Community college learners are a varied and unpredictable group. Research revealed that students from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds learn materials better through group-based, active, and collaborative learning pedagogies. With the adoption of team teaching approaches, the students were exposed to other team members within the same group in learning of the core computing concepts. Besides, the team teaching came out to be an inclusive pedagogy, which also addressed the issues relating to Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT). The team teaching pedagogies adopted were particularly suitable in teaching of the core computing courses at a community college setting where a majority of the in-coming freshmen have absolutely null to very little background of the fundamental knowledge in computing. The reason for adopting group-based active learning approaches in teaching of the community college computing courses was discussed elaborately. Then, beginning within an introduction to varied group-based active learning approaches targeted to computing courses, the benefits rendered through each one of the seven different group learning pedagogies were discussed in detail.

1. Ahmed Tarek
Montgomery College
Rockville Campus, MD 20850, USA
AFACCT ‘18 Conference, Anne Arundel Community College
SESSION 1.6. Thursday, January 11, 2018
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM, Room No: CRSC 255
Ahmed.Tarek@montgomerycollege.edu
Benefits of Active, Group-based Learning Approach to
Community College Computing Courses

2. Presentation Outline
Discussion Topics
Why to take Active Learning & Group-based
Active Learning Approach for Community
College Computing Learners
Group-based Active Learning Pedagogies
Discussion and Feedback from the Colleagues
Question and Answer Session

3. Group-based Active Learning Approaches
Following Team Active Learning Techniques are
considered for this presentation
Semester Group Project with presentation
In-class Group Assignment
In-class Group Quiz
Modified Group Share Learning
Team Rotation
Weekly Team Meeting
Weekly Team-Pair-Share

4. Why Group-based Active Learning?
-Motivations behind Group Active Learning
 As a Community College entity, we strongly practice
Diversity & Inclusion
 Our Computing student-body includes diverse, multi-
cultured and under-represented student minority
 As Computing faculty members, we feel obligated to
help them learn the materials, faster, easily, and in a
more efficient and effective way in a Co-operative/
Collaborative Environment
• Research reveals that diverse, multi-cultured
student population learn computing materials
faster, and better through Group-based Active
learning approaches compared to the traditional
lecture only styles of teaching

5. Why Group-based Active Learning?
-Motivations behind Group Active Learning - Continued
 Team Teaching is an effective, popular approach in
Modern Pedagogy
 Research reveals that with Team Teaching
Approaches, students learn better, and take more
interest in learning
 Team Teaching is particularly effective in a diverse
Community College environment, such as at MC
 Also, Team Teaching can effectively be aligned with
MC’s three pillar stones of Learning Foundations –
• Discover the Team Teaching Active Learning
Approach
• Adjust it to your Computing Class Environment
• Assess the success of the Group-based Active
Learning Technique

6. Why Group-based Active Learning?
-Motivations behind Group Active Learning - Continued
 With Team Teaching Pedagogy/Instruction, difficult contents
get easier for the students who are learning, and sharing in an
Active Collaborative Learning environment
 Research reveals that with Active Group Learning Pedagogy,
students take more interest together with their classmates in
learning of the materials
 For certain courses, or course materials, group active learning
approach is the most effective way to deliver the instructional
content
 Also, Team Teaching can effectively be aligned to the skills,
and expertise of the individualized members within a team –
such as, in a team, if someone is weak in writing code but
skilled in writing report, he/she may assume that part of the
responsibility, whereas a peer strong in coding may code for
the project

7. Benefits of Group-based Active
Learning Approach
 Possible to group students together according to their
learning behavior or learning pattern
 Possible to combine accelerated students to relatively slow
paced learners
 Possible to group students together according to their
Cultural Orientation – supports Culturally Responsive
Teaching
 Possible to group students according to their avenues of
interest
 Possible to group students according to their academic
major, and academic background

8. Semester Long Group Project
Students work in groups of 3 to 4 team peers on an assigned
topic for couple of weeks
• Students write code using an existing algorithm, and also
express their innovative ideas through heuristics in
computing
• Students sort out factual data, apply analytical tools and
techniques to write the project report
• They accelerate peer-to-peer networking by meeting in
groups outside of the class for working on the group project
• Students take turn within groups to make their final project
presentation to the entire class

9. Semester Long Group Project
Benefits:
• Students create their own groups of 3 to 4 peers
‒Better chance for them to create groups based on
cultural similarities, academic interest, and majors
• Helps with peer-to-peer network building abilities
• Students may share critical ideas and knowledge
• Enhances critical thinking within a group
• Learning of the related concepts become easier

10. Semester Long Group Project
Benefits Continued:
• Promotes focused concentration as a group on a
selected topic
• Students are exposed to group knowledge sharing
in making decision on how to solve the problem
best
• Students learn to apply Structured Problem Solving
approach through a systematic solution to the given
problem

11. In-class Group Assignment
Students are given a computer-based algorithmic problem to
solve on computers in groups of 2 to 3 students based on the
discussion content, and the presented topic during the class.
They are allocated with time limits to solve the given problem
(for instance, 15 minutes for an in-class problem). The
problem sizes are reasonable enough to be completed within
the allocated time frame.
They are provided with outlines to solve the problem
Benefits:
• Implants Structured Problem Solving Approach in student
thinking
• Students may work in groups of 2 to 3 peers on a single
workstation that saves their time

12. In-class Group Assignment
Benefits Continued:
• Students apply Critical Thinking to computer-based problem
solving as a team
• Enhances and empowers the computer-based problem
solving skills
• Helps remember the discussed materials, and the related
problems during the in-class discussion session better
• Aids in better understanding of the discussed topics
• Benefits with related quizzes, homework assignments, and
the programming projects

13. In-class Group Quiz
Students are subdivided into groups based on their seating
rows
Usually there are 4 seating-based row groups in a classroom of
size 24
The instructor initiates the group quiz session towards the end
of the class – students response in groups based on the
seating rows
Professor typically asks 9 to 10 short, objective type questions
based on the day’s discussions, and initiates a competition to
see which group could answer most of the questions first
Finally, the professor delivers judgement as
per the winning group

14. In-class Group Quiz
Benefits:
• Accelerates competitive problem solving skills
• Enhances group co-operation as well as group collaboration
• Helps to clarify topics based on the day’s discussion
• Promotes critical thinking abilities
• Students pay better attention to the day’s topics of discussion
• Relatively weaker students have better chance to share
information, and knowledge with the relatively skilled students
in answering the Group Quiz Questions.

15. Modified Group Share Learning
The instructor assigns a computer-based computing problem to
the class based on the day’s discussion
Students solve the problem on workstations in groups of 2 to 3
students
Professor randomly selects a group to share their solution to
the entire class
The instructor next randomly asks other groups as per how the
problem may be solved differently, or what are the changes that
may be made to the computer-based solution or the presented
program to make it more efficient computationally!

16. Modified Group Share Learning
Benefits:
• Students realize that the computer-based algorithmic solution
to a computational problem is not unique
‒ Multiple solutions may be available to solve the same
computational problem more efficiently using computers
• Accelerates Critical Thinking Skills among classroom
students
• Promotes Structured Problem Solving skills
• Brain Storming - Groups share, and exchange knowledge on
different possible solutions to the same given problem

17. Modified Group Share Learning
Benefits Continued:
• Accelerates, and enhances skills pertaining to writing codes
for implementing the computer algorithms
• Helps in learning how to optimize code, and how to optimize
computer-based solutions in an introductory level computing
course
• Improves Group Problem Solving skills

18. Team Rotation
 Suitable for teaching Project-oriented courses
 With this approach-
 The class is divided up into a number of project groups
 All groups are assigned with the same semester long
project
 Each week, a group presents with their present status of
the project for a period of the allocated class time
 For instance in a 2 hour and 30 minutes long weekly
class, a team may present for 15 minutes towards the
end of the class
 Members of the other teams listen to the team project
presentation of the group, and provide with their inputs

19. Team Rotation
Benefits:
• Other teams may receive update on where they are
standing with the team semester project, and may
align themselves to pace up or to keep in pace
• Based on the feedback provided, the team
presenting may improve / update their project
• With the input received from other teams, this
approach initiates Critical Thinking among the team
members that are presenting

20. Team Rotation
Benefits Continued:
• Helps in Brain Storming with project groups
presenting
• Since the cycle repeats once all teams have
presented, with the team presenting a second time,
may update on modifications or the suggested
improvements to the entire class

21. Weekly Team Meeting
 Suitable for teaching Project-oriented Core Computing
Courses (CCC)
 With this approach-
 The class is divided up into a number of project groups for
any assigned project
 Each group with the assigned project meets with the
Professor during his/her office hour for a brief period of
time each week (for instance, each team meets for 10
minutes each week)
 The team updates the professor on the current progress
with their assigned project
 For example, how the project is coming up, whether the
team has any difficulty with any part of the project, the
possible suggestions for further progress, etc.
 Based on the team’s current standing with the project, the
Professor delivers his/her input to the team

22. Weekly Team Meeting
Benefits:
• Teams work on the assigned project on a regular
basis as they are required to update the professor
during each week, on the progress of the project
• Based on the feedback provided by the course
professor, the teams may update / prepare the
project as to adhere to the specificity, and the
guidelines of the assigned project
• Student-Faculty Interaction, Communication, and
Collaboration improves

23. Weekly Team Meeting
Benefits Continued:
• Groups may easily meet with the established
deadline for the project without much difficulties due
to the regularities imposed
• Relatively weaker teams get better opportunities for
more faculty involvement, and guidance

24. Weekly Team-Pair-Share
 Suitable for Project-based Community College
Computing (CCC) courses
 With this approach-
 The class is divided up into an even number of
project groups for any assigned project
 Each project group meets in rotation with every
other project group once each week outside of the
classroom for about 30 minutes to an hour
 If there are n = 2k number of project groups,
where k is a positive integer, then each week there
will be k team-pair-share meetings for the entire
class

25. Weekly Team-Pair-Share (Continued)
 Each team share their strategies for solving the
assigned project problem as well as the current
progress on the project, any new approach that
they came up with, or is using, etc.
 Each team keeps the individualized team
members’ attendance record for all team peers
from the team that they are meeting during any
specific week
 Also, each team summarizes their team-pair-
share meeting outcomes for the week in the
form of a short report that they turn in to the
supervising professor towards the beginning of the
next class

26. Weekly Team-Pair-Share
Benefits:
• If a group is lagging behind, then the team may pace
up based upon the interaction with other teams
• Initiates critical thinking among the team members as
per as solving the project problem upon regular,
weekly interaction with other teams
• Helps in brain storming among the team members
during team-pair-share meeting
• Helps the teams / groups meet the established
deadline easily

27. Weekly Team-Pair-Share
Benefits - Continued:
• Relatively weaker teams get better opportunities for
catching up with the other teams
• Students in a group take more interest in
participating, and completing the project successfully!
‒This is to avoid any fear of failure due to lagging
behind or incomplete project, as they are required
to meet with all other teams in their class in
rotation, exchange ideas, and update on progress
‒Their regular attendance is kept by other teams

28. Weekly Team-Pair-Share
Benefits - Continued:
• The Weekly Progress Report Component helps each
team to track their most recent team progress
• Also, the Weekly Progress Report helps the
Supervising Professor track progress of each
individualized team in each week

29. Summary of Presentation
 In this presentation on Group-based Active Learning
Pedagogy, I have explored a number of new, and
innovative Team-Teaching Active Learning
Techniques
 Following Group-based Active Learning Approaches
are presented, and discussed with the audience
• Semester Group Project with Presentation
• In-class Group Assignment
• In-class Group Quiz
• Modified Group Share Learning
• Team Rotation
• Weekly Team Meeting
• Weekly Team-Pair-Share

30. Summary of Presentation - Continued
 Each one of the approaches presented here is
associated with a set of benefits
 Which approach or the combined approaches to be
used for a specific computing classroom setting
depends on the relevant determining factors, such
as-
 The topics covered
 Course syllabus
 Enrolled student standing, student majors, cultural
background, etc.
 Class meeting time allocated

31. Overall Discussion & Feedback from
Faculty Colleagues
 I would Welcome any feedback, comment or
discussion from my faculty colleagues on any
one of the active team teaching approaches
that I have presented today!
 Some of the approaches presented may be
specific to the Discipline as well!

32. Questions?