Abstract:

At the present time, science and technology play a leading role in the development of higher education. The emerging conditions and the return to face-to-face learning require the implementation of innovative teaching and learning methodologies. In this sense, cooperative learning is a primary strategy to promote groupwork in university contexts. The term group is applicable to all areas of human life. We belong to neighborhood groups, we are part of associations, sports groups, family, work, church, etc. This belonging has falsified the idea that we know everything about groups. In the educational field, groupwork is shown as one of the teaching methodologies best known and used by teachers. The recurrent phrase: "get together and work as a group" contains theoretical and conceptual assumptions, many of them, ignored by educators. Group work in educational contexts has been discussed in several investigations. (Johnson & Johnson,199) and (Marks & O’Connor, 2013) refer to cooperative learning as a methodological strategy that operationalizes group work. This study evaluated the conceptions and usefulness of group work as a learning strategy of teachers and students of the face-to-face of the careers of Initial Education and Sciences of Physical Activity, Sports, and Recreation of the University of the Armed Forces of Ecuador. The results reveal a favorable attitude of teachers and students towards the criteria that compose the assessment of group work, providing valuable information concerning the conception and usefulness of groupwork in university contexts under face-to-face modality. It is a non-experimental descriptive study with a quantitative approach and the application of surveys. The data was expressed with numerical measurements through statistical analysis. The conclusions provide valuable information concerning the conception and usefulness of groupwork in university contexts under face-to-face modality.

Keywords:

Group Work, Cooperative Learning, Teaching at University, Collaborative Learning.