Online Cooperative Learning Groups (OCLG) in Higher Education: A Faculty Development Opportunity

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to fill a void in the catalog of faculty development offerings and address the pedagogical strategy of online cooperative learning (CL) groups at one university system in Texas. The goal for the CL faculty development module was to support and guide faculty members with experience and increased understanding about the intricacies of online CL group work. The primary intent of the study was to generate new knowledge meant to be shared, published, presented, and intended to have an impact on the field of online education, faculty development, and online student growth. As my professional values as a university staff member naturally played a part in my positionality as a student researcher, I hoped that the volunteer faculty participants felt smart, satisfied, and encouraged and are able to make shrewd decisions moving forward with their pedagogical approaches to CL group work within their online courses.