Location
Engel 223
Event Website
http://www.cpe.vt.edu/cuenr/index.html
Start Date
3-27-2010 9:00 AM
End Date
3-27-2010 9:30 AM
Description
I will present my use of cooperative learning techniques in a general education course at Utah State University (USU). I developed an undergraduate, junior‐level course called BIOL 3000 ‐ Biodiversity of Utah that is part of the general education requirements at Utah State University. From the beginning, a major challenge surfaced for this course in that the enrollment includes students who are science and also students who are non‐science majors. Science majors are biology and wildlife science majors. Non‐science majors are typically from outside the agricultural and natural resource fields. Non‐science students were underprepared for the course as they did not have any introductory courses in biology. I discuss ways to meet this challenge using cooperative learning techniques. The Cooperative Learning Center at The University of Minnesota defines cooperative learning as: the relationship in a group of students that requires positive interdependence (a sense of sink or swim together), individual accountability (each of us has to contribute and learn), interpersonal skills (communication, trust, leadership, decision making, and conflict resolution), face‐to‐face promotive interaction, and processing (reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function even better). Student achievement in the class improved markedly after I started organizing the class with cooperative learning techniques. I will offer some examples of the positive and negative aspects of cooperative learning in this class.
Included in
Cooperative Learning in Natural Resources Education
Engel 223
I will present my use of cooperative learning techniques in a general education course at Utah State University (USU). I developed an undergraduate, junior‐level course called BIOL 3000 ‐ Biodiversity of Utah that is part of the general education requirements at Utah State University. From the beginning, a major challenge surfaced for this course in that the enrollment includes students who are science and also students who are non‐science majors. Science majors are biology and wildlife science majors. Non‐science majors are typically from outside the agricultural and natural resource fields. Non‐science students were underprepared for the course as they did not have any introductory courses in biology. I discuss ways to meet this challenge using cooperative learning techniques. The Cooperative Learning Center at The University of Minnesota defines cooperative learning as: the relationship in a group of students that requires positive interdependence (a sense of sink or swim together), individual accountability (each of us has to contribute and learn), interpersonal skills (communication, trust, leadership, decision making, and conflict resolution), face‐to‐face promotive interaction, and processing (reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function even better). Student achievement in the class improved markedly after I started organizing the class with cooperative learning techniques. I will offer some examples of the positive and negative aspects of cooperative learning in this class.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cuenr/Sessions/Courses/2
Comments
Citation: Etchberger, R. 2010. Cooperative learning in natural resources education. UENR Biennial Conference, Session Innovations in Pedagogy, Course Design, Paper Number 2. http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cuenr/Sessions/Courses/2/