Transform Introduction to Psychology
with Team-Based Learning
10th Best Practices conference
Society for the Teaching of Psychology
Atlanta, GA
Oct. 14, 2011
Laura Madson Mary Gourley Jamie Hughes Holly Hackett
New Mexico
State University
Gaston College
Daemen College
Missouri
Southern State
University
Acknowledgements
Paradigm developed by Larry Michaelsen
Michaelsen, L. K, Knight, A. B., & Fink, L. D. (Eds.). (2002).
Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups
in College Teaching. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC
http://www.teambasedlearning.org
Overview
Students assigned to permanent teams
Three components of course grade:
1. Individual performance
2. Team performance
3. Peer evaluations
Class time spent on activities designed around
behavioral objectives
What students should be able to DO at the end of the course
Students held accountable for reading via Readiness
Assurance Process
Permanent teams
Instructor assigned students to teams at beginning of term
Ultimate goal is to create diverse teams
Three specific goals of team assignment
1. maximize team resources
2. minimize team liabilities
3. eliminate existing relationships that inhibit team cohesion
Activities instead of lecture
Promote deep learning & team cohesion
Activities can be individual or team tasks
Four characteristics of good activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
Significant problem
Same question
Specific choice
Simultaneous response
Readiness Assurance Process
Course grades
Three components
1. Individual performance
2. Team performance – after earning a minimum % of
individual performance points
3. Peer evaluations – hold students accountable for their
teamwork
Grade weights can be determined by instructor or
by students at beginning of term
Questions?
Why Use TBL?
• What should students get out of a college
education, and more specifically your courses?
1. Acquire information (facts, principles)
2. Learn how to use information and knowledge
in new situations
3. Develop lifelong learning skills
Leaders in business, industry, and government have identified
certain knowledge, skills, and dispositions as especially
important for success in the global economy
• The ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world
settings
• Conscientiousness, personal responsibility, and
dependability
• Skill in oral and written communication
• Interpersonal and team work skills
• Skills in critical thinking and solving complex problems
• Respect for people different from oneself
• The ability and desire for life long learning
Hart (2006). How should colleges prepare students to succeed in today’s global economy?
Report prepared on behalf of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Hart
Research Associates, Inc: Washington, DC
Employers’ Top Priorities For Student Learning
Outcomes In College*
% saying colleges should place MORE emphasis on helping
students develop these skills and abilities
Effective oral/written
communication
Critical thinking/
analytical reasoning
Knowledge/skills applied
to real world settings
Analyze/solve complex
problems
Connect choices and
actions to ethical
decisions
Teamwork skills/ ability
to collaborate
Ability to innovate and
be creative
Concepts/developments
in science/technology
89%
81%
79%
75%
75%
71%
70%
70%
*Association of American Colleges and Universities
Why do new college hires get
reprimanded by their employer?*
Reasons for discipline
Occurrence: Fairly –Very Often (%)
Lack of work ethic/commitment
52
Unethical behavior
46
Failure to follow instructions
41
Ineffective in teams
41
Failure to take initiative
26
Missing assignments/deadlines
33
Unable to communicate effectively -- verbally 32
Inappropriate use of technology
34
Being late for work
28
Unable to communicate effectively -- writing 28 *2007 MSU-CERI Research Brief
Why Use TBL?
• Enable learners to gain marketable skills
– Employment after graduation
• TBL mirrors many employment settings
• Help students succeed in their careers
– “Except for technical competencies, the key factors that
contribute to promotions and more responsible assignments
are transferable or personal skills. Having a positive
attitude, showing a commitment to the company, managing
time and work priorities, demonstrating leadership, and
being persuasive are all precursors to career growth.”
*MSU CERI 2007 Research Brief
Why Use TBL?
• Of the three types of learning which do you
think will be the easiest for students to do on
their own, outside of class?
1. Knowledge acquisition and comprehension
2. Knowledge application, analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation
3. Develop life long learning skills
Why use TBL?
Team-Based
Gain basic
facts and
concepts
Apply
concepts
Traditional
Reading and
Readiness
Assessments
Gain basic
facts and
concepts
Lectures
Application
Activities
Apply
concepts
Application
Activities/
Assessment
Why use TBL?
TBL
Discuss what is being learned
Apply knowledge
Make decisions
Solve problems
Lectures
Why Use TBL?
• Research supports it*
– TBL is more effective for promoting student
learning and achievement than traditional methods
– It is perceived to be more effective
– Students report that TBL classes are engaging and
enjoyable
*see handout
TBL includes four strategies that promote learning:
• Active learning
– (Bonwell & Eison, 1991; Hartley & Davis,1978; Ruhls, Hughes, & Scholass,
1987)
• Student engagement
– Activities designed around learning outcomes that promote thoughtful
engagement (Deslauriers, Schelew, & Wiseman, 2011; Hake, 1998; Laws,
Stanne, & Donovan, 1999; Pease & Kuhn, 2010; Prince, 2004; Reddish, Saul, &
Steinberg, 1997)
• Collaborative learning
– Using collaborative learning strategies improves learning relative to
traditional lecture based methods
• Cooperative learning
– Cooperation among students is more effective than competition.
(Johnson, Johnson and Smith, 1998; Johnson, Johnson, & Stanne, 2000)
Meta-analytic reports examining collaborative vs. individualistic
learning strategies. Reported effect sizes for improvement in
academic achievement
Springer, Stanne, & Donovan (1999)
d
0.51*
Schroeder, Scott, Tolson, Huang, & Lee (2007)
0.95*
Ruiz-Primo, Briggs, Iverson, Talbot, & Shepard (2011)
0.68*
Johnson, Johnson & Smith (1998a)
0.64
Johnson, Johnson & Smith (1998b)
0.53
Johnson, Johnson & Stanne (2000)
0.18 – 0.91
Several different collaborative strategies examined
Note. *Sample includes undergraduate students only. Unless otherwise noted,
sample includes kindergarten through postsecondary school students.
Why I use TBL
• More effective teaching
• TBL focuses on learning instead of teaching
– Constant feedback
• Student engagement
• Onto the heart of TBL: in-class activities
In-class Activities Example
Introductory Psychology Topic:
Psychoactive Drugs
*Significant and Same Question:
Which of the most commonly used drugs is the
most dangerous?
In-class Activities Examples
First, students must use course concepts to organize information
(e.g. common drugs, addiction, withdrawal).
Drug
Neurotransmitter(s)
Affected
How does it
make a user
feel?
Addiction
Potential
Severity of
Withdrawal
Symptoms
Alcohol
High
Medium
Low
High
Medium
Low
Cocaine
High
Medium
Low
High
Medium
Low
In-class Activities Examples
Students must use course concepts to begin to assess the
question and narrow possible choices.
1. Which neurotransmitters are associated with a drug’s ability
to create a “high” or euphoria?
2. Which two recreational drugs have the greatest potential for
addiction?
3. Which two recreational drugs have the most serious
withdrawal symptoms?
In-class Activities Examples
Students must decided how to assess the question using course
content.
Students must make choices that begin to answer the question.
Criterion
Highly addictive
Serious withdrawal symptoms
Drug that BEST fulfills the criterion
In-class Activities Examples
*Specific Choice: Students must make a specific choice.
Students report on how they arrived at that choice.
*Simultaneous Report: Students/teams report their specific
choice to the class.
The most dangerous drug is __________________________.
Our rational for this decision is:
In-class Activities Examples
Commonly used activity in Introductory Psychology:
Psychological Disorder Presentation
Potential Problems:
Each team usually reports on only one disorder
Teams can’t appropriately compare or discuss
work
Teams usually distribute work among members,
rather than working as a cohesive team
In-class Activities Examples
Introductory Psychology Topic:
Psychological Disorders
*Significant and Same Question:
Which psychological disorder is the most
incapacitating?
In-class Activities Examples
First, students are required to organize information using course
concepts (e.g. symptoms, treatment)
Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
PTSD
Schizophrenia
Symptoms Development Treatment Risk Factors
In-class Activities Examples
Students must use course concepts to begin to assess the
question and narrow possible choices.
1. Which two disorders demonstrate the greatest deviance?
2. Which two disorders demonstrate the greatest dysfunction?
3. Which two disorders demonstrate the greatest distress?
4. Which two disorders demonstrate the greatest danger?
In-class Activities Examples
Students must decided how to assess the question using course
content.
Students must make choices that begin to answer the question.
Criterion
Decline in physical functioning
Risk of losing employment
Delusions
Disorder that BEST fulfills the criterion
In-class Activities Examples
*Specific Choice: Students must make a specific choice.
Students report on how they arrived at that choice.
*Simultaneous Report: Students/teams present their choice and
rational for this choice to the class.
The most incapacitating psychological disorder is__________.
Our rational for this decision is:
*Common Concerns
I can’t use TBL in my class/discipline.
TBL Solution
• TBL has been used successfully in a broad range of
disciplines: http://www.teambasedlearning.org
• We’ve used it in…
– large and small classes
– General Ed, VWW, upper-division and graduate courses
Common Concerns
My students hate group work and/or fear
social loafing
What do they hate about group work?
– having to trust strangers
– not being able to hold teammates accountable
– having to do other people’s work in order to
maintain their grade
TBL solution
Permanent teams build cohesiveness
Accountability via peer evaluations
Minimum individual performance criterion must
be met before including team performance in
final grade.
Common Concerns
I have to lecture (“cover the material”)
because students won’t read or understand
the book.
TBL solution
Students are held accountable for reading via
readiness assurance process/daily quizzes
Practice reading comprehension skills
Develop basic understanding on own; in-class
activities and team interactions foster deep
understanding
Common Concerns
I’d have to give up control in the classroom
TBL solution
What are you controlling?
– Content of lecture vs. Structure of class activities
– Passive students listening (?) to the sage on the
stage vs. active students interacting with class
material and each other
Questions?