Cooperative Learning in Oceanography

The challenges of recruitment, retention, and learning outcomes in STEM higher education call for learning environments that promote student belonging and belief in their own abilities (Møgelvang, 2023). Cooperative learning (CL) is a type of group learning associated with increased learning and more “soft” student outcomes such as increased sense of belonging, scientific confidence, and generic skills (Møgelvang et al., 2023). CL may be defined as “a more-structured, hence more-focused, form of collaborative learning” (Millis and Cottell, 1997, p. 4). This structured approach is research based and is considered to increase the probability that all students are successful at group work (Millis and Cottell, 1997).