Exploring students’ and lecturers’ views on collaboration and cooperation in computer science courses - a qualitative analysis

Abstract

Background and Context: Collaborative and cooperative learning is important to prepare students for their future work and to increase their learning performance in university courses. Several studies have shown promising results regarding team activities, such as pair programming. However, there is little information on how teamwork is currently included in university courses for computer science students and the specific obstacles to its successful inclusion. Objective: To get an overview of the implementation of teamwork in computer science courses, we interviewed students and lecturers. We examined which cooperative and collaborative learning methods are implemented, which goals are pursued, and how the teamwork is guided and assessed. Method: Semi-structured interviews with 25 lecturers and students were conducted in three universities in Germany. We analyzed the students’ data separately from the teachers’ data, in a content analysis, and discuss both views in the end. Findings: Courses lack instructional design and guidance by the lecturer, and students wish to get more instructions and explanations in using collaborative tools. Implications: To successfully include teamwork in computer science courses the following aspects are crucial: thorough instructional design of collaborative and cooperative learning activities based on learning objectives, learner characteristics, contextual factors, and alignment of assessment.