K. Michaelsen, L. Dee Fink, and Arletta Knight. University of Oklahoma.
    Abstract: The primary objective of this article is to provide readers with guidance for designing effective group assignments and activities for classes and workshops. In doing so, we examine the forces that foster social loafing (uneven participation) in learning groups and identify four key variables that must be managed in order to create a group environment that is conducive for broad-based member participation and learning. We then discuss the impact of various types of activities and assignments on learning and group cohesiveness. Finally, we present a checklist that has been designed to evaluate the effectiveness of group assignments in a wide variety of instructional settings and subject areas.
  • Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams [pdf]. By Barbara Oakley, Oakland University; Richard M. Felder, North Carolina State University; Rebecca Brent, Education Designs, Inc.; and Imad Elhajj, Oakland University. 2004.
    Abstract: This paper is a guide to the effective design and management of team assignments in a college classroom where little class time is available for instruction on teaming skills. Topics discussed include forming teams, helping them become effective, and using peer ratings to adjust team grades for individual performance. A Frequently Asked Questions section offers suggestions for dealing with several problems that commonly arise with student teams, and forms and handouts are provided to assist in team formation and management.
  • Tips: Writing a Group Paper. By Karen E. Young. Teaching Concerns. University of Virginia. 1993.
    Practical tips on writing a group paper.
  • Do’s and Don’ts for Group Assignments [pdf]. By Larry Michaelsen, University of Oklahoma, with adaptations by Beverly Cameron. University Teaching Services. University of Manitoba.
    Some key issues to keep in mind when designing group assignments.
  • Creating Effective Team-Based Learning Assignments: Summary [Microsoft Word]. Team-Based Learning: Alternative to Lecturing in Large Class Settings. Centre for Instructional Support. Faculty of Applied Science. University of British Columbia.
    Principles for designing effective team assignments.
  • Collaborative Learning Activities [pdf]. University Teaching Services. University of Manitoba.
    Examples of activities are provided suitable to classes of varying size and format.
  • Teaching Tips: Varying Your Teaching Activities: Nine Alternatives to Lecturing [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Office of Teaching Resources & Continuing Education. University of Waterloo.
    This tips sheet provides detailed descriptions of nine activities, including a number of relatively structured activities, along with their time requirements, special features, implementation procedures, and function in the course.
  • Teaching Tips - Assignment Design: Alternatives to the Term Paper [pdf]. Educational Development Centre. Carleton University.
    There are many different ways to have students go through the research and writing process without relying on the oft-assigned term paper. Assigning something different will generate enthusiasm for the assignment and encourage original work. This article provides many ideas for assignment design.
  • Enhancing Experiences of Groupwork: Designing Group Assignments. Institute for Interactive Media & Learning. University of Technology Sydney.
    This article includes suggestions for designing group assignments which motivates students. It covers issues such as making the assignment meaningful, easily allocated into sub-tasks, relevant to learning outcomes, and achievable.
  • 101 Ways to Make Training Active. By Melvin L. Silberman. Windsor: San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. 1995. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB1027 .23 .S55 2005)
    This is a useful compendium of ready-to-use group activities.

Team Skills Development

Group Dynamics

  • Group Dynamics [pdf]. By Ronald W. Toseland, Lani V. Jones, and Zvi D. Gellis. Chapter excerpt from the book Handbook of Social Work with Groups, edited by Charles D. Garvin, Lorraine M. Gutierrez, and Maeda J. Galinsky. Guilford Publications. 2004.
    This book chapter focuses on group dynamics. The authors review group dynamics in five domains and examine group dynamics within the context of group development.
  • Setting the Stage for Good Group Dynamics in Semester-Long Projects in the Sciences. By Mary Crowe and Chris Hill. Journal of College Science Teaching. Vol. 35(4): 32-35. 2006. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    This paper explains how to create a positive learning experience by explaining group dynamics, and by using group contracts and team-building activities. It also shares templates for evaluating group projects.
  • Group Interaction: Improving Academic Teaching, ICE Factor 4 [pdf]. Instructor / Course Evaluation. The Office of Instructional Development. Saint Mary’s University.
    The ideas and suggestions on group interaction have been used by outstanding university instructors.
  • Group Decision Making [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    The seven-step decision-making model presented in this article offers an effective structure for choosing an appropriate course of action for a particular task or project. It can also be an effective method for dealing with a problem or interpersonal conflict that arises within the group.
  • Group Roles: Maximizing Group Performance [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    One way to structure group functioning and benefit from one another's strengths is to assign roles to each member of the group. The four fundamental roles are discussed in this tips sheet. They are leader/facilitator, arbitrator/monitor, notetaker/time keeper, and devil's advocate.
  • Making Group Contracts [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    Writing down and agreeing upon norms in the form of a contract provides a way to clarify and enforce these norms when necessary. Sample contract included.
  • Enhancing Experiences of Groupwork: Monitoring Groups. Institute for Interactive Media & Learning. University of Technology Sydney.
    This unit includes suggestions to help monitor student groups, especially from the perspectives of group meetings, progress, and dynamics.
  • Dynamics of Peer Education in Cooperative Learning Workgroups [pdf]. By Cynthia R. Haller, Victoria J. Gallagher, Tracey L. Weldon, and Richard M. Felder, North Carolina State University. 2000.
    This study of interactional dynamics of student workgroups adds to our understanding of why cooperative learning is effective for most students and why occasional group dysfunctionalities arise. This research findings suggest that professors can facilitate student group interactions by introducing students to the two modes of teaching-learning interaction (transfer-of-knowledge, collaborative sequences) so group members can effectively manage exchanges of knowledge in their work, and also by helping students distribute tasks in a way that minimizes role imbalances.
  • Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams [pdf]. By Barbara Oakley, Richard M. Felder, Rebecca Brent, and Imad Elhajj. Journal of Student Centered Learning, 2(1), 9-34. 2004.
    Abstract: This paper is a guide to the effective design and management of team assignments in a college classroom where little class time is available for instruction on team skills. Topics discussed include forming teams, helping them become effective, and using peer ratings to adjust team grades for individual performance. A Frequently Asked Questions section offers suggestions for dealing with several problems that commonly arise with student teams, and forms and handouts are provided to assist in team formation and management.
  • Academic Controversy. Cooperative Learning Center. University of Minnesota.
    This article talks about what and why use academic controversy, as well as structuring academic controversy in the classroom.
  • Group Work at University: Significance of Personal Goals in the Regulation Strategies of Students with Positive and Negative Appraisals. By Simone Volet and Caroline Mansfield. Higher Education Research & Development. Vol. 25(4): 341-356. 2006. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    This paper examines the mediating role of students' goals in group work at university. Research on cooperative and collaborative learning has provided empirical support for the cognitive, motivational and social benefits of group work but the antecedents of motivation and ongoing management of emerging motivational and socio-emotional issues have received less attention. A theory of self-regulation that incorporates students' personal goals and perceptions of context, combined with a sociocultural perspective on co-regulation of individuals and contexts, can help understand why and how some groups resolve their social challenges while others are less successful. An empirical study highlighted the mediating role of students' goals in their appraisals of group assignments, perceptions of various aspects of the contexts, and in turn regulation strategies to achieve their goals. Qualitative differences were found in the regulation strategies of students with positive and negative appraisals.

Group Discussion

  • Facilitating Small Groups: Elements of a Teaching Plan [pdf]. Center for Teaching and Learning. Stanford University.
    A how-to instruction for faculty on facilitating group discussion.
  • Teaching Tips – Lifecycle of a Discussion Group [pdf]. Educational Development Centre. Carleton University.
    Suggestions on how to facilitate a discussion group, thinking of all discussion groups as having a lifecycle with five distinct stages.
  • Generating Discussion: The TA Guide. Centre for Teaching & Learning Services. Concordia University.
    This article provides suggestions on creating a successful discussion environment, including ideas on how to deal with tough situations, e.g. unprepared students, students who do not contribute or who dominate a discussion, drifting away from the topic and deadly silence.
  • Ten Strategies for Effective Discussion Leading. By James R. Dawes. Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. Harvard University.
    These ten strategies are about how to get students to talk; more importantly, they are about how to get them to talk with intelligence and enthusiasm.
  • Online Discussions: Tips for Students [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    To be successful in online discussions, you need to translate your face-to-face discussion skills to the online environment. The tips provided here help highlight key features of effective online discussion strategies.
  • Online Discussions: Tips for Students [pdf]. Educational Development Centre. Carleton University.
    The point of a discussion is a back and forth conversation, rather than a show and tell of ideas. This is harder to do in an online setting. Here are some tips to help students achieve this goal.
  • Online Discussions: Tips for Instructors [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    This tips sheet outlines the benefits of online discussions, then provides tips for both planning and facilitating such discussions. Tips to pass on to your students are also included at the end.
  • Teaching Tips – Facilitating Effective Online Discussions [pdf]. Educational Development Centre. Carleton University.
    Tips for instructors to promote online discussion.
  • Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom. By Lee Warren. Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. Harvard University.
    Sometimes things seem to explode in the classroom, and what do we do then? Knowing strategies for turning difficult encounters into learning opportunities enables us to address important but hot topics in our classroom discussions.

Conflict Resolution

  • Tip sheet for students:Resolving Conflicts in Group Projects. Learning Success Centre. Ryerson University.
    Tips provided by Ryerson Learning Success Centre on how to handle conflicts to achieve team common goal.
  • Conflict Resolution: Highlighted Resource. Academic Leadership Support. Office of Quality Improvement & Office of Human Resource Development. University of Wisconsin, Madison.
    This website provides very good information for use by instructors and academic leaders regarding the theory and practice of conflict resolution.
  • Fastfacts: Collaborative Group Work. The Learning Commons. University of Guelph.
    This article provides useful information for students to learn about key issues related to group work, including getting started, group dynamics, scheduling problems, dealing with conflict, working efficiently, problem members, domineering members, getting help, etc.
  • GroupWorks: Working with Group Conflict. By Ronald Beard. Edited by Kyle McCaskill. Bulletin #6106. University of Maine.
    This bulletin describes common sources of conflicts in groups, personal styles of dealing with conflict, communication skills that help resolve conflict, a facilitated group process for working through conflict, as well as role and skills for facilitators.
  • How Can I Help Teams Resolve Conflicts? Teaching and Learning with Technology. Pennsylvania State University.
    Conflict is a part of the team process. This article provides suggestions for faculty to deal with conflict under the situations, e.g. when students contact you, and removing team members.
  • Tips for Students: Conflict Resolution Tips. Teaching and Learning with Technology. Pennsylvania State University.
    Tips for students to deal with team conflict.
  • Conflict Resolution. Cooperative Learning Center. University of Minnesota.
    This article talks about the value of conflict, as well as teaching constructive conflict resolution.
  • Teaching Students to be Peacemakers. Cooperative Learning Center. University of Minnesota.
    With cooperation comes conflict. This article talks about the value of conflict , as well as creating a conflict positive school.
  • Dealing with Conflict. From the Education Leardership Toolkit. National School Boards Association.
  • Chapter 6: Managing Conflict. From the book Using Student Teams in the Classroom. By Ruth Federman Stein and Sandra Hurd. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB1032 .G78 2000)
    This chapter introduces reflective listening to manage conflict. And it also provides suggestions dealing with cultural differences. 
  • Integrating Conflict Resolution Training into the Curriculum. By Laurie Stevahn. Theory into Practice. Vol. 43(1): 50-58. 2004. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: All students can be taught how to manage conflicts constructively by integrating training into the existing school curriculum. This article describes a practical and effective approach to curriculum-integrated conflict resolution training that involves students in repeatedly using integrative negotiation and peer mediation procedures to resolve diverse conflicts found in subject matter. Research results indicate that this approach to conflict training not only enables students to learn, use, and develop more positive attitudes toward conflict resolution, it also enhances academic achievement.

Assessment of Group Work (Including Peer Evaluation)

  • Tips Sheet: Methods for Assessing Group Work [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    This tips sheet introduce several methods for group work assessment. It also describes advantages and disadvantages of each method.
  • Assessing the Individual in Group Work [pdf]. Topics in Teaching and Learning. Curtin University of Technology.
    Several assessment models are discussed along with examples.
  • Team-Based Learning: Two Methods for Calculating Peer Evaluation Scores [pdf]. University of Oklahoma.
    Two methods for calculating peer evaluation scores are discussed, the percentage method and the separate "team maintenance" score method.
  • A Set of Criteria for Self and Peer Assessment [pdf]. University of Sydney.
    A set of criteria for self assessment and evaluate other group members, including quantity of work, quality of work, communication skills, initiative, efficiency, personal relations, group meeting attendance, attitude and enthusiasm, effort, and dependability.
  • Cooperative Learning and Assessment. Cooperative Learning Center. University of Minnesota.
    The role and benefits of cooperative learning in assessment, evaluation, and reporting; as well as cooperative learning and seven principles of assessment and reporting.
  • Assessment in and of Collaborative Learning. Developed and edited by the Washington Center’s Evaluation Committee. Evergreen State College.
    This handbook provides a set of assessment tools for college teachers and staff involved in collaborative learning and in learning communities.
  • Enhancing Experiences of Groupwork: Assessing Groups. Institute for Interactive Media & Learning. University of Technology Sydney.
    This unit includes suggestions for assessing group work, focusing on a number of alternative approaches for assessing student groups and outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each.
  • Deriving Individual Student Marks from a Tutor’s Assessment of Group Work. By Stephen Sharp. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Vol. 31(3): 329-343. 2006. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: The use of group work, in which three or more students jointly produce a piece of work for summative assessment, is an established aspect of teaching and learning in higher education. Opinions vary however about whether their marks should vary according to the respective contributions they made to the work. This paper is based on the assumption that if adjustments are to be made, they should be made on sound statistical grounds. Current methods for adjusting student marks do not allow the size of the adjustments to be controlled and empirical data are presented which show that very large adjustments can occur. This paper presents a method for deriving final student marks from a single tutor mark and ratings which students make of each other’s contributions. The method incorporates a mechanism for directly controlling the size of the adjustments made. It is demonstrated using data from students following a degree programme in computing. A spreadsheet has been written which undertakes the calculations necessary to apply the method.
  • An Empirical Assessment of Peer Review Reliability: The Ipsitive Instrument Paradox. By Mark A. Ward. Journal of Education for Business. Vol. 81(1):35-40. 2005. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: This empirical study examines methodologies used to assess individual contributions to group performance, with a special emphasis on ipsitive instruments. Five project management teams were formed in a graduate-level business course. At the conclusion of the projects, individuals were asked to assess both themselves and group peers by using a variety of evaluation methods. It is interesting to note that these data seemed to show a paradoxical relationship between ipsitive instrument accuracy and perceived importance. The author discusses other important ramifications for both the academic community and project management in general. He concludes with lessons learned from the study and posits avenues for future research.
  • Problems Associated with Evaluating Student Performance in Groups. By Paul E. King and Ralph R. Behnke. College Teaching. Vol. 53(2): 57-61. 2005. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: Using small groups in student cooperative learning enterprises has become a major trend in American higher education (Cheng and Warren 2000). However, several practical issues involving the assessment of an individual’s performance in groups have sometimes created resistance to the method from both students and parents (Kagan 1995). This article evaluates the case for using cooperative group assignments and the problems associated with evaluating the performances of individuals working in groups. Practical suggestions for minimizing some of the potential problems associated with group grading are offered and some philosophic perspectives on this form of grading are advanced.
  • Students’ Perceptions of and Satisfaction with Group Grades and the Group Experience in the College Classroom. By Rufus L. Barfield. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Vol. 28(4): 355-370. 2003. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson University)
    Abstract: The group approach to learning is widely accepted by higher education researchers as an effective teaching and learning tool. While there are numerous instructional, learning and social communication advantages for both students and teachers using group projects in the college classroom, a need exists for a better understanding of group projects from the student’s perspective. The purpose of this investigation was to measure students’ perceptions of group grades and group satisfaction on group projects in the college classroom. A cohort of 230 students from a large southern metropolitan university enrolled in sections of Group Interaction and Decision Making and Conflict Management classes participated in this study. The major findings of this study revealed that: (i) the less group grade experience that a student has, the more likely they are to agree that everyone in the group deserves the same group grade; (ii) students who work part-time are more likely to think that a group grade is a fair assessment of their contributions than students who work full-time; (ii) older students are more likely to be dissatisfied with a group grade experience than middle and younger age students. It is recommended that this study be extended to include comparison groups, graduate students and other disciplines.
  • Group Projects and Peer Review. By Marilyn A. Dyrud. Business Communication Quarterly. Vol. 64(4): 106-112. 2001. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    This paper describes problems the author experienced with disfunctionality in student group projects. Describes how she implemented informal and formal peer reviews throughout the term in these groups, which has helped short-circuit disfunctionality, improve student productivity, and help the instructor form a fairer overall assessment.
  • Making a Difference: Using Peers to Assess Individual Students’ Contributions to a Group Project. By Winnie Cheng and Martin Warren. Teaching in Higher Education. Vol. 5(2): 243-255. 2000. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: Overcoming the potential dilemma of awarding the same grade to a group of students for group work assignments, regardless of the contribution made by each group member, is a problem facing teachers who ask their students to work collaboratively together on assessed group tasks. In this paper, we report on the procedures to factor in the contributions of individual group members engaged in an integrated group project using peer assessment procedures. Our findings demonstrate that the method we used resulted in a substantially wider spread of marks being given to individual students. Almost every student was awarded a numerical score which was higher or lower than a simple group project mark would have been. When these numerical scores were converted into the final letter grades, approximately one-third
    of the students received a grade for the group project that was different from the grade that they
    would have received if the same grade had been awarded to all group members. Based on these
    preliminary findings we conclude that peer assessment can be usefully and meaningfully
    employed to factor individual contributions into the grades awarded to students engaged in
    collaborative group work.
  • Assessing Individual Student Performance in Collaborative Projects: A Case Study. By S. E. Kruck and Harry L. Reif. Information Technology, Learning, and Performance Journal. Vol. 19(2): 37-48. 2001. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: New college graduates who can collaborate, share skills and knowledge, and communicate their ideas effectively are valuable to businesses. Skills learned from team projects translate into the workplace, creating employees with these abilities. Reaffirming the importance of team projects, this article investigates alternative solutions to the dilemma facing educators who must evaluate team members who do not contribute equally to the team’s accomplishments. The article presents a methodology for implementing the most useful alternative. Finally, the article offers concluding comments based upon student evaluations from a course where the recommended methodology was implemented.
  • Evaluating or Marking Online Discussion Participation [pdf]. Teaching & Learning Centre. University of Calgary.
    Should I require participation for online discussion? If participation in online discussions is a course expectation, how do I assign marks? Find possible solutions for the questions in this article.

Student Class Engagement and Active Learning

  • Tips for Teachers: Twenty Ways to Make Lectures More Participatory [pdf]. Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. Harvard University.   
    If you decide to invite students participation in lectures, consider beginning with the very first lecture, when norms and expectations for class are being established. It is more difficult to engage students in a large lecture class later if they are accustomed to being silence. 20 ideas to encourage students participation are introduced in this article.
  • Active Learning Techniques. VCU Center for Teaching Excellence. Virginia Commonwealth University.
    Many ideas on active learning activities, including in-class activities and and activities that can include an out-of-class component.
  • Active and Cooperative Learning. By Richard Felder. North Carolina State University.
    A list of Richard Felder's publications on active learning and cooperative learning (including general principles and strategies, team dynamics, and accounting for individual effort in teamwork).
  • Active Learning for the College Classroom. By Donald R. Paulson and Jennifer L. Faust. California State University.
    This article provides a variety of active learning techniques, including a section for collaborative learning techniques.
  • Active/Cooperative Learning: Best Practices in Engineering Education. Arizona Board of Regents. Center for Learning and Teaching Excellence. Arizona State University.
    A resourceful website concerning active and cooperative learning.
  • Active Learning: Getting Students to Work and Think in the Classroom [pdf]. Speaking of Teaching. Vol. 5(1), 1993. Centre for Teaching and Learning. Stanford University.
    This newsletter speaks to overcoming the barriers encountered (or anticipated!) when using active learning techniques.
  • Active Learning Activities [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
    Various active learning activities that you might use in conjunction with the traditional lecture format. These activities are viable for classes of any size.
  • Active Learning. By L. Dee Fink. Program for Instructional Innovation. University of Oklahoma. 1999.
    L. Dee Fink presents a model for developing different forms of active learning.
  • Learning by Doing [pdf]. By Richard M. Felder and Rebecca Brent. Random Thoughts. North Carolina State University.
    An article on active learning, including several techniques to make active learning as effective as possible.
  • Cooperative / Collaborative Learning for Active Student Involvement. Teaching Concerns. 1992.
    Cooperative learning embodies much more than simply having students work in groups. This newsletter talks about the essentials of cooperative learning, and tips on cooperative learning.
  • Active Learning. By Beverly J. Cameron. Halifax, NS: Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE). Green guide No.2. 1999. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB1027 .23 .C35 1999)
  • Active Learning Online. Adams Center for Teaching Excellence. Abilene Christian University.
    Active learning is a multi-directional learning experience in which learning occurs teacher-to-student, student-to-teacher, and student-to-student. This website presents active learning strategies for the classroom and strategies for online courses.

Student Perceptions or Attitudes Towards Collaborative Learning

  • Why Groups Fail: Student Answers [pdf] . By Maryellen Weimer. Adapted from the article, Why Some Groups Fail: A Survey of Students' Experiences with Learning Groups, by Susan Brown Feichtner and Elaine Actin Davis. Center for the Study of Higher Education. Pennsylvania State University.
    215 students were asked about their most and least positive group learning experiences. Based on 155 responses, the authors identify objectionable dimensions of group work and outline measures professors can take to make these experiences more positive, at least from the student perspective.
  • Enhancing Experiences of Groupwork: Helping Students to Reflect on the Group Experience. Institute for Interactive Media & Learning. University of Technology Sydney.
    This unit includes suggestions for helping students reflect on their group experience. It focuses on the importance of students expressing their group-based experiences in some form of learning journal or essay, to encourage the reflective process.
  • Student Perceptions of Active Learning in a Large Cross-Disciplinary Classroom. By Patricia L. Machemer and Pat Crawford. Active Learning in Higher Education. Vol. 8(1): 9-30. 2007. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: This investigation reports on a study that assesses how students value active, cooperative, and traditional learning activities within a single large cross-disciplinary class. The study surveyed students’ perceived value of a range of teaching techniques (from traditional to cooperative) utilized within a general education class. Students rated the various techniques on an ordinal scale and the values were statistically compared using a mean difference (paired sample) test. The study was replicated four times over four semesters, where class size ranged from 125 to 180. The study found that students valued lectures and being active. From the students’ perspective, however, working with others (cooperative learning) diminishes the value significantly. Any activity, be it active, cooperative or traditional, that directly relates to improving exam performance was the most valued of all.
  • Improving Group Work: Voices of Students. By Brian K. Payne, Elizabeth Monk-Turner, Donald Smith, and Melvina Sumter. Education. Vol. 126(3): 441-448. Spring 2006. (Available electronically to Rryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Group work is increasingly being used in a variety of college courses. A number of strengths have driven the increase in the use of this form of collaborative learning. Still, a number of problems potentially limit the use of group projects. This study report on research in which they examined how students recommended changing group projects. Results are categorized into student-centered themes and faculty-centered themes. Implications are provided.
  • An Action Research Project: Student Perspectives on Small-Group Learning in Chemistry. By Marcy Hamby Towns, Kelley Kreke, and Amanda Fields. Journal of Chemical Education. Vol. 77(1): 111-115. 2000. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Presents an analysis of undergraduate students’ experiences in and attitudes toward small group learning in chemistry. Attempts to discover how the activities could be improved via student suggestions and attempts to learn how the students’ perception of small-group learning changed. Finds that small group learning activities provide a mechanism for students to build a feeling of community in the classroom.
  • Scientific Collaboratories in Higher Education: Exploring Learning Style Preferences and Perceptions of Technology. By Diane H. Sonnenwald and Bin Li. British Journal of Educational Technology. Vol. 34(4): 419-431. 2003. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: Scientific collaboratories hold the promise of providing students access to specialized scientific instruments, data and experts, enabling learning opportunities perhaps otherwise not available. However, evaluation of scientific collaboratories in higher education has lagged behind their development. We conducted a repeated-measures study that provided data regarding social interaction learning styles and perceptions of a scientific collaboratory system from 40 university science students working face-to-face and remotely. Students with a strong competitive learning style preference or who worked with a student with a strong competitive learning style reported a slightly more positive perception of the relative advantage, compatibility and complexity of the collaboratory system. Students with a strong individualistic learning style preference or who worked with a student with a strong individualistic learning style reported a more negative perception of the observability of the system. No relationships were found between students’ cooperative learning style preference and their perceptions of the system after using it face-to-face or remotely.
  • “Teach Us to Learn”: Multivariate Analysis of Perception of Success in Team Learning. By Ali Rassuli and John P. Manzer. Journal of Education for Business. Vol. 81(1): 21-27. 2005. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: Considerable attention has been given to the efficacy of team learning pedagogy, yet the methodology remains underused among educators in institutions of higher education. We suggest that the perception of success is antecedent to greater acceptance and use of this teaching style. Educators and students alike must experience the value creation potential of team learning before they will endorse it. In this article, the authors investigated perceptions of success within the theoretical realms of cognition elaboration, effective collaboration, and motivation perspectives. In addition to rank-ordering the importance of these realms, the authors make recommendations and suggest policies to raise the likelihood of success in team-learning practice.
  • Student Satisfaction with Groupwork in Undergraduate Computer Science: Do Things Get Better? [pdf] By Helen Drury, Judy Kay and Warren Losberg. Learning Centre, School of Information Technologies and Yooroang Garang: The School of Indigenous Health Studies University of Sydney. 2006.
    Abstract: Groupwork has a large and important role in computer science courses. Moreover, groupwork skills are among the most important generic attributes students should develop during their studies as preparation for the world of work (Candy, Crebert and O'Leary, 1994, Dearing, 1997). At the same time, all who have been involved in teaching that involves groupwork will be aware that it brings challenges. It is important to support student learning of group skills, to develop instruments for evaluating this aspect of teaching and to measure student development in groupwork skill as well as student perceptions of their groupwork experiences.
    This paper reports on a cross sectional evaluation of student perceptions of groupwork. It is based upon both group interviews and a questionnaire. An important contribution of this work is the questionnaire which could be readily used in quality assurance elsewhere. Another contribution derives from the results of our study. They give useful insight into student perceptions across cross sectional cohorts and according to academic ability. We also report on ways that this study has
    helped us define strategies to improve the development of student skills in groupwork.
  • Developing Undergraduate Research Skills in a Faculty of Education: Motivation through Collaboration. By Sue Waite and Bernie Davis. Higher Education Research & Development. Vol. 25(4):403-419. 2006. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: This paper explores motivational factors underpinning undergraduates’ learning of research skills through individual research projects with collaborative tutorials. Research has long pointed to group support, positive affect and scaffolding as important for motivating and facilitating learning. Furthermore, UK government priorities have placed an increasing emphasis on the need to develop the key skills of inquiry and working with others. However, this is set in a context of assessment and practice in higher education that encourages individualist and instrumental perspectives on gaining competencies and knowledge. Traditionally undergraduate research skills have been taught through lectures and small-scale projects chosen by the students with individual tutorial support in a faculty of education. Here our action research introduced collaborative tutorials as another element of teaching. We examine the process of collaboration to explore factors that support motivation to learn through two principal theoretical frameworks.
  • Students Rating Teaching: How Student Feedback Can Inform Your Teaching. By Mark L. Lawall. University Teaching Services. University of Manitoba.
    This booklet provides faculty with a summary of the background history of research on student ratings, and suggests strategies for using student feedback to improve teaching.

Technology Supported Collaboration

  • Supporting Student Collaboration through the Use of Wikis. Teaching & Learning Centre. University of Calgary.
    Several ideas on how a wiki can be used to support learning and teaching.
  • Teaching, Learning, and Other Uses for Wikis in Academia. By Jude Higdon. The Center for Scholarly Technology. University of Southern California. 2005.
    The Center for Scholarly Technology identify several approaches for how wikis could be implemented around campus.
  • Promote Student Collaboration. Catalyst. Office of Learning Technologies. University of Washington.
    This article introduces several options for promoting student collaboration, including electronic discussion, Catalyst ShareSpaces tool, Catalyst Peer Review tool, Catalyst EPost tool, wiki, and MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching).
  • High Tech Tools & Learning Groups. By Ryan Watkins. On Course Workshop.
    Eight examples of how technologies can facilitate any course's small group or team activities.
  • Using Online Forums as a Replacement for Face-to-Face Discussion Groups. By George D. Bishop and Gilles Doiron. CDTL Brief. Centre for Development of Teaching & Learning. National University of Singapore.
    The development of technology introduces the possibility of using online discussion forums as part of the formal structure of modules. However, questions remain about the effectiveness of online discussions for stimulating learning and their acceptability to students and staff as a substitute for face-to-face discussions. Bearing these questions and possibilities in mind, a trial on using online discussions conducted through the Integrated Virtual Learning Environment (IVLE) as a replacement for face-to-face discussion groups in a 3000-level Psychology module was undertaken with technical assistance of staff from the Centre for Instruction Technology. This paper describes the methodology, results and the conclusions drawn from the trial.
  • Keeping Your Team Project on Trac [pdf]. By Daniel P. Nugent and Barbara J. Sherlock. Pennsylvania State University. 2007.
    PowerPoint Presentation regarding team project management using Trac.
  • Which Technologies Help Teams Work Together? Pennsylvania State University.
    As many problems with teams are about communication, many of the technologies are also at solving communication issues. However, there are also technologies for instrictor logistics. This website describes technologies supporting communication, file sharing, peer review, and team selection.
  • Electronic Collaborators: Learner-Centered Technologies for Literacy, Apprenticeship, and Discourse. Edited by Curtis Jay Bonk and Kira S. King. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., Publishers. 1998. (Available from Ryerson Library. Call No.: LB1044 .875 .E53 1998)
    The contributors to this book describe a range of tools that are available to facilitate collaborative writing, from simple e-mail and writing applications, to more complex environments that combine asynchronous and synchronous communication with interactive use of multimedia applications and databases so as to increase our understanding of the effects of different electronic collaboration tools on student learning.
  • Technology in Support of Collaborative Learning. By Paul Resta and Thérèse Laferrière. Educational Psychology Review. Vol. 19(1): 65-83. March 2007. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: This paper reviews the research conducted in the last 20 years on the application of technology in support of collaborative learning in higher education. The review focuses primarily on studies that sue Internet-based technologies and social interaction analysis. The review provides six sets of observations/recommendations regarding methodology, empirical evidence, and research gaps and issues that may help focus future research in this emerging field of study.
  • Collaborative Learning Environments: Exploring Student Attitudes and Satisfaction in Face-to-Face and Asynchronous Computer Conferencing Settings. By Rosalie J. Ocker and Gayle J. Yaverbaum. Journal of Interactive Learning Research. Vol. 12(4): 427-448. 2001. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: Although collaborative learning techniques have been shown to enhance the learning experience, it is difficult to incorporate these concepts into courses without requiring students to collaborate outside of class. There is an ever increasing number of nontraditional university students who find it difficult to schedule the necessary meetings with team members to accomplish collaborative tasks. This empirical study explored the impact on nontraditional students of using asynchronous conferencing technology to complete collaborative teamwork. Following a repeated-measures experimental design, each student team collaborated on two assignments, one using face-to-face collaboration and the other using asynchronous computer conferencing technology for collaboration. Empirical findings indicate that although students in both treatments were equally satisfied with the quality of the collaborative solution that they produced, students were more satisfied with the face-to-face collaboration process. Preexperiment attitudes toward collaboration were successful in predicting student satisfaction with the face-to-face collaboration process, but not the asynchronous process.

Online Group Work and Virtual Teams

  • Online Collaborative Learning in Higher Education: Primary Sites. Central Queensland University.
    This website collects quite a lot resources related to online collaborative learning in higher education.
  • Group Work in Distance Learning Courses. Academic Technology Center. Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
    This website focuses on online group learning covering a range of topics including guide of distance teaching, how-to center, faculty successful stories, and tips for online group work.  
  • Online Groups and Social Loafing: Understanding Student-Group Interactions. By Sherry L. Piezon and Robin L. Donaldson. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. Vol. 8(4). 2005.
    This paper presents an overview of the psycho-social aspects of social loafing and free riding in a traditional and distance learning environment. A brief literature review and summaries of frequently cited antecedents and their mitigating factors are reviewed for application by instructors, designers, and administrators in distance education. Distance learning administrative issues related to providing support to instructors to address the cited antecedents are discussed.
  • Virtual Teams (Team Developed and/or Operated Over the Internet/Web). Free Management Library. Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
    This website provides a set of useful resources for virtual teams. It also includes a useful virtual team toolkit.
  • FAQs. III. Groupwork in Distance Learning. By Richard M. Felder and Rebecca Brent. North Carolina State University. Chem. Engr. Education. Vol. 35(2): 102-103. 2001.
    This article offers ideas for getting students at remote sites to collaborate when attending lectures in synchronous course, working through lessons in an asynchronous course, and doing homework in either distance mode.
  • Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.
    The Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration is a peer-reviewed electronic journal offered free each quarter over the internet.
  • Deakin University Contemporary Online Teaching Cases. Deakin University.
    This Contemporary online teaching case site features the work of over 70 Deakin University staff in developing and using new media and online technologies to foster student learning.
  • Collaborative Online Learning: Fostering Effective Discussions [pdf]. TRACE Tips. Centre for Teaching Excellence. University of Waterloo.
  • Carnegie Foundation’s KEEP Toolkit. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
    The KEEP toolkit is a set of web-based tools that help teachers, students and institutions quickly create compact and engaging knowledge representations on the Web. With the KEEP toolkit, you can select and organize teaching and learning materials, prompt analysis and reflection, transform materials and reflections, share ideas, and simplify the technical tasks.
  • Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom. By Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. 1999. (Available at Ryerson Library. Call No.: LC5805 .P35 1999)  (Chapter 8: Promoting Collaborative Learning.)
    This book explores computer-mediated distance education. It is not about technology. Part one of the book is designed to lay the foundation for distance learning framework. Part two provides an experiential guide to the creation of an electronic learning community leading to effective distance learning.  
  • Sharing and Constructing Perspectives in Web-Based Conferencing. By Päivi Häkkinen and Sanna Järvelä. Computers & Education. Vol. 47(4): 433-447. 2006. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: This study investigates the quality and nature of virtual interaction in a higher education context. The study aims to find out variables that mediate virtual interaction, particularly the emerging processes of sharing and constructing perspectives in web-based conferencing. The purpose of this paper is to report the results on different levels of web-based discussions with parallel findings on the amount of sharing perspectives. The findings of two empirical studies are compared, and thereby also the impact of the pedagogical model designed between these two studies is evaluated. Possible explanations for why some discussions reach higher levels and include more perspective sharing than others are also searched for. Particular attention is paid to the qualitatively distinct ways in which individual students interpret their participation in virtual interaction and the impact of group working on their own learning. These findings lead us on to discuss specific processes by which participants could better understand each other, create joint goals and construct meanings in virtual interaction.
  • Development of Computer-Supported Collaborative Social Networks in a Distributed Learning Community. By H. Cho, J. –S. Lee, M. Stefanone, and G. Gay. Behaviour & Information Technology. Vol. 24(6): 435-447. 2005. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: This study examines the formation and change of collaborative learning social networks in a distributed learning community. A social network perspective is employed to understand how collaborative networks evolved over time when 31 distributed learners collaborated on a design project using a computer-mediated communication system during two semesters. Special attention was paid to how pre-existing friendship networks influenced the formation of macro-level collaborative learning networks and individual level social capital. We discovered that pre-existing friendship networks significantly influenced the formation of collaborative learning networks, but the effect was dependent on the developmental phase of community. Also, pre-existing networks generally acted as a social liability that constrained learners’ ability to enhance their social networks and build social capital when they participated in a new learning environment. The results suggest that, in order to fully understand how to build effective collaborative learning and work environments, participants’ social network structures need to be considered.
  • Examining the Dynamics of Networked E-Learning Groups and Communities. By David McConnell. Studies in Higher Education. Vol. 30(1): 25-42. 2005. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: The organisation of students into groups (or communities) for learning purposes is an established pedagogic method in higher education. Teachers are now using group methods in networked e-learning contexts, albeit without a full understanding of the dynamics of group work in these settings. This is a new and evolving arena in higher education. In this article, the learning dynamics of three collaborative, networked e-learning groups are examined in an attempt to understand how students work in them. A detailed ethnography indicates that two of the groups worked harmoniously, and successfully produced a collective end product. The other group exhibited extreme anxiety and division, and required extra resources from its members in order to sustain itself and produce its collective end product. Anxiety became a major focus for this group, which had the effect of diverting it from effective collective production. The ethnography shows that the place of identity, control, ontological security and guilt in collaborative e-learning groups can be central to the effective work of the groups. The difference between the groups with respect to these categories is used as a point of departure in order to show how an understanding of the dynamics of networked learning groups and communities may be of benefit to teachers and students working in these new environments.
  • Team Development and Group Processes of Virtual Learning Teams. By Scott D. Johnson, Chanidprapa Suriya, Seung Won Yoon, Jared V. Berrett, and Jason La Fleur. Computers & Education. Vol. 39(4): 379-393. 2002. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: This study describes the community building process of virtual learning teams as they form, establish roles and group norms, and address conflict. Students enrolled in an HRD masters program taught entirely online were studied to determine (1) how virtual learning teams develop their group process, and (2) what process and strategies they use as they work through the stages of group development. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry were used to capture the dynamic interaction within groups and the underlying factors that guided group process and decision-making. The results show that virtual learning groups can collaborate effectively from a distance to accomplish group tasks. The development of virtual learning teams is closely connected to the timeline for their class projects. Virtual teams are also similar in terms of their task process and the use of communication technologies. In contrast to face-to-face teams, the leadership role of virtual teams is shared among team members. Recommendations are discussed in order to facilitate peak integration of virtual learning teams into Internet-based training courses.
  • Assessing Online Collaborative Learning: Process and Product. By Janet Macdonald. Computers & Education. Vol. 40(4): 377-391. 2003. (Available electronically to Ryerson faculty and students through Ryerson Library)
    Abstract: The assessment of online collaborative study presents new opportunities and challenges, both in terms of separating the process and product of collaboration, and in the support of skills development. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of assessment with respect to the processes and products of online collaborative study. It describes a qualitative case study of staff and students perspectives on two UK Open University courses which have used a variety of models of online collaborative assessment. The findings underline the importance of assessment in ensuring online participation, and in supporting the practice and development of online collaborative learning. They have led to a number of recommendations for the assessment of online collaborative learning.

Q&A for Group Work Related Questions with Possible Solutions

Bibliography on Collaborative Learning

Collaborative Learning Related Societies and Listserv