1. Enhancing first year students’ experience through cooperative learning
Cases from Humanities and Social Sciences at QMUL
Dr Ana Baptista –
Learning & Teaching Advisor
Learning Development, in collaboration with Engagement Retention and Success

2. The classroom
Nowhere is involvement more important than in the classrooms of the university, the one place, perhaps only place, students meet each other and the faculty, and engage in learning. For that reason the centerpiece of any university policy to enhance retention must begin with the classrooms and serve to reshape classroom practice in ways that more fully involve students in learning, especially with other students. (Tinto, 2003, p.4)
Classroom experiences and contact with faculty, especially in the first year, prove to be the two most important predictors of student success. (Tinto, n/d, n/p)

3. Engagement
By Kuh (2016)
Although engagement has multiple meanings and applications, I use it here to represent the time and energy undergraduates put forth in educationally purposeful activities combined with the policies, programs, and practices that institutions employ to induce students to put forth such effort (Kuh, 2003).

4. Seven Principles For Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
by Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson (1987)
Encourages contact between students and faculty.
Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.
Encourages active learning.
Gives prompt feedback.
Emphasizes time on task.
Communicates high expectations.
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.
Points 2 and 3

5. Cooperative learning - overview
Cooperative learning is not: (i) students sitting around a table studying together; (ii) group projects with one or two students doing all the work.
Cooperative learning may occur in or out of class.
In-class exercises, which may take from 30 seconds to an entire class period, may involve answering or generating questions, explaining observations, solving problems, summarising lecture material, trouble- shooting, and brainstorming.
Out-of-class activities include carrying out research studies, completing problem sets, writing reports, and preparing class presentations.
(Felder & Brent, 1994, 2007)
Cooperative learning may occur in or out of class, though it might be argued by some authors (e.g. Millis & Cottell, 1998) that this is typically an ‘in-class pedagogy’.

6. The context(s)
Schools of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences – QMUL
First year modules
1 semester and year long modules
1st and 2nd semesters
Monday morning to Friday afternoon sessions
Number of students: ranging from < 10 students (tutorials), to up to 15 students in seminars, to > 200 students in lectures
Non systematic (once in a while in a module) and systematic (throughout the duration of the module)
Drive/trigger:
My role as Learning and Teaching Advisor
Develop collaborative relationships/ partnerships with members of academic staff in HSS’ Schools (a) to understand when and why a pedagogical practice is successful, using a cycle of research and evaluation leading to reflection, consolidation and/or change; (b) to boost teaching practices that already exist; (c) to provide individualised support to identify/design new teaching practices to foster students’ academic success and/or to solve an identified problem.
Preliminary conversations with academics (module convenors), who demonstrated
Specific concerns with (i) NSS scores, (ii) student satisfaction as a whole (module feedback forms), (iii) students’ lack of preparation for classes, (iv) students’ lack of interaction – too passive in classes (despite ‘the socratic dialogue’), (v) first year students’ less prepared for HE – lack of consolidated skills.
Willingness of trying more interactive strategies in the classroom to stimulate the students to be more involved with the teaching and learning process; willingness to monitor students’ learning and to stimulate participation and engagement from students
My suggestion: cooperative learning, which I have been characterizing as ‘structured group work’ in small groups (pairs or triads) and in-class
Students work in groups on … receiving guidance from academic staff when necessary

7. Types of cooperative learning activities (i)
Brainstorming and revision; starting a lecture
In groups of 2 or 3, write in a piece of paper all concepts you know about (specific concept). At the end of the lecture you will be able to go through them and check which you know or still need to go through.
Brainstorming (questions and/or problems); starting a tutorial or seminar
What questions do you have from this week’s lecture and/or material?
What themes do you want to address in relation to (specific concept or material)?
What haven’t you understood from this week’s lecture and/or material?
(Collectively or in pairs; they all go through the questions/themes/problems)
Note taking, systematisation, and peer learning; middle or end of a session
Compare your notes from today’s session with your neighbour, and try to note one common thing about (specific theme/concept).

8. Types of cooperative learning activities (ii)
Revision, systematisation, note taking, oral presentation, and peer learning; at any point of a tutorial or seminar
Groups of 3. This group will go through question 1, next group through question 2 … Compare how you prepared your answer, come up with an answer of the group, write the main ideas on the flipchart. You have ‘x’ minutes to go through your answers, and then ‘y’ minutes to present.
Interpretation, argumentation, and knowledge consolidation; at any point of a lecture or seminar
In groups of 3. Same questions to everyone or different questions per group. The student in the middle is in favour of an argument; the other two colleagues have the role of devil’s advocates. You have 5/7 minutes.
Turn to the person next to you, and identify some of the main ideas that you could use to answer Q1 and Q2 of the essay.

9. Types of cooperative learning activities (iii)
Note taking, oral presentation, systematisation, and peer learning; at any point of a tutorial or seminar
Each student had a paper to read. Though all papers are different, the main topic is the same. Students ‘pitch’ the main ideas of the paper orally, while taking some notes on the whiteboard. Towards the end of the session, there is a discussion on similarities and differences between arguments as well as methodology, challenges of the research and/or main theme. The entire session is a collaborative work.
Brainstorming, and overcoming (awkward) silences; at any point of a lecture or seminar
In 1 minute, talk to your neighbour and come up with possible answers to the question I have just asked.

10. Preliminary reflections on evidence of effectiveness/impact (i)
Higher levels of students’ engagement* (from classes’ observation)
Students were actually doing/involved in the task, and were talking about it and to each other.
Students’ level of attention was fuelled.
Less students were looking at their mobiles – they were actually
More students were taking notes throughout the session (by hand, and on laptop).
(More) Students were asking (more) questions.
More students were participating (not only the ‘same’ students). (Potential boost in students’ confidence.)
Students didn’t complain.
* Previous definition: time and energy undergraduates put forth in educationally purposeful activities (Kuh, 2016)

11. Preliminary reflections on evidence of effectiveness/impact (ii)
Higher levels of academics’ engagement* and apparent motivation (from classes’ observation)
Happier students and academics (from classes’ observations)
All characteristics of effective interventions have been tackled (Thomas, 2012)
Mainstream + proactive + relevant + well-timed + collaborative + monitored (ongoing data analysis on effectiveness/impact)
* Previous definition: time and energy undergraduates put forth in educationally purposeful activities (Kuh, 2016)

12. Consequences for academics’ engagement and development
Stick to this!
Ongoing practice, and way of thinking and behaving (not a single event): more consistency in academics’ pedagogical practices.
Development spiral and increased confidence
Academics start reluctantly ► Positive students’ reaction ► which boosts academics’ behaviours, engagement and confidence with the pedagogical activities ► Academics refine strategies ► Academics try out new strategies ► Students’ experiences in the classroom become potentially more positive.

13. Challenges to developing partnerships and pedagogical (institutional) sustainability
Time consuming, intense (one-to-one), high quality, non-scalable partnerships vs culture building (scalable)
Partnerships with ‘converted’ vs ‘non-converted’ academics: how to reach the latter?
Practices started by partnerships: how to ensure a (reflective and ongoing) process of continuity, consolidation, and change?
Instrumental discourse and practice: ‘fix something’
Academics’ recognition of transferability of pedagogical strategies to different contexts
(Un)Expected change of institutional agenda(s)

14. Dr Ana Baptista – a.baptista@qmul.ac.uk
Thank you!
Dr Ana Baptista –