Cooperative Learning Effects in Online Instruction

1. Cooperative Learning Effects in Online Instruction Beth Allred Oyarzun

2. Increase of Online Courses • Economics • Classroom space • More students • Class scale (more sections, more students) • Obstacles • Work • Family • Other

3. Introduction • Face-to-face/online comparison (Bernard, et.al., 2009) • Transactional distance (Moore, 1989) • Three Types Interaction (Moore, 1989) • Communities of Inquiry (Garrison et.al., 2000) • Purpose – Does cooperative Learning increase achievement and/or assist in creating a community of inquiry in online courses?

4. Cooperative Learning • Students work together to accomplish a shared learning goal. (Johnson & Johnson, 1999)

5. Cooperative Learning • A meta-analysis of 158 cooperative learning studies found that 8 methods of cooperative learning increased achievement and improved cognitive and social development in face-to-face classes. (Johnson, Johnson, & Stanne, 2000) • Another meta-analysis of 168 studies in higher education found that cooperative learning strategies promoted higher achievement than competitive or individualistic learning strategies in face-to-face classes. (Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1998)

6. Cooperative Learning • There are relatively few studies of cooperative learning in distance education. • One study found no significant differences on declarative knowledge, but a significant difference on procedural knowledge in the cooperative group. (Riley & Anderson, 2006) • A meta analysis of student-student interaction studies found that stronger student to student interactions increased achievement. (Borokhovski et. al, 2012)

7. Community of Inquiry

8. Community of Inquiry • The causal relationship between the three constructs was examined and found that social presence is the mediating variable between teaching and cognitive presence. (Shea & Bidjerano, 2009) • A literature review of all COI studies found that only 5 studies measured student learning. (Rouke & Kanuka, 2009)

9. COI – Social Presence • The ability of participants to project their personal characteristics into the community. • Effective communication • Open communication • Group cohesion

10. COI - Cognitive Presence • The extent to which community participants are able to construct meaning through sustained communication • Triggering and event • Exploration • Integration • Resolution

11. COI -Teaching Presence • The design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of obtaining meaningful and worthwhile learning outcomes • Design and organization • Facilitation • Direct Instruction

12. Methodology • Participants • 34 undergraduate college students enrolled in an online instructional technology course. • The population varied from traditional campus students taking some online courses to non-traditional students taking all online courses

13. Methodology • Design • The duration of the study was 6 weeks and covered two instructional units. • There were two sections of the class that were treated as intact groups. • During the first unit of instruction, one section received the individual treatment and the other received the cooperative treatment. During the second unit the treatments switched.

14. Methodology • Treatment • The cooperative treatment used was the group investigation method. • This treatment requires that students work on an individual assignment and a group presentation in self selected small groups • The participants received a group grade for the presentation and an individual grade for the assignment.

15. Methodology • Materials • Each unit of instruction required in depth instructional development projects. • Unit 1 – develop an lesson for online learning • Unit 2 – develop a portfolio of your teaching philosophy, instructional resources, and a lesson plan. • Detailed instructions and rubrics were provided for each assignment • Specific instructions regarding group roles, communication tools, and grading were also provided for the cooperative groups.

16. Methodology • Instrumentation • The Community of Inquiry Survey was administered at the end of each unit • A Satisfaction survey was administered at the end of each unit • Final grades for each unit were collected • Demographic data was also collected

17. Results • Demographics • 29 female – 5 male participants • 9 sophomores, 19 juniors, 4 seniors, 2 non-traditional participants • 4 had some computer knowledge, 27 were comfortable with computers, 3 were advanced.

18. Results • Achievement • The results indicate that there were no significant differences in achievement in either unitpossibly due to a ceiling effect

19. Results • Community of Inquiry

20. Results • Satisfaction • The results show no significant differences in satisfaction. However, there was a trend indicating the extension students were more satisfied with the cooperative treatment while the campus students were more satisfied with the individual treatment.

21. Discussion • The results of this study suggest that the cooperative group investigation method may help build a community of inquiry for certain student populations, particularly, the population of students that do not have a connection to the campus.

22. Questions • Beth Oyarzun • oyarzunb@uncw.edu