BACKGROUNDEmpirical evidence suggests that students studying cooperatively exhibit significantly better academic achievement. However, since most prior studies do not carefully monitor the time on task, it is unclear whether the observed learning benefits are due to the intrinsic superiority of cooperative learning or merely a reflection of the increased amount of time students spend on studying. PURPOSE (HYPOTHESIS)This study compares the learning effectiveness of cooperative and individualistic learning. The proposed approach carefully monitors the learning method and the time on task both in regular day-time teaching classes and out-of-class studies. DESIGN/METHODA series of experiments was performed in which 42 mechanical engineering students were randomly assigned to individualistic or cooperative learning conditions, respectively, and were then formed into heterogeneous groups comprising three team members. The experiments were conducted over an 18-week semester. In conducting the experiments, the students attended both regular classes and out-of-hours homework sessions. RESULTSThe experimental results showed that given a sufficient period of time for the cooperative learning teams to mature, the students in the cooperative learning condition performed substantially better in both the homework and unit tests than those in the individualistic learning condition. CONCLUSIONSSince the time on task was carefully monitored, the higher academic performance of the students in the cooperative learning condition suggests that cooperative learning is more effective than individualistic learning.

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Background Considerable evidence exists to suggest that students who study cooperatively reap significant benefits in terms of their learning performance. However, sooner or later, most cooperative learning teams have to deal with one or more members whose actions disturb the team. Unless these problems are quickly resolved, the cooperative learning team gradually becomes dysfunctional and the benefits of cooperative learning are diminished. Purpose (Hypothesis) A method is proposed for identifying dysfunctional cooperative learning teams by comparing the academic achievement of students in a cooperative learning condition with that of students in an individual learning condition. Design/Method A series of experiments were performed in which 42 sophomore mechanical engineering students were randomly assigned to the two learning conditions and were formed into mixed‐ability groups comprising three team members. The academic performance of the students in the two learning conditions was then systematically compared in terms of their respective test scores. Results Dysfunctional teams were identified using a new quality index defined as the mean test score of the team divided by the standard deviation of the team members' test scores. The probability of a Type I error was quantified using a control chart. The identification results were verified by analyzing the students' off‐task behavior frequency and attitudes toward cooperative learning, respectively. Conclusions The experimental results confirm that the proposed quality index is a potential indicator of dysfunctional cooperative learning teams.

Abstract-In this paper, we presented the design of a high performance diplexer for applications of global positioning system (GPS) at 1.575 GHz and wireless local area network (WLAN) at 2.4 GHz, simultaneously. Two bandpass filters (BPFs) using the modified stepped-impedance resonators (SIRs) operated at 1.575 GHz and 2.4 GHz are the main blocks for the proposed diplexer. By discussing and analyzing the admittance of the even and odd modes, the transmission zero of the modified SIR can be found, and the