Cooperative Learning Using Chemical Literature

Summary In cooperative learning, students work together in small groups to accomplish a common goal. In chemistry courses, this approach has been used primarily to enhance learning in large lecture courses and in the laboratory. This article describes how cooperative learning can be used with course assignments that require students to use the chemical literature. Since both collaboration among scientists and reliance on the literature of their field are central to the scientific enterprise, these assignments are one way of fostering behaviors necessary for success in this field.