William, Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I suppose you'll never know what just what your former instructor was hoping to accomplish, although it sounds like the experience was largely positive. Your response reminds me of the notion that people seem to form bonds when placed in a challenging or even traumatic situation. As instructors, we probably don't want to create trauma in the classroom; but a healthy dose of competition may work for some. I do like the idea of group work, and I will try it again in one of my classes this quarter. Thanks again for… >>>

In the career college setting, it can be more difficult for students to get acquainted with one another. Many students have multiple commitments, and there just isn't time for much socializing on campus. I think it's vitally important for students to form friendships with one another. This is an important part of an education, in my view. With respect to retention, I suspect that students who feel more "attached" to their classmates are more likely to persist in their studies. When students study full-time and live on campus, many of these bonds develop without any real effort on the part… >>>