Describes a student team learning method used in an organic chemistry class at Armstrong Atlantic State University. The Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD) method was used in this study. Discusses cooperative learning methods in organic chemistry classes. (KHR)

Studied five students to investigate whether socially distributed cognition can be used in design of computer system to support collaborative writing. Data show "group" talk is bound with procedural, executive, and substantive talk and a system that allows for only text-based forms of communication is likely to limit ways in which talk acts as…

Considers a trio of students who collaboratively discover a generalization while doing their calculus homework. Describes the argument as a play which portrays a relatively natural situation cleansed from unrefined mathematical language, errors, and tangential discussions unrelated to the mathematics of the situation. (ASK)

Presents research findings that evaluate the study skills, academic performance, and retention of students who participated in an Excellence-Commitment-and-Effective-Learning (ExCEL) group. Results indicate that the ExCEL groups appear to have enhanced the participants' study skills, GPAs, and social and cultural adjustment during the first year.…

Recognizing the public benefits of higher education and the arts, the American Assembly of Columbia University convened a 2004 conference called "The Creative Campus," from which emerged recommendations about better integrating arts offerings on campus into the curriculum, serving the surrounding community and preparing students for the demands of…

In early models of online instruction, learning activities and assessments relied primarily on threaded discussions or papers. But advances in online technology, and a growing trend to incorporate collaborative learning strategies, have lead to the emergence of online group projects. While student-centered learning activities such as group…

A longitudinal study of a cohort of engineering students has been conducted at North Carolina State University since 1990. The students were taught five chemical engineering courses in five consecutive semesters using several nontraditional instructional methods, including cooperative (team-based) learning. As part of the longitudinal study,…

Presents the view that formal assignments such as problem sheets to be solved at home within a given amount of time are detrimental to the development of a mature outlook in college students. Presents an alternative to this approach. (GS)

In this study of current and potential users of teleconferencing media in post-high school settings, more than 50 teleconferencing systems in the United States and Canada were surveyed. Researchers examined instructional, administrative, student service, and interorganizational uses of teleconferencing in educational organizations ranging from…

How commercial TV stations in Detroit donate time/services to ETV. (Author)

Investigated effects of group motivation on group task performance. Created two levels of valence, expectancy and instrumentality. Valence variable reflected on group productivity on unstructured and task persistence measures. Expectancy variable's effect was on task persistence measure. Instrumentality affected group productivity on structured…

Students in an interdisciplinary business course (n=330) worked in teams on 3 modules and completed 3 peer evaluations. An evaluation system that provided specific feedback at early and multiple points during group projects helped reduce the problem of free riding and improved student perceptions of group work. (Contains 23 references.) (SK)

Describes how to use collaborative groups as a teaching strategy in a 200 student introductory astronomy class for nonscience majors. Presents a brief rationale for this approach then describes the implementation process and lessons learned. Emphasizes practical information most useful for faculty starting to include collaborative group activities…

This qualitative study follows two previous papers that presented quantitative data about methods of peer assessment within a group project and indicated that holistic peer assessment supports the purposes of summative group assessment better than category-based peer assessment. This study's findings support that notion. Student attitudes were…

Presents strategies for improving the quality of student learning in the context of a final undergraduate project in mechanical engineering. Assesses outcomes of changing practice and shows that careful selection of project topics, good balanced groups, and individual tutorials stimulating peer interaction can foster a deep approach to learning.…