InnovationCENTER: Integrating Cooperative Learning into Classroom Testing:Implications for Nursing Education and Practice

Abstract

Much has been written about the current millennial individuals born between 1982 and 2002, and their methods of learning (Pardue & Morgan, 2008). It is well documented that today's traditional college-aged students bring an approach to learning drastically different from that of current nurse faculty, most of whom were over age 45 in 2009 (Kaufman, 2010). Millennials, also known as the net generation, currently comprise the majority of students in four-year undergraduate nursing programs. These students are described as extremely civic minded, optimistic, friendly, assertive, and inclined to gravitate toward group activities (Johnson & Romanello, 2005). Based on their characteristics and the fact that they have grown up in a technologically rich society, the preferred learning style for millennials includes group work or teamwork, the use of technology, and experiential activities. This article discusses the application of cooperative learning principles in a testing situation and how these experiences benefit students both in the classroom and clinical settings. Cooperative Learning Cooperative learning allows students to work in small groups. Specifically, it is an active learning strategy whereby students promote each other's learning, explaining, discussing, or sharing what they know with their peers (Goodfellow, 1995). Johnson and Johnson (2003), who are known as the pioneers of cooperative learning, identified five key components required for cooperative learning to be successful: face-to-face interaction, individual and group accountability, interpersonal and small-group skills, positive interdependence, and group processing. Huff (1997) identified cooperative learning as a socially and intellectually stimulating mechanism for the instruction of nursing students, citing it as a strategy that can be used to motivate students to take active and responsible roles in their learning. Copp (2002) described the use of cooperative learning as a successful tool in a leadership/management course to teach students about the provisions of one state's nurse practice act. Goodfellow (1995) examined the use of cooperative learning in a nursing research class and found that students who participated in this class had better exam scores when compared with those students taught by traditional methods. A study conducted in Thailand found that cooperative learning had significant positive effects on the development of critical thinking skills of baccalaureate nursing students (Daodee, Crabtree & Vandenberghe, 2006). However, no articles specifically describe the use of cooperative learning in a classroom testing situation. Cooperative Learning with a Classroom Examination Our baccalaureate program is part of a private, religious-affiliated university in the northeastern region of the United States. Most of the students live on campus and are 18 to 23 years of age. Content in nursing courses is primarily delivered via traditional lecture using PowerPoint slides augmented with Internet sites, case studies, and class discussion. Given the way today's students learn, the decision was made to incorporate cooperative learning into testing as an additional teaching strategy in two different junior-level courses--pharmacology and medical-surgical nursing. All course examinations are given in the classroom. Initially, each student takes the test independently. Upon completion of the test, the student submits the answer sheet, but retains the test paper. Students who finish more quickly than the allotted time are expected to remain seated in the classroom where they may rest, head down, or read a journal article given to them after they complete the exam. Students are not permitted to open any books, take out any papers, or talk with classmates while the remainder of the class finishes the independent testing. Cell phones, backpacks, and any other papers brought into the testing area are all placed in a designated section of the classroom to ensure security of exams. …