Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning Strategies in Improving Performance for Large Mathematics Classes

In the current university situation, lecturers are often required to teach large classes, particularly for common subjects such as engineering mathematics. Nowadays, a more modern view of learning is constructivism, i.e. where students are expected to be active in the learning process by participating in discussion and/or collaborative activities. Consequently, in this study, active learning (AL) based on cooperative learning (CL) techniques will be implemented and its effectiveness in large classes will be investigated. Two different techniques, i.e. Think-Pair-Share and Three-Minutes Review were considered in this study. This study will specifically target students majoring in Chemical Engineering (CE) who enrolled in the Engineering Mathematics II (EM II) course at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) during the January 2019 and September 2019 semesters. Data through class assessments (post-test) and survey questionnaire were gathered to obtain both quantitative and qualitative insights into the effectiveness and perceptions of CL techniques. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS software and students’ participation during the learning process was closely observed. The findings highlighted that the implementation of CL techniques enhanced students’ engagement in the learning process and promoted the development of self-directed learning.