Abstract:

Higher Education has seen many changes in teaching and assessment approaches over the years. Active learning is for many reasons to the forefront of these changes. Effective teamwork (also referred to as group work) and collaborative skills are recognised by all stakeholders involved as being central to the active learning process. The objective of this study is to evaluate the level of active learning through the use of teamwork activities in Tertiary Education. Focus groups with a cohort of students from one department in one Higher Education institution were conducted. The findings show that while students in general could recognise and appreciate the value and benefits of teamwork, the reality is that in many situations, very limited amounts of teamwork and resulting active learning actually takes place.

The findings indicate that the use of teamwork in Higher Education needs to be reassessed in light of substantial active learning. Students that engage in the learning process learn key transferable skills, some of which include prioritisation, delegation, listening, communication, analytics and leadership. To preclude a deficit of these skills, strategies need to be developed to better design, monitor and evaluate the work that is being done in teams in order for students to receive the identified benefits of involved learning. In order to ensure that active learning is an effective teaching and learning mechanism in Higher Education, further research needs to be conducted in this area.

Keywords:

Active Learning, Teamwork, Tertiary Education.