Small Groups
Faculty had students work in groups of 3-5 students to solve problems, discuss, or complete assignments.
About
Having an 85% participation means that Bucknell faculty clearly find the activity
worthwhile, though they also recognize some endemic issues. They see an increase in active student engagement, a democratization of contribution, and a co-construction of knowledge that fits well with constructivist learning. They also recognize that a good small group activity requires careful structuring of student preparation, rolls, and deliverables, but believe that the return on investment is worthwhile.
The original study's data and analysis for "Small Groups" can be found on this link.
What Faculty Have To Say
Strengths (15)
- Increases engagement and retention of knowledge
- Low stakes environment
- Build towards consensus
- Co-construction of understanding
- Builds community through social bonds
- Prepares for larger class discussion
- Increase individual engagement
- Democratizes sharing
- Can brainstorm and clarify concepts
- Encourages shy students
- Allows uncovering of errors
- Shares diverse perspectives
- Teaches real world collaboration
- Can help drive discussion
- Encourages creativity
Weaknesses (10)
- Socializing distracts from the material
- Uncooperative or adversarial groups
- Lack of trust, respect, or accountabilit
- Confident, loud, strong, or prepared students may overpower less confident, shy, or unprepared ones
- Uneven coverage of and understanding of material
- Uneven participation, effort, and quality (and freeloaders)
- Hard to assess outcomes
- Can be repetitive, especially the report back
- Time consuming
- Hard to manage fairly
Pedagogy Usage
Bucknell faculty was asked their best estimate for how often in the semester they used Small Groups and the average class time it took.
Average Duration: 25 min (mode=15)
Remote Suggestions
Small group exercises still have tremendous value - for the peer learning of content, for the sharing of skills and strategies, and for the social value of companionship. Therefore, it is well worth the time to find ways to replicate the face-to-face small group meeting. Zoom breakout sessions are perfect for this, after assigning the groups and the tasks, but you could also ask students to self-organize on their own outside of class with a clear deliverable.
Resources for Additional Learning
Articles & Books
- Barr, R. B., & Tagg, J. (1995). A New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education. Change, (December 1995), 1–19.
- Effects of Small-Group Learning on Undergraduates in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology: A Meta-Analysis (1999) in Review of Educational Research.
- Prince, M. (2004). Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3), 223-231.