Strategies for Improving Student Learning through the Use of Collaborative Systems
Mark A. Serva

When students work together in PBL groups, conflict is inevitable, even when the course instructor has given careful attention to establishing groups and monitoring their function. While conflict can be beneficial to group function, too often it results in poor performance, frustration with the PBL process, and stress (for both students and instructors). In this highly interactive session, we will use case studies, written by experienced PBL faculty about real occurrences of group conflict in their classrooms, to launch discussion and analysis of strategies that people use to interact with one another in groups, and how these can lead to conflict. Participants will work together to brainstorm ‘win-win’ type resolutions for these conflict scenarios. By the end of the workshop, participants will receive a simple, research-based guide for resolving conflicts in PBL groups that can be used successfully by individuals with or without prior familiarity with the process of conflict mediation.