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And Then There Was COVID-19: Do the Benefits of Cooperative Learning Disappear When Switching to Online Education?

Author

Listed:
  • Eva Blondeel

    (Department of Accountancy, Corporate Finance and Taxation, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersplein 7, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Patricia Everaert

    (Department of Accountancy, Corporate Finance and Taxation, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersplein 7, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

  • Evelien Opdecam

    (Department of Accountancy, Corporate Finance and Taxation, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersplein 7, 9000 Ghent, Belgium)

Abstract

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic induced a rapid shift to online education. University instructors promptly reinvented their teaching methods and developed digital lessons. Cooperative learning has been demonstrated to surpass lecture-based learning (LBL) regarding students’ learning processes; therefore, the question arises as to whether the perks of cooperative learning still hold when switching to online education. This study examines whether the benefits of team-based learning (TBL) regarding good teaching (i.e., perceived teaching quality), satisfaction, and performance persist when switching from face-to-face to online education. A quasi-experiment in an undergraduate advanced accounting course compared a non-COVID-19-affected semester to a COVID-19-affected semester. In both semesters, students could choose between a TBL and a LBL path for tutorial sessions. Quantitative survey data (N = 455) indicate TBL outperforms LBL, even when switching to online tools. Good teaching was perceived as even better in the COVID-19-affected semester, and even more so by students in the team-based setting, compared to the lecture-based setting. Students’ course satisfaction and performance were unaffected by the switch to online education. This paper shows that TBL still benefits students, even in a blended environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Eva Blondeel & Patricia Everaert & Evelien Opdecam, 2021. "And Then There Was COVID-19: Do the Benefits of Cooperative Learning Disappear When Switching to Online Education?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:21:p:12168-:d:671947
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Patricia Everaert & Evelien Opdecam & Sophie Maussen, 2017. "The relationship between motivation, learning approaches, academic performance and time spent," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 78-107, January.
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    3. Mohammad Mahtab Alam & Naim Ahmad & Quadri Noorulhasan Naveed & Ayyub Patel & Mohammed Abohashrh & Mohammed Abdul Khaleel, 2021. "E-Learning Services to Achieve Sustainable Learning and Academic Performance: An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Margaret Healy & John Doran & Maeve McCutcheon, 2018. "Cooperative learning outcomes from cumulative experiences of group work: differences in student perceptions," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(3), pages 286-308, May.
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    6. Carlos Peñarrubia-Lozano & Manuel Segura-Berges & Manuel Lizalde-Gil & Juan Carlos Bustamante, 2021. "A Qualitative Analysis of Implementing E-Learning during the COVID-19 Lockdown," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-28, March.
    7. Julian Goñi & Catalina Cortázar & Danilo Alvares & Uranía Donoso & Constanza Miranda, 2020. "Is Teamwork Different Online Versus Face-to-Face? A Case in Engineering Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-18, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ragni, Alessandra & Ippolito, Daniel & Masci, Chiara, 2024. "Assessing the impact of hybrid teaching on students’ academic performance via multilevel propensity score-based techniques," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    2. Frank Guerra-Reyes & Miguel Naranjo-Toro & Andrea Basantes-Andrade & Eric Guerra-Davila & Andrés Benavides-Piedra, 2023. "COVID-19, Didactic Practices, and Representations Assumed by Preservice Teachers at Universidad Técnica del Norte-Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    3. Muharman Lubis & Muhammad Azani Hasibuan & Rachmadita Andreswari, 2022. "Satisfaction Measurement in the Blended Learning System of the University: The Literacy Mediated-Discourses (LM-D) Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-29, October.

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