Study of the experience of cooperation among undergraduate students from the perspective of the cultivation of key competencies －A focus group interview with high-performers in general education courses based on the POD class model

Abstract

With regard to the innovation of the general education at the level of higher education in Korea based on the approach of competency-based education, researchers have predominantly focused on the individual development of key competencies and skills. However, little attention has been paid to one of the main axes of the key competency, the experience of cooperation among students. Drawing on the interview data with undergraduate students who participated in online general education courses which were based on the ‘Peer-tutoring Online Discussion (POD)’ class model, this study explores modalities and significance of their cooperation experiences in the courses. Findings suggest that the experience of cooperation based on the POD class model has several differences from traditional classes and that these features contribute to unique characteristics of the cooperation experience in the POD class model. Through their experience of cooperation in the general education courses based on the POD class model, students were able to feel a sense of achievement that they had never felt before in other classes, and also able to realize the growth of their team members as well as themselves. Moreover, respondents also explained that their experience of cooperation through the POD class model actually enabled them to foster positivity, broad perspective, leadership and collaborative skills.