<P> It is a common practice to have the groups self assess after the project is complete . However, "Assessment can be the Achilles heel of cooperative learning" Students often will assess their group positively in hopes that they will in return be assessed the same way . This often leads to inaccurate assessments of the group . "For most instructors, one of the greatest pedagogical challenges for a group communication course is to help students realize that the benefits of cooperative learning outweigh the costs involved". </P> <P> Another aspect of cooperative learning that leads to group members developing group hate is the fact that "groups are unable to achieve sufficient cohesion because they fail to manage conflict effectively". The students are not usually in a group long enough to develop good group cohesion and establish effective ways to resolve conflict . The problem is that most students have had a negative experience in groups and consequently are apprehensive to get into such a situation again . "One answer to this dilemma is to demonstrate how groups trump individuals in terms of problem solving". If instructors are able to effectively accomplish this it is a positive step towards eliminating group hate . </P> <P> Group hate exists in almost all student groups . Whether it be because of past bad experiences, concerns about how the project will play out, worries about group members loafing, or not knowing how to effectively manage conflict that may arise within the group . However, group based learning is an important aspect of higher education and should continue to be used . More and more companies are turning towards team based models in order to become more efficient in the work place . By limiting student feelings of group hate this will lead to students having better group experiences and learning how to work better in groups . </P> <P> Cooperative learning is becoming more and more popular within the American education system . It is almost uncommon not to have some cooperative learning elements within a collage class . However, it is not uncommon to hear students expressing negative opinions regarding cooperative learning . Why is this? Feichtner and Davis put it elegantly by stating, "entirely too many students are leaving the classroom experiencing only the frustrations of cooperative learning and not the numerous benefits possible through team based effort". One of the main flaws that we see with previous research is that the research is almost always done from the perspective of the instructor . This is giving us a flawed view of cooperative learning as the instructors are not the one who are participating in the cooperative learning . </P>

Advantages and limitations of activity and cooperative method