Assessment Technique to Encourage Cooperative Learning in a Computer Programming Course

摘要

Cooperative learning has been reported to produce greater student achievement than other traditional learning methodologies. However, difficulties are usually found with plagiarism and with achieving the equal commitment of all members. In this paper, we propose a teaching methodology that aims at avoiding plagiarism, promoting cooperation and encouraging participation of group members. To this end, a number of collaborative tasks are set using a typical Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach. Instead of evaluating student performance by means of a typical report (or portfolio), students are assessed by means of a written test, composed of questions that are closely related to the collaborative task. Furthermore, student grades are made dependent on the individual grades obtained by all other members in the group. In this way, students are encouraged to help each other, and their level of commitment is increased. This technique has been applied to a group of 46 students taking the 'Programming Languages' module, a third level module of the Degree in Computing at the University of Valencia (Spain). Results have shown a significant improvement in student performance. Moreover, individual questionnaires have provided evidence that students prefer this technique to other more conventional teaching methods.