Easing the transition: A collaborative learning approach

Abstract

Engaging first year students is a difficult problem, as students must develop independent study skills while concurrently mastering their chosen topic. At the same time, they find themselves in an alien environment, removed from their peer group and anonymised by University structures. Retention is of particular concern within ICT as across Australia, and globally, we have seen a recent dramatic drop in number of students applying for ICT degrees, and poor progression and retention rates. Collaborative learning is a strategy that involves the students themselves in the ownership and direction of their learning; each student is responsible for not only their own learning but of the learning of the group. In this paper we describe our approach to student engagement based on applying a range of collaborative learning techniques within an introductory Computer Science course, addressing specifically the task of collaborative problem solving. Results from three years of adopting this change in teaching methodology indicate increased student confidence, participation and student ability.