This article focused on the distance-learning context created by the COVID-19. The objectives were to assess the differences between highly-structured cooperative learning (HSCL) and individual learning (IL) in university students' content knowledge, and to assess the impact of the teacher's highly-structured instruction on the variables that mediate CL. Students enrolled in a teacher training programme (n = 201, M[subscript age] = 20.38±4.97) were classified in two groups. Participants in the HSCL group showed higher academic achievement. It was also observed that the HSCL environment was related to the five variables that mediate CL. These results identified three important considerations in university teaching: CL is a key competence that can have an impact on the students' learning process and it should be a key element in teacher-training programs; this competence should be incorporated by lecturers to deliver a structured learning process; and these objectives can be achieved in an online learning environment.