Cooperative Learning and its Efficiency in the University Classroom

Abstract

The term cooperative learning refers to the instruction that involves students working in teams, structured under certain criteria, to accomplish a common goal. This teaching instruction is recently used widely in classrooms of primary, middle and secondary schools but its use is still limited in higher education classes, where the dominant teaching method is the traditional lecture mode. Hence, this article is introduced to investigate the effectiveness of cooperative learning in the university classroom through the review of findings of both empirical and theoretical studies on the subject matter. It also accounts for cooperative teaching techniques suitable for university classes and suggests solutions for possible obstacles in the implementation of cooperative learning instruction.