Successful cooperative learning requires individual accountability
to promote positive interdependence among group
members and can be achieved through the use of individual
scoring and task specialization.23 Therefore, students were
graded on their individual contributions to the problem (Table
2) for three of the five assigned tasks. Criteria 1−3 focus on
ensuring that individual students made a solid contribution to
the problem. It is also important to help students learn the
material from different perspectives, and so criterion 4 was
included to emphasize cooperative discussion. Students may be
reluctant to comment on or respond to other students’ posts,
and the instructor should model how to make a positive and
constructive comment when providing feedback to each group.
Cooperative learning activities should also include a group
goal,23 which could be further reinforced by offering bonus
points to each student in a group who successfully solves the
structure.