Abstract:

University education has evolved into a model where students must be fully involved in the learning process. Literature on the subject indicates that students who work and learn together play a more proactive role in their learning experience.

The European Higher Education Area provides, among other things, the key skill of cooperative work. Cooperative learning can be defined as a method with a set of techniques in the classroom that allows students to work in small groups, carrying out a learning activity and receiving feedback on the results obtained. Besides the above, it is necessary for certain conditions to be met. Most scholars emphasise positive interdependence, interaction, the sharing of roles, monitoring and the assessment of activities.

Positive interdependence is established when every member of the group cares and feels responsible, not only for their own work but also for the work of others. Interaction may occur either in person or virtually, in this case using the collaborative tools that new technologies place at our disposal. This interaction should not necessarily be continuous, in fact students can sometimes work individually and at other times in pairs or in small groups. In any case, they must distribute tasks and responsibilities to reach their goals. Each student must be assigned a role. Such roles can be functional or management roles and may vary over time. Monitoring the activity not only involves being able to carry out a task, but also to promote an environment of positive interaction between the members of the group. Alongside group evaluation, individual assessment for each of the team members is also advisable.

In this paper, the application of cooperative work as a teaching method in the area of marketing is shown. A detailed description of the workgroup, as well as of the planning of the course, the activities and the routines followed in the cooperative work are given. Subsequently the three tests are described. The first one in order to find out students' motivation for studying the subject. Another for students to give their opinion on the methodology chosen, that is, the collaborative work. And the third to check if they have acquired the knowledge and skills specified in the teacher's handbook on the subject.

The results show that the students are satisfied with the learning experience, and have widely achieved the learning objectives and skills of the course.

Keywords:

Cooperative learning, education innovation, marketing, university teaching.