Cooperative learning highlights five essential elements that include positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive interaction, social skills and group processing (Johnson & Johnson, n.d.). The core concept emphasizes the connection between learners within a group instead of only relating to the professor. Cooperative learning effectively impacts in enhancing academic achievement, fostering better relationships among students, and improving psychological health.

The article specifies different kinds of cooperative learning techniques, including formal, informal, and cooperative base groups (Johnson & Johnson, n.d.). It reminds me a lot of the discussions and projects in my major classes. Health informatics focuses on teamwork and collaboration. In most of my courses, the professors preferred to assign a group project for an entire semester, generally working in small groups of three to four people, which corresponds well with the idea of formal cooperative learning and base group. On the other hand, some professors preferred informal cooperative learning, requiring students to join separate groups for short discussions based on their options for the proposition of the issue. Between the two, I personally favor the formal one. Formal cooperative learning involves a more detailed and long-term goal, combining different aspects of assessment, such as the professor, the students themselves, and peer review to achieve a more accurate measure of the effectiveness of the learning process. In addition to this, as the project continued to move forward, the group was allowed to have periodic meetings, therefore I made new friends. Building close interpersonal relationships through collaboration is the second outcome of cooperative learning. In practice, it cannot be achieved by a short ten-minute group discussion alone. A cooperative base group is a long-term, stable group formed to provide support and encouragement to its members throughout their academic journey (Johnson & Johnson, n.d.). Throughout my time in university, I’ve developed stronger relationships with my classmates who are majoring in HINF together, precisely because our course schedules are very close and cover a wide range of group project divisions. As a result, my classmates not only shared their daily learning activities, but also discussed each other’s internship experiences. This helped me to have more information to plan my career goals as I moved from university to work.

Reference

Johnson, D., & Johnson, R. (n.d.). An Overview Of Cooperative Learning. Cooperative Learning Institute. https://www.co-operation.org/what-is-cooperative-learning 

Comment of Xinyi’s Blog Post#2

Blog Post #2: Learning Design II

Hi Xinyi,

Thanks for sharing your blog! I think your conceptual statement of inquiry-based learning is perfectly on point. In fact, students in HINF programs are often tested on how they can apply foundational concepts to real-world scenarios. A typical exam assessment does not truly reflect a student’s understanding of the healthcare system. Therefore, I couldn’t agree more with your reference to inquiry-based learning helping students think critically. On the other hand, it makes me think of a new question. Inquiry-based learning requires active student participation, how do you think students can be motivated to participate spontaneously in discussion sessions?

Thanks,
Kate