Are Four Heads Better Than One? A Comparison of Cooperative and Traditional Teaching Formats in an Introductory Biology Course

The objective of this experiment was to compare the impact of a cooperative learning format with a traditional lecture-oriented format in the teaching of introductory biology. Differences were found in favor of the cooperative learning format in measures of student satisfaction, the ability to find information on one's own, the acquisition of factual knowledge, and the ability to work with others. The results of this study affirm the viability of using a cooperative learning approach over a traditional lecture format.