Learning with GSS: a case study

Abstract

Existing pedagogies assume old technologies-pencils, blackboards and books. Newer technologies have fundamentally changed the cognitive cost of accessing information and the cognitive cost of problem-solving. These changes enable new pedagogies that fundamentally change the roles of students and instructors. Group support systems (GSS), one of these new technologies, can transform the classroom from a place where an instructor delivers information to a place where students actively engage one another to solve problems of realistic difficulty and complexity. Even in large classrooms, students can use a GSS to actively participate in the process while drawing on the knowledge and experience of their peers and their instructor. This paper presents a year-long case-study comparing two GSS-supported nursing management courses to two traditionally-taught courses. Students in the GSS-supported course participated more and more equally, and evidenced a stronger grasp of course content.