Some reflections on the use of a cooperative learning model in soil mechanics courses

The Bologna Process’ implementation enforced a significant change on the traditional learning models, focused mainly on the transmission of knowledge. The use of a cooperative learning (CL) model in the Soil Mechanics courses (undergraduate level) of the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal, is described. The students were confronted with situations recreating professional atmosphere in Geotechnics. Mandatory team project assignments were implemented, where each student had to fulfil specific and rotational roles. All students performed the established functions (different in each project), representing the corresponding role – jigsaw. These roles had, as much as possible, a parallel to functions normally fulfilled by engineering professionals. The impact of the implemented model was assessed using students’ feedback, marks monitoring and questionnaires. These results are presented and discussed. Some additional reflections on the impact of the CL system on the teacher’s work are also included.