The University of Toledo

Faculty Profiles

 

Susan Rice, PhD, RN, PCNP, CNS

Transforming Online Courses with Active Learning

Cooperative Learning is an active learning strategy in which small groups or teams of students work collaboratively toward a common goal. Unlike traditional group work, cooperative learning requires carefully structured activities that emphasize interdependence, individual accountability, and group processing and reflection.
 
Susan Rice, Professor in the College of Nursing, has found success with this active learning strategy in her graduate level nursing courses. She recently sat down with this us to discuss the challenges and benefits of this model, and how this approach has improved student learning and engagement in the online classroom.

 

What prompted you to adopt a cooperative learning model in your online courses?

As the numbers of students in my online courses increased, I was seeking a way to be able to engage the students with me and with each other. I didn’t want to have the students fall into the trap of posting weekly responses to a discussion board each week and completing the course in “isolation”.  Plus, I wanted to develop a model that pushed students to use their maximum potential in learning.

What tools and resources did you use in implementing this model?
      
The major resource that I used was my instructional designer. We started from a blank slate and together were willing to dream of a new way of doing the course. In developing this model, we needed to spend time together sharing ideas that combined her world of technology and pedagogy with my content area.

Were students receptive to this delivery style? Why or why not?

Students were initially surprised and confused. They expected to just be able to check off the requirements of the course and do weekly assignments on their own. From the beginning the students needed to engage with each other and to be able to complete the first group assignment. They students had to assume different roles in the group to be able to set goals to complete the goals for the group. The success of the group depended on students working together.

How has student learning changed with the adoption of this model?

The students’ learning became more active and the students became more responsible for their learning. The students were pushed to set their own learning activities to accomplish the goals rather than a prescriptive list of activities that I developed. The learning carried over to their professional life. They learned to work together with others who had different strengths and limitations. The students had to take risks in doing things without a prescription from me. They learned they could accomplish greater things as a group than they could as individuals.  I learned that by unleashing the creativity and strengths of the students, they succeeded way beyond the expectations I had for them.

What are the downsides or challenges to using this model?

The challenge to this model is that you have to let go of your past way of teaching. You have to take a risk to be able to start totally from scratch allow yourself to dream of a course that incorporates key learning points, but also allows the students to accomplish the learning in their own. You have to be able to trust they will get to the goal and you have to accept that their way of learning may be different than your way for them.

How do you promote individual accountability among group members?

It is a challenge to promote accountability. The model is similar to real life situations. There are people who perform at different levels and they all get the same grade. One thing I use is benchmarks that groups of students periodically submit on their progress. Within each benchmark, students identify the progress and contributions of the group. Also, each group has a group site in the course, which has a discussion board, file exchange, and other areas to exchange group ideas and work. I am a member in each group and frequently post comments in the discussion board. This allows me to be aware of the student contributions to the group. If a member is missing or not contributing, students will post “Has any one heard from Jane?” or similar comments. I do not intervene in situations where a member is not contributing and the group is responsible for resolving the problem. If they ask me to fix it, I ask them, “What would you do if this was a work situation? I won’t be there to fix it at work, so your group needs to find the solution.”

What advice would you give to a faculty member looking to try this approach?

The model is well worth the time and energy to develop the course in this way. It is a refreshing approach that pushes students to be accountable and grow as learners. It pushes students to take responsibility for their learning and seek the way to accomplish a goal. Many students at the end report that the course was a lot of work, but that it taught them lessons way beyond the course content. Students learn a lot about themselves in the course. They learn that they have to accept others who are different from them and that their way of doing things is not always the best way.

 

To learn more about active learning strategies that can be used in online and blended course design, or to design unique active learning strategies to suit your individual course goals, contact your instructional designer.