Creating Effective Team Assignments for Team Based Learning

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Creating Effective Team Assignments for Team
Based Learning
Jim Sibley
Link Creating Assignments Workshop Resources
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Agenda

• Quick Review of TBL
• 4 key principles
• 3 step instructional sequence
• Application Exercises
• 3 Ss for TBL exercises
• Some Examples
• Developing TBL in-class exercises
• Facilitating Classroom Discussion
• Developing facilitation plans
• Summary, Peer Feedback and Discussion

Link TBL Resources Website
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Typical TBL Course Objectives

• Ensure that students master the course subject
  matter
• Develop student ability to use course concepts in
  thinking and problem solving
• Prepare students to be life-long learners
• Develop students interpersonal and team
  interaction skills
• Have students enjoy the course

Adapted from Michaelsen
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4 TBL Key Principles
Article Getting Started with Team-Based Learning
by Larry Michaelsen
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3 Step Instructional Sequence
Readiness AssuranceDiagnosis-Feedback
Application of Course Concepts
Preparation(Pre-class)
1. Individual Study
2. Individual Test
3. Team Test
4. Written Appeals (from teams)
Readings Readiness Assurance Application Exercises
Adapted from Michaelsen
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Playing to the Strengths of Teams

• Teams can be good at
• Making Decisions
• Arriving at Consensus
• Discussion of supporting rationales
• Defense of their decisions
• We need to develop assignments that play to these
  natural strengths of teams.

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Team-Based Learning

• Heterogeneous and diverse teams
• Clear, specific, and widely shared team goals
  (encourages group cohesion)
• Sufficiently difficult activities that are
  meaningful.
• Regular, descriptive, specific, relevant, timely
  and usable peer feedback.
• Simultaneous reporting to allow immediate and
  simple comparisons of thinking and decisions
  making relative to other teams.

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In-class Team Application Exercises
Designing Effective Group Activities Lessons for
Classroom Teaching and Faculty Development (pdf)
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3 Ss of Successful TBL Exercises
Same Problem Individuals and teams work on the
same problem, case or question
Specific Choice Individuals and teams must use
course concepts to make a specific choice
Simultaneous Report Individuals and teams
report their choices simultaneously Visibility
of student thinking important
Link Creating TBL Assignments Workshop Materials
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Application ExercisesProcess Model
SimultaneousReporting
Complex
Graded
Intra-team discussion
Inter-team discussion
In-ClassProblems
Simple
Practice
Readings and RAP
Individual Homework
Link Creating TBL Assignments
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Q Which assignment wording would best promote
higher level cognitive skills and team
development?

• List the mistakes that writer frequently make
  that detract from their efforts to write in an
  active voice
• Read the following passage and identify a
  sentence that is a clear example of a) active,
  and b) passive voice.
• Read the following passage and identify the
  sentence in which the passive voice is used
  most appropriately.

• Make a List List the mistakes that writer
  frequently make that detract from their efforts
  to write in an active voice
• Make a Choice Read the following passage and
  identify a sentence that is a clear example of
  a) active, and b) passive voice.
• Make a Specific Choice Read the following
  passage and identify the sentence in which the
  passive voice is used most appropriately.

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Q Which assignment wording would best promote
higher level cognitive skills and team
development?

• List the mistakes that developers frequently make
  that detract from their efforts to create well
  normalized database models
• Review the following database models and identify
  a model that is a clear example of a) poor
  normalization, and b) good normalization
• Review the following database models and identify
  the model that normalization is used most
  appropriately

Consider impact of using words Best and Worst
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Assignment Phrasing Affects Individual Thinking,
Intra/Inter Team Discussion

• Make a list
• Low cognitive skills
• Low commitment to output
• Low accountability
• Make a specific choice
• Focuses on why?
• Higher cognitive skills
• Higher commitment to output
• Higher accountability/cohesiveness

Adapted from Michaelsen
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Exercise Prepare Ministerial briefing notes for
press conference - Should we recommend approval
of GMO crops for use in Canada?

• Part One
• Individual Assignment - 2 page briefing note
• SWOT Analysis
• Common questions, arguments and answers
• Part Two
• Team Assignment - 1 page briefing note
• Part Three
• What would your teams recommendation be to the
  Minister?

Simultaneous Reporting
More Application Exercise Examples
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A patient with a brain stem stroke has collapsed
a lung from intractable hiccups and feed-tube
aspirates. He was admitted to intensive care to
deal with the resulting pneumonia. A few weeks
later the PRN order for Baclofen has expired. The
patient has begun to hiccup again has demanded
Baclofen and is growing increasingly distressed
that nothing is being done. It appears to be a
doctor oversight that it was not renewed. It is
late Friday night of a long weekend and the
doctor on call is not returning the page. The
doctor has been verbally abusive when called on
other occasions.
Baclofen controls the hiccups
PRN patient can request
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Code of Ethics
A patient with a brain stem stroke has collapsed
a lung from intractable hiccups and feed-tube
aspirates. He was admitted to intensive care to
deal with the resulting pneumonia. A few weeks
later the PRN order for Baclofen has expired. The
patient has begun to hiccup again has demanded
Baclofen and is growing increasingly distressed
that nothing is being done. It appears to be a
doctor oversight that it was not renewed. It is
late Friday night of a long weekend and the
doctor on call is not returning the page.
Patient Intimidation
Doctor/Nurse Relationship
Hospital Policy
Doing the Right Thing

• As the Charge Nurse, you should

Charting Requirements

• Do nothing, but continue to attempt to contact
  the doctor
• Give the patient the pill and note it in the
  chart
• Give the pill, chart it, and continue calling the
  doctor
• Mark a pill as spoiled and leave it with the
  patient

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Application ExercisesDesign
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Designing Application Exercises

• 4 Questions to consider when designing TBL
  learning activities
• What do I want students to be able to do?
• What will they need to know to do it?
• What do they already know? (So I dont have to
  teach it)
• How will I know that they know it?

Larry Michaelsen Video Clip
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Dreaming up the Assignments

• Real, authentic problems (from the discipline)
• Decision will student have to make in the work
  place
• Practice in problem solving (the strategies of
  the discipline)
• Can use overly ambitious application question
  from RAPs

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Dreaming up the Assignments

• Multi-step problems where consensus decision
  making is modeled within the Teams and between
  the Teams
• Allows students that may be new to
  problem-solving in the discipline to solve messy,
  complex, multi-stage problems
• Opportunity to check-in and get peer reassurance
  about their decisions and supporting rationales

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Assignment Examples

• Microbial Physiology
• Kinesiology
• Aerodynamics
• Computer Engineering
• Psychology of Sport
• Construction Management
• Mechanical Design

From teambasedlearning.org
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• Reporting
• Numerical Position
• One page summary principles and approach and not
  calculations (16 pt font or bigger)

Link This Assignment Password tar1n1ng
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Backward Design

• Identify desired results
• Determine acceptable evidence
• Plan learning experiences and instruction

Worth being familiar with
Important to know and do
Enduring Understanding
Adapted from Wiggins and McTighe, 2000
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TBL Backward Design

• Authentic, real problems having enduring value
  beyond the classroom
• Reside at the heart of the discipline (involve
  doing the subject)
• Require un-coverage (of abstract or often
  misunderstood ideas)
• Offer potential for engaging students

Adapted from Wiggins and McTighe, 2000
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TBL Backward Design

• Develop case or scenario
• Consider knowledge required to solve case
• Write some RAP questions specific to case
• Write learning objectives that pertain directly
  to the case or scenario
• helps students focus and prepare
• Select readings and create reading guides
• helps students focus and prepare

Adapted from Creating Application Exercises for
Basic Sciences John Pelley
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Aspects of Good Assignments

• Production of a tangible output
• Impossible to complete without comprehension of
  course concepts
• Sufficiently difficult to eliminate completion by
  an individual member
• Majority of time engaged in activities
• Applicable to real world issues or problems
  (pragmatic/applied)
• Interesting and/or fun (ENERGY is the acid test
  for good exercises)

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Your TurnExercise Design

• Pick an authentic problem or scenario from your
  discipline
• Identify the issues and facts that students would
  have to know and consider
• Create specific choices that require both the
  understanding and application of course concepts

10 minutes work with partner
15 minutes presentation and feedback
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Planning Application Exercises Reporting
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Same Problem Specific Choices Simultaneous
Report
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TBL Reporting Discussions

• The Introduction
• Call attention
• Motivate students to discuss topic/idea
• Clarify the purpose of the discussion
• Explain importance and relevance of topic
• The Body
• Call attention to differences in student thinking
• What questions will be asked to enable students
  to meet objectives (SWOT or ORID)
• The Conclusion
• Summarize major ideas developed in the
  discussion tie entire discussion together
• What are students supposed to take away
• Preview how knowledge learned will relate to
  topics to be discussed in future classes.

From Developing Strategies for Facilitating
Interactive Classroom Discussion in TBL by Derek
Lane
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ORID Reporting Model

• Objective facts, external reality
• Reflective individuals responses to facts
• Interpretive significance/meaning for group
• Decisional application, action, implementation,
  new directions

From The Art of Focused Conversation
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Problem Solving Models

• Problem Analysis
• Ability to Analyze Problem
• Goal Setting
• Ability to Identify Appropriate Criteria for
  Decision Making
• Identification of Alternatives
• Ability to Develop Alternative Choices
• Evaluation Positive and Negative Consequences
• Ability to Evaluate the Positive and Negative
  Aspects of Alternative Choices Prior to Making a
  Decision

• Order is not important but all must be performed
  well!

From Developing Strategies for Facilitating
Interactive Classroom Discussion in TBL by Derek
Lane
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SWOT Analysis

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats
• Provide a clear discussion objective and start
  discussion with controversy

From Developing Strategies for Facilitating
Interactive Classroom Discussion in TBL by Derek
Lane
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Other Reporting Models

• 3 Questions
• What? Descriptive
• So what? Interpretive
• Now what? Application

• 5 Questions
• How do you feel?
• What happened?
• Do you agree?
• Has this ever happened to you?
• What if . . .?

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CORDS Model for Discussion Facilitation
Summation
Decision
Rationale
Opinion
Content
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Content - Opportunity One

• Have students establish to facts of case
• Help students activate their prior knowledge
• Tie discussion of facts back to course content

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Opinion - Opportunity Two

• Make sure a diversity of views and opinions are
  heard
• Create opportunities for inclusivity
• Quiet students
• Students at risk
• Manage exclusivity
• Discussion dominators (typically the instructor)

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Rationale - Opportunity Three

• Investigate supporting rationales for team
  decisions
• Applicability of facts and opinions
• The limits to applicability
• Prioritizing of factors affecting decision

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Decisions - Opportunity Four

• Make sure all decisions are heard
• Investigate the level of consensus within teams
• Encourage narratives on groups discussion and
  decision making process
• Push students to consider the outcomes of their
  decisions

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Summation Opportunity Five

• Review and integrate discussion themes
• If generalized model appears, ask for specific
  examples
• If specific example(s) are discussed, ask
  students to create a generalized model
• Reminding students of what they have learned
• Set stage for next exercise or module

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A patient with a Brain Stem Stroke has collapsed
a lung from intractable hiccups and feed-tube
aspirates. He was admitted to intensive care to
deal with the resulting pneumonia. A few weeks
later the PRN order for Baclofen has expired. The
patient has begun to hiccup again has demanded
Baclofen and is growing increasingly distressed
that nothing is being done. It appears to be a
doctor oversight that it was not renewed. It is
late Friday night of a long weekend and the
doctor on call is not returning the page.

• As the Charge Nurse, you should

• Do nothing, but continue to attempt to contact
  the doctor
• Give the patient the pill and note it in the
  chart
• Give the pill, chart it, and continue calling the
  doctor
• Mark a pill as spoiled and leave it with the
  patient

42
CORDS Planning

• Content
• Definitions, Facts
• Codes of Ethics
• Hospital Policy
• Charting Requirements
• Opinions
• Safe inclusive questions quickly lets get a show
  of hands or what was your first reaction to the
  question
• Control of discussion dominators

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CORDS Planning

• Rationales
• Does the Codes of Ethics apply?
• 1 minute paper?
• Hospital Policy
• What does it state?
• What are your responsibilities?
• Interpersonal Issues
• Describe the behaviours and are they appropriate?
• Decisions
• What was your decision?
• Is there a difference between what is the right
  thing to do and the correct thing to do
• Can circumstance change the applicability of
  rules?

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CORDS Planning

• Summation
• Code of Ethics
• Hospital Policy
• Charting Requirements
• Appropriateness of PRN type order
• Doctor/Nurse relationship
• Patient/Nurse relationship
• Should the Nurse been pro-active in reviewing
  the Doctors work?
• Doing the right thing or doing the correct
  thing or are they the same thing?

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Assessment Options

• Team Summary
• 1 page reflective summary
• Your team decision
• Did your group reach consensus easily?
• Two most compelling supporting factors
• Most important confounding consideration
• Was your decision changed by the discussion?
• What was a factor that your group did not fully
  consider that was revealed in the discussion?

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Reporting Strategies

• Hand Paddles
• Stacked Overheads
• Pin in a map/Post-it-Notes
• Classroom Response Systems
• Excel Charts
• Short Summaries post around room with post-it
  note commenting

Making student thinking visible is the goal
Link Reporting Strategies for Large Classes
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Rubric for the Six Facets of Understanding

• Criteria for each facet
• Explanation ? accurate
• Interpretation ? meaningful
• Application ? effective
• Perspective ? credible
• Empathy ? sensitive
• Self-knowledge ? self-awareness

Adapted from Wiggins and McTighe, 2000
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Running Application Exercises

• How does a teacher set up good application
  exercises that will help students learn how to
  think about and use the course material to make
  meaningful decisions?
• A critical part of this process is enabling each
  team to get feedback on its own thinking from
  other teams in the class.

Larry Michaelsen Video Clip
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Your TurnFacilitation Planning

• Identify the issues and facts to be discussed
• Identify the pre-requisite knowledge the students
  require to solve the problem
• Create discussion notes (CORDS)
• Plan to activate prior knowledge
• Create a summation plan
• Possible milestones or twists

10 minutes work with partner
15 minutes presentation and feedback
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TBL Assessment Final Thoughts

• Reflective team summary
• Team consensus document
• Plan summary and peer critique
• Peer evaluation

Calculating Peer Evaluation Scores
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TBL Exercises Final Thoughts

• Use authentic problems
• Create choices that require the measured
  application of course concepts
• Activate prior knowledge
• Plan an effective reporting strategy
• Plan reporting
• CORDS
• Planning for possibility of class consensus,
  optional milestones, summation planning
• Accept that some exercises will fail

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TBL Final Thoughts

• Importance of orienting students to TBL
• Assigned readings and reading guides
• Readiness Assurance Process
• Creating the MCQ tests
• Planning RAP logistics
• In-Class Application Exercises
• Creating application exercises
• Planning reporting events
• Other Advice
• Start small RAPs, some lectures, some in-class
  team exercises
• Old quiz question or text book question banks
• Traditional homework assignments, midterms and
  exams

53

• http//www.learning.apsc.ubc.ca/tbl
• http//www.teambasedlearning.org

Team-Based Learning A Transformative Use of
Small Groups in College Teaching.
jim.sibley_at_ubc.ca sophie.spiridonoff_at_ubc.ca
54
Team-Based Learning A Transformative Use of
Small Groups in College Teaching. by Larry
Michaelsen, Arletta Bauman Knight and L. Dee Fink
Discussion as a Way of Teaching Tools and
Techniques for Democratic Classrooms by Stephen
D. Brookfield, Stephen Preskill
The Art of Focused Conversation 100 Ways to
Access Group Wisdom in the Workplace by R. Brian
Stanfield (Editor)
55
TBL Large Classes Final Thoughts

• Logistics.You need a good web site, a good
  e-mail distribution list, clear instructions for
  all assignments, and most importantly, a clear
  chain of command for student questions/issues
• Teaching Assistants.How many TAs will you have?
  This is a crucial issue, because I rely on the
  TAs to get to know the teams and manage many
  issues. (A typical semester for my methods course
  would be 42 teams of 6 each. I started with 3 TAs
  and subsequently petitioned and got 4.)
• Maintaining order in class.TBL results in much
  higher attendance than with the lecture format in
  large lecture classes. And since teammates get to
  know each other, during non-team instructional
  segments students who feel bored or disengaged
  are tempted to talk rather than sleep or skip. My
  TAs roam the section of the room where their
  teams are located not only during team exercises,
  but when student attention is required as well.
• Setting Grade Weights.Surprisingly, I was able
  to make this work with 40-42 teams! It helped
  that I had experience managing the "setting grade
  weights" exercise in smaller classes first. (In
  large classes, I explicitly introduce the concept
  of "creating alignment" - deliberate compromise
  for the sake of the class).
• Getting Started Early.It's hard to get started
  early (week 2) with teams in non-required
  classes. Non-required classes tend to have more
  adds and especially drops right up until the last
  possible day. I usually form teams in week 2 but
  then have to deal with drop/adds for a while.
  Drops are worse than adds, but it pays to know
  the deadlines and plan for them.
• "Getting to Know You."I have added an early team
  assignment to all my TBL courses - one of the few
  done outside of class. Teams begin the semester
  with a social event (dinner, bowling, coffee). I
  believe that getting related early in the
  semester greatly accelerates the transition from
  group to team. They can select a team name, the
  team stance on grade weights, and discuss the
  peer eval procs and crits. (The written team
  deliverable for this exercise is simply a one
  page paper listing 3 things the team learned
  about each teammate.) An additional advantage -
  students love this assignment.Other issues I
  have some thoughts about include logistics
  for - forming teams - administering RATs -
  in-class team assignments - etc.

From Andy Finn