A cohort is a group of students who work through a curriculum together to achieve the same academic degree together. Cohortians are the individual members of such a group.[1][2] In a cohort, there is an expectation of richness to the learning process due to the multiple perspectives offered by the students.[3]
Cohort model
A cohort model features a delivery structure that is driven by the expectations, experiences, and beliefs of the cohort's participants.[4] It is usually implemented based on an applicable theory such as the structuration framework.[4] Cohort groups can be organized in such a way that groups of students take a number of similar programs each semester and this organization can change when the term ends so that students can interact with more students.[5]
Cohort can be distinguished from groups of students through the following aspects:
cohorts allow school administrators to enroll students en masse while groups only concern teacher management within the class;
cohorts are bigger than groups; and,
a cohort involves a set of students within a system-wide course.[6]
Cohort-based learning (CBC) is a learning model that integrates content with the community. Since most of the interaction occurs in real-time, CBC falls under the category of synchronous learning. The model works similarly to conventional classroom learning, where a group of like-minded students learns the same content together to achieve similar outcomes.[7]