LETTING THEM BE ACTIVE AND COOPERATIVE
Faculty members of the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology gathered one November morning at the Ainsley Game Day Center, adjacent to Foreman Field. But there was no football game happening down on the field. These faculty members were here for a workshop entitled "Active and Cooperative Learning" presented by Drs. Richard Felder and Rebecca Brent.
The participatory workshop surveyed and illustrated basic principles and techniques of active and cooperative learning in a team-building environment as illustrated in the very first exercise of the day-long workshop. During this exercise, faculty members were asked to, in groups, compile lists of why students give poor class evaluations at semester's end. The answers came fast and furious from the faculty members and ranged from serious to silly:
Bouts of laughter followed each of these, but the message became clear very quickly as everyone in the room became engaged in this initial discussion.
Active learning is classroom instruction that involves students in activities other than watching and listening to a lecturer. Cooperative learning is instruction that involves students in team projects under conditions that meet several criteria, including positive interdependence and individual accountability for every part of the project.
By arranging their faculty development workshop in the same process they advocate for better learning, Drs. Felder and Brent gave credence to active and cooperative learning to a captivated audience.