The College Fed Challenge: An Innovation in Cooperative Learning

This paper documents and provides a framework for implementing the key elements of cooperative learning in a course on the College Fed Challenge and gives instructors a framework for introducing and enhancing elements of active learning in their classes. The College Fed Challenge is a competition at the district and national level where students present an update on current economic conditions, make forecasts, and provide a monetary policy recommendation. Advising College Fed Challenge teams provides a unique opportunity to implement and develop the five key elements of cooperative learning. Specifically, summer and in-class preparations focus on individual accountability and small group social skills. Conducting mock presentations and mock question and answer sessions encourages positive interdependence, promotive interaction and group processing. This paper finds that Fed Challenge students learn more economics, enjoy learning more, and develop skills transferable to the workplace.