This article reports on a case of participatory self-directed online learning within the context of a graduate-level instructional technology course. The course was about online learning environments and relied on both asynchronous and synchronous technologies. In this case, the instructor and students engaged in collaborative course design…

In this study, the researchers examined how 64 university students engaged in self-directed group learning and used a self-developed e-portfolio system. A sixweek event was held where the students made entries to the e-portfolio individually each week, received feedback from advisors, studied in groups on a voluntary basis, and reflected on their…

This paper suggests methods for incorporating cooperative learning into the college classroom, including both short-term and long-term activities. It stresses the importance of self-directed work teams in the work environment and the contribution of cooperative learning in the college classroom to building team work skills. Cooperative learning is…

Issues in making small-group instruction effective are addressed in this theme issue, which focuses on an approach called Complex Instruction (CI). Developed by Elizabeth Cohen at Stanford University (California), the approach is designed for middle school students in heterogeneous classes. The program is based on four goals to help teachers…

This paper discusses "Guided Design," a method for teaching course content which engages students in group decision-making, where problems are solved or issues are resolved in a step-by-step process using instructions and feedbacks especially prepared to make students think for themselves about subject matter rather than depend on the…

Conditions under which the use of small groups in classrooms can be productive are suggested in this paper, which moves beyond the general question of small-group learning effectiveness. Part 1 offers a review of recent studies of interaction in cooperative groups, focusing on the following themes: interaction and achievement; task and…

This newsletter contains 14 items on cooperative learning and outdoor education, with a particular focus on environmental education and ecology. "Cooperative Teaching/Learning Strategies and Objectives in Outdoor/Environmental Education" by Clifford E. Knapp is about cooperative teaching and learning strategies in outdoor education and…

This workbook presents guidelines and information on the use of cooperative learning (an instructional technique that requires students to work together in small, fixed groups on a structured learning task) and the development and implementation of student learning teams in postsecondary education. The workbook covers: (1) a definition of…

This paper presents findings from a study that explored students' perceptions of cooperative learning strategies used in educational administration classes. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether students perceived the strategies to be more effective than traditional methods in increasing their knowledge and retention and in improving…

A questionnaire on use of cooperative learning was distributed to all faculty (76 respondents) in the College of Technical Careers at Southern Illinois-Carbondale (SIUC) and a sample of the membership (66 respondents) of the American Technical Education Association (ATEA). For both samples, the main use of groupwork was with laboratory…

A cooperative activity involving eight sixth grade students over five days focused on inventing static representations of motion. In generating, critiquing and refining numerous representations, strong metarepresentational competence was found. An intricate blend of the children's conceptual and interactional skills, their interest in and sense of…

This handbook on participative learning is designed for workers involved in community and adult education programs, staff development, and youth, community, and social work organizations. The introduction explores a theoretical basis for participative learning and defines terms. Chapter 1 examines program planning issues and includes some useful…

This monograph explores the current use in higher education of cooperative learning, the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other's learning. The opening section sets out to define cooperative learning, and to look at the history of the technique, its basic elements, types of cooperative…