Engaging students in computer-supported cooperative learning

Higher education institutions must provide mechanisms to enable students to acquire competencies. The aim of the study is to highlight the advantages of computer-supported cooperative learning to improve the performance of active learning methodologies, including cooperative and problem-based learning, with the aim of developing the competencies of self-directed work teams, and critical thinking for engineering degree students. This teaching-learning process is supported by the use of the well-known platform ‘WebCT’. This study has been carried out in two different subjects from two academic years of the Informatics Engineering degree. Results obtained show the advantages provided by computer-supported cooperative learning for the acquisition of both competencies by the students. Furthermore, these methodologies have also been applied in a student-to-student tutoring experience where fourth-year students tutor second-year students, with very promising results.