People Skills: Using the Cooperative Learning Model to Teach Students “People Skills”

In his Interfaces article [1994], Robert Levasseur emphasized the need for and importance of “people skills” for students today. While Levasseur discussed the need for students to acquire such skills as interpersonal communication, group dynamics, and leadership, to take it the next step, faculty members need a means to provide students with these essential skills. One such means, the cooperative learning model, provides a way for students to learn “people (or process) skills” as they are learning the content material of their chosen field of study. Cooperative learning is based on structuring learning outcomes and experiences to promote student interaction and to improve student learning. Ultimately, faculty members must consider what knowledge, skills, and abilities students need and how to best prepare them for the changing workplace.