CIDR - Using Small Groups and Student Teams

Using Small Groups and Student Teams can be effective in both small- and large-class settings to encourage student participation and critical engagement with course materials. Group assignments can be as simple as a 15-minute in-class activity or as involved as a quarter-long research project.

Successful group assignments are well-structured, have clearly stated goals that are relevant to the course, and incorporate opportunities for students to receive feedback. Students won't necessarily enter your class with the skills needed to engage productively in groups, so providing guidance about students' roles and group dynamics can also increase the effectiveness of group assignments.

CIDR Resources

	CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin Planning Group Projects CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 10(1) Problem-Solving in Groups CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 6(1)

	Consult with CIDR CIDR consultants are available to meet with you to talk about using small groups and student teams. See our Consulting pages on exploring teaching issues, diversity and inclusive teaching practices, designing courses and assignments, and collecting student feedback for more information. To schedule a consultation, call 206-543-6588, or contact us by email to arrange an appointment.

UW Resources

	Changing a Course from Lecture Format to Cooperative Learning Professor Dean A. McManus, UW School of Oceanography. This is an update of an article which originally appeared in Paideia: Undergraduate Education at the University of Washington. 4(1), 12-16.

Additional Resources

Group Projects - Supporting Materials and Examples

Group Work Resources
including exercises and templates for team-building activities, charters, and team review - University of Technology Sydney

Meeting Strategies to Help Prepare Students for Group Work (pdf)
University of Waterloo, Canada

Small Group Teaching Checklist
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Teamwork
Skills for Sustainable Engineering, RMIT

Turning Student Groups Into Effective Teams (pdf)
Journal of Student Centered Learning, 2(1), 9-34 (2004)

Internet Resources

Cooperative Learning: Students Working in Small Groups
Speaking of Teaching, 10(2), the newsletter of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford University

Collaborative Learning
from the National Institute for Science Education - College Level One: Innovations in Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology Education

"Stories from teachers from many disciplines describing the CL implemented in their classrooms, divided into Large and Small Class stories.
Doing CL: A section devoted to group dynamics and CL techniques.
Resources: an Annotated Bibliography on small group instruction, a list of experts in CL willing to answer your questions or act as a sounding board, ... web sites devoted to CL, other CL resources, and more.
More information on CL such as what is CL, does CL really work (it does!), how to set up groups, and comments by students on CL.
FAQs: Some thoughts addressing colleagues' real concerns about CL and whether it's right for them."

Effective Strategies for Cooperative Learning
by Richard Felder and Rebecca Brent. Journal of Cooperation & Collaboration in College Teaching, 10(2), 69-75 (2001). Tips on forming teams, dealing with dysfunctional teams, grading team assignments, and using cooperative learning in a distance learning environment.

Frequently Asked Questions on Cooperative Learning
National Teaching and Learning Forum

Novice Instructors and Student-Centered Instruction: Identifying and Addressing Obstacles to Learning in the College Science Laboratory
"We identify and analyze some widespread problems with the implementation of student-centered instruction in introductory college science and mathematics laboratory classes..." The Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning , 2(1)

Building Learning Teams: The Key to Harnessing the Power of Small Groups in Higher Education
written by Larry K. Michaelsen, The University of Oklahoma, made available by the National Teaching and Learning Forum Supplemental Materials Archive, Volume 8(6). Also included in that volume:

"Annotated Bibliography of Key Resources for Understanding Team Learning
Three Keys to Using Learning Groups Effectively
Designing Effective Group Activities: Lessons for Classroom Teaching and Faculty
Development Problems with Learning Groups: An Ounce of Prevention
Team Learning vs. Prevailing Advice and Practice: A Comparison of Prescriptions for Dealing with Three Common Faculty Concerns"

Team Based Learning
"Two features distinguish Team-Based Learning from other forms of teaching with small groups and make it an especially powerful form of teaching and learning"