Learning from your peers is almost as critical as learning from your instructor. To that end, many institutions have restructured their programs to increase peer-learning opportunities. This has mainly been done through cohort-based learning.
While traditionally, most college students have had class schedules that differ widely from their classmates, a cohort model calls for more consistent scheduling within a defined group of students. When a student enrolls in a cohort program, not only is their class schedule more or less pre-determined, they’ll also look forward to seeing the same faces in most every one of their classes, as each member of their cohort works through the program in step with them.
Although this might sound like a more refined model of having incoming classes, it’s more like having a subset of a class. Let’s say 1,000 students enroll for the freshman year at Acme University. Those 1,000 students constitute a class. Of those 1,000 classmates, 150 are nursing majors. Those 150 students will belong to the same cohort, all attending the same classes at the same time. The remaining 850 students — who are also classmates but not cohorts — will belong to numerous other programs, some that offer cohort-based learning and some that don’t.
Benefits of a Cohort Model
Educational institutions have begun to prefer cohort models for a variety of reasons, but mainly due to the stronger bonds created among students. Not only do students become closer due to the increased amount of time they spend together but also because of their shared knowledge: They are all at the same point in their educational journey.
Ramapo College of New Jersey, whose MBA program uses a cohort structure, says:
One of the key factors to emerge over the years is the value of learning from your classmates as well as from your professor. Based on the success of the cohort experience, more programs are adopting this platform.
The social bonding inherent in cohort models has helped online programs overcome one of their biggest hurdles in recruitment: establishing a sense of community. For example, the USC Marshall School of Business offers an MBA program that, although mainly online, begins with a one-week in-person program on campus. The program’s website states:
This facet of the program presents an outstanding opportunity for students to forge connections with both faculty members and the rest of their cohort that will carry through the program and into the working world.
Being on the same knowledge level as your fellow cohorts also provides perhaps the biggest benefit of all: writing a dissertation. Since this paper is often the culmination of a post-graduate degree, it’s often seen as the most stressful and intimidating part of the entire program. But when you have cohorts who have been by your side since day one, all of you benefit from the knowledge you’ve picked up along the way and can help each other with the literature review required to complete your dissertation.
Another reason cohorts are becoming the preferred model for education is because the education system itself is evolving. Traditionally, departments worked in their own silos — English in their building, biology in theirs — and they kept their students securely within their boundaries.
Today, those silos are quickly becoming archaic, as departments and disciplines become more blended, particularly with project-based learning becoming more prominent. With so many disciplines involved in one program, the dynamics of communication and politics can be particularly difficult for any one student to navigate. A cohort structure greatly simplifies the process by having designated counselors, predetermined schedules, and a support network of fellow students.
These are just a few of the many reasons that cohort-based programs have become increasingly attractive to students.
Formal vs. Extended Learning
The traditional classes offered in a cohort program constitute the formal part of the learning experience. Added to that is extended learning, which generally includes activities to strengthen bonds between cohort participants, as well as to build emotional intelligence and resilience.
Extended learning often varies by program, but it often focuses on a common issue among cohort participants. For example, a cohort comprised mainly of parents might be having trouble with time management or setting priorities, a common issue among adult learners. Once an issue is identified, the program directors can work on solutions, such as bringing in community resources to give them the skills to help with their challenges.
Other extended learning activities may be more casual, such as meetups with the sole intention of socializing, or even nearby field trips related to the program’s discipline.
Open vs. Closed Cohorts
Usually, a cohort is defined as open or closed. In closed cohorts, no new students can join once the program has begun, meaning the number of cohorts either stays the same or decreases (if students drop out); the number will never increase.
In an open cohort, students can enter if they meet the necessary prerequisites. For example, if you have a student who has taken all of the first semester classes but didn’t get into the cohort because the timing was wrong or the quota was already filled, you can bring them in now that someone has dropped out. Or perhaps they had to drop out due to unforeseen circumstances and now want to return. Doing so would be possible in an open cohort, but not a closed one.
Open cohorts are more prevalent in areas where the requisite skill levels and background knowledge are not as complex. For example, you’re more likely to find open cohorts in programs for liberal arts, where personal skill levels are more important than knowledge accumulated throughout the program.
Closed cohorts, on the other hand, are more common in areas such as nursing or dentistry, where the skill levels are very sequential: You need to have Basics 101 in order to move onto Intermediate 201, etc. Closed cohorts also have the benefit of allowing for stronger bonds amongst the members, as adding new individuals in the middle of a program can have unexpected consequences on social dynamics.
I fully believe that the cohort structure will remain an integral part of the education experience — not only at the college level but in K-12 as well. In a rapidly changing society, educators need to leverage all of the resources they can to help their students. And what resource is easier to tap than the students themselves?