Millis, B., & Cottell, P. G. Jr. (1998). Cooperative learning for higher education faculty. Oryx Press. [The paperback edition of this book has recently come out.]

The authors begin by presenting an overview of cooperative learning. They include relatively brief presentations of research and theory. They then present a rationale for moving from a teacher-centered, lecture format to a more student-centered, cooperative format. Included in this discussion are eight commonly-voiced objections to using cooperative learning and the authors’ responses to those objections.

Chapters 3 and 4 of the book address planning and management issues. Chapters 5-10 deal with a variety of applied cooperative learning structures, ranging from simple to complex. Also included in these chapters are a large number of ingenious implementation tips. Chapters 11-13 of the book are devoted to assessment issues, with a strong emphasis on Cross and Angelo’s Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs). The last chapter of the text offers advice on supporting colleagues in institutionalizing cooperative learning on campus.

Each of the fourteen chapters is well written, readable, and relatively brief. There is something in the book for a variety of audiences. For the novice there are practical descriptions of a substantial number of cooperative learning techniques. For the person who has been doing cooperative and collaborative learning for some time and has been to a few workshops on applied issues, there is material which elaborates on some of the simple structures often presented at introductory workshops. The authors provide a number of checklists and graphic aids that effectively organize instructors’ work in planning and implementing cooperatively-taught classes.

Millis and Cottell also do a good job of taking a number of important issues in contemporary higher education and relating them to cooperative learning. I have already mentioned how they weave classroom assessment into cooperative techniques. They also relate cooperative learning to case methodology, to problem-based learning, and to technology. For me, this weaving of connections between cooperative learning and powerful instructional techniques which can produce deep learning is the most engaging element of the book. Clearly, there is a synergy in combining the procedures, a synergy which is difficult to explicate in brief workshops and short articles. This book provides Millis and Cottell the space to make the connections.

For many years I have been recommending Johnson, Johnson, and Smith’s workbook, Active Learning: Cooperation in the College Classroom (1991) as the book to buy if you can purchase just one source on cooperative learning in higher education. Millis and Cottell’s book joins the Johnson, Johnson, and Smith workbook as essential texts for anyone interested in a serious consideration of the research, theory, and practice of cooperative learning in higher education.

Angelo, T. A. (1996). Seven shifts and seven levers: Developing more productive learning communities. The National Teaching and Learning Forum, 6(1), 1-4.

Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college: Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Barr, R. B., & Tagg, J. (1995, Nov./Dec.). From teaching to learning--A new paradigm for undergraduate education. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 13-25.

Choe, S. W. T., & Drennan, P. M. (2001). Analyzing scientific literature using a jigsaw group activity. Journal of College Science Teaching, 30, 328-330.

Cooper, J. (1990, May). Cooperative learning and college teaching: Tips from the trenches. The Teaching Professor, 4(5), 1-2.

Cottell, P. G., & Millis, B. J. (1992). Cooperative learning in accounting. The Journal of Accounting Education, 10, 95-111.

Cottell, P. G., & Millis, B. J. (1993). Cooperative learning structures in the instruction of accounting. Issues in Accounting Education, 8(1), 40-59.

Davidson, N. (1990). (1990). The small-group discovery method in secondary- and college-level mathematics. In N. Davidson (Ed.), Cooperative learning in mathematics: A handbook for teachers (pp. 335-361). Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley.

Fantuzzo, J. W., Dimeff, L. A., & Fox, S. L. (1989). Reciprocal peer tutoring: A multimodal assessment of effectiveness with college students. Teaching of Psychology, 16(3), 133-135.

Felder, R. M. (1993). Reaching the second tier: Learning and teaching styles in college science education. Journal of College Science Teaching, 23, 286-290.

Felder, R. M., Forrest, K. D., Baker-Ward, L., Dietz, E. J., & Mohr, P.H. (1993). A longitudinal study of engineering student performance and retention: Success and failure in the introductory course. Journal of Engineering Education, 82, 15-21.

Felder, R. M., Mohr, P. H., Dietz, E. J., & Baker Ward, L. (1994). A longitudinal study of engineering student performance and retention: Differences between students from rural and urban backgrounds. Journal of Engineering Education, 83, 209-217.

Fiechtner, S. B., & Davis, E. A. (1985). Why groups fail: A survey of student experiences with learning groups. The Organizational Behaviour Teaching Review, 9(4), 58-73.

Foyle, H. C. (Ed.). (1995). Interactive learning in the higher education classroom: Cooperative, collaborative and active learning strategies. Washington, DC: National Education Association.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. W., & Smith, K. (1991). Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.

Keenan, D., & Maier, M. H. (1995). Economics live! Learning economics the collaborative way (2^nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

King, A. (1992). Promoting active learning and collaborating learning in business administration classes. In T. J. Fecka (Ed.), Critical thinking, interactive learning and technology: Reaching for excellence in business education (pp. 158-173). Arthur Anderson Foundation.

Magin, D. J. (2001). A novel technique for comparing the reliability of multiple peer assessments with that of single teacher assessments of group process work. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 26(2), 139 – 152.

Magin, D. J. (2001). Reciprocity as a source of bias in multiple peer assessment of group work. Studies in Higher Education, 26(1), 53 – 63.

McKeachie, W. J. (1994). Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (9^th ed.). Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath.

Millis, B. J., & Cottell, P. G. (1998). Cooperative learning for higher education faculty. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx.

Nevin, A. I., Smith, K., & Udvari-Solner. (1994). Cooperative group learning and higher education. In J. S. Thousan, R. A. Villa, & A. I. Nevin (Eds.), Creativity and collaborative learning: A practical guide to empowering students and teachers (pp. 115-127). Baltimore: MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Nurrenbern, S. C. (Ed.) (1995). Experiences in cooperative learning: A collection for chemistry teachers. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Institute of Chemical Education.

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (1999). Building learning communities in cyberspace: Effective strategies for the online classroom. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Smith, B. L., & MacGregor, J. T. (1992). What is collaborative learning? In A. Goodsell, M. Mahler, V. Tinto, B. L. Smith, & J. MacGregor (Eds.), Collaborative learning: A sourcebook for higher education (pp. 9-22). University Park, PA: National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.

Smith, K. A. (2000). Project management and teamwork. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Smith, K. A., & Waller, A. A. (1997). Cooperative learning for new college teachers. In W. E. Campbell & K. A. Smith (Eds.), New paradigms for college teaching (pp.183-209). Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.

Check out the IASCE Website

http://www.iasce.net