Incorporating Elements of TBL in a Dartmouth course

Why try this?

bring students and instructors together where they can learn from each other
teach students to engage in cognitively active learning behaviors
have students achieve deeper understanding of the course material by

challenging students' understanding
having students take larger responsibility for their learning
encouraging students to stay with questions longer

Context:

intermediate course
around 30 students
class meets twice a week for 110 minutes each

Description:

The course is divided into five units, each lasting about four class meetings. In preparation for each unit, students complete a reading informed by a reading guide as well as a set of student learning outcomes. Students' foundational knowledge acquired in the reading (definitions and basic understanding aligned with the student learning outcomes ) is assessed during the first class meeting of each unit via a 20 question multiple choice test. Students take this test twice: the first time each student takes the test individually without receiving a score or any other kind of feedback. Next, students take the same test in teams. To do so they discuss their individual answers in their teams until they reach consensus and then take the test as a team (team readiness assessment test - tRAT), using a scratch-off form. The scratch-off method provides teams with immediate feedback about the accuracy of their answers to each question. These readiness assessment activities take about 60 minutes to complete during the first class meeting of each unit.

The remainder of class time as well as subsequent class meetings during a given unit are used for activities which guide student teams through applications of the foundational material and foster critical thinking and deeper learning. Exams are based upon the learning that happens during these in-class activities (as opposed to mere recitation of the foundational material).

Further components of the course are student reflections and peer assessments. Students' grades are determined based on individual and team-based iRAT scores, in-class team activities, peer assessments, reflections and exams.

Materials:

Readings

in preparation for each unit, students complete a reading assignment
students acquire foundational knowledge and prepare for deeper learning in class

Reading guides with student learning outcomes

aids students in determining what they should be learning from the reading
in-class RAT is aligned with the reading guide

Individual Readiness Assessment Tests (iRAT)

at the beginning of each unit, having done homework reading, students take individual and team readiness assessment tests (RATs) to ensure preparation for deeper learning in class
RAT typically has 20 multiple choice questions.
in this course, iRATs responses are submitted on Scantrons, and graded by instructor after class
correct answers are not revealed to students at this stage, instead they take:

Team Readiness Assessment Tests (tRAT)

tRAT has exact same questions as iRAT, only difference is that it is completed in teams
team reaches consensus on answer to each question in order to complete the tRAT
tRATs are administered in this class using scratch-off forms, which provide an Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF-AT) (see http://www.epsteineducation.com/home/.)

if initial team response was incorrect team needs to decide on another answer, etc.
teams submit tRAT for grading

Team-based learning activities

after student learning readiness is assured using RATs, in-class activities guide students in teams to deeper learning
activities require students to collaborate, think deeply, apply the foundational knowledge, make predictions and give the instructor opportunities to push the information further
each student has their own copy of the activity sheet, and one team copy,

Reflections

Encourage students to reflect on content and their learning behavior/progress

Peer Assessments

peer assessments aid in promoting a well functioning team
team members assess each other's contributions to the functioning of the team
initial assessment is qualitative only and is designed to help team members adjust their behavior
final assessment contributes towards each student's grade

Teaching Tips:

discuss during the first class meeting how team-based learning is used in the course and how it will enhance the students' learning experience
decide what degrees of diversity in teams work best for your course (diverse in terms of topical background (courses taken, assign expertise to each team)
conduct pre-course survey to gather relevant student data and use it to assign teams
teams are fixed for the duration of the course

Website:

Team-based learning collaborative: http://www.teambasedlearning.org/
Lots of resources on how to get started. Option to become a member: membership gets you access to case materials, evaluation tools, etc.