Teams for Learning @ Duke workshop report

On Friday, March 16, 2012, about 70 Duke faculty and staff met to talk about and experience Team-Based Learning.  Attendees included faculty from departments across Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, the Pratt School of Engineering, the Nicholas School of the Environment, Sanford School of Public Policy, the Law School and the Medical School.

The workshop had 4 parts: 1. Team-based learning experience, 2. Dean and Vice Provost Steve Nowicki talked about innovative teaching at Duke, 3. “Why Team-Based Learning at Duke?” addressed by several Duke faculty and a panel of students and 4. small discussion groups with people who have experience with team-based learning.

Team-based Learning Experience

Attendees were asked to read a short PDF before they attended to prepare for experiencing the team-based learning process. At the workshop, they sat with team members and answered questions individually on a Readiness Assessment, then addressed the same questions as a team Readiness Assessment.  This was followed by a discussion with Craig Dane Roberts, Assistant Director of Education, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences  on team-based learning.  Finally, teams applied their knowledge in several application exercises, led by Morgan Barlow, Project Manager of the team-based learning initiative in Duke’s Global Health Institute.

Innovative Teaching at Duke

Dean and Vice Provost Steve Nowicki discussed Duke’s interest in innovative teaching, putting team-based learning in context with other teaching techniques.

Why Team-Based Learning at Duke?

Stephen Craig, Professor of Chemistry, described why he used team-based learning in Honors Chemistry.

Alyssa Perz-Edwards, Assistant Dean at Trinity College, Director of the Cardea Fellows Program and Lecturer in the Department of Biology, described how team work encourages students who are underrepresented in the sciences.

Len White, Duke Institute of Brain Science, talked about his experiences via a video which included his students.

Finally, a panel of students who have participated in at least one team-based learning course answered attendees questions.

Small Group Discussions

Duke faculty and staff who had taught at least one course using team-based learning lead small group discussions to address attendees concerns. Discussion leaders included Staci Bilbo,  Shawn Miller, Andrea Novicki,  Alyssa Perz-Edwards,  Craig Roberts and Sandra Stinnett.  Discussion topics ranged from how to begin redesigning a course for team-based learning, to overcoming limitations imposed by fixed-seat, auditorium style classroom design, to optimum class sizes and how to apply team-based learning to specific subjects.  Several faculty expressed interest in observing a course in their discipline taught as team-based learning, and many people wanted specific help designing application exercises.

Want to learn more?

To encourage more discussion of team-based learning, the Duke Institute of Brain Science will sponsor a happy hour at Twinnies on April 5th from 4 to 5, and everyone interested is welcome to join us.

Join CIT for our annual showcase! We’ll talk about different kinds of innovative teaching, including team-based learning.

For more information about team-based learning, consult the resources listed below and contact CIT.

• Team-Based Learning Collaborative
• Read more about teams for learning at Duke
• See more photos from the workshop
• More about teams in Honors Chemistry
• Watch a video about teams in Duke’s medical school
• Watch a video about  TeamLEAD at Duke-NUS

The workshop was organized by:

Andrea Novicki, Academic Technology Consultant, Duke Center for Instructional Technology
Morgan Barlow, Project Manager of the team-based learning initiative in Duke’s Global Health Institute
Craig Dane Roberts, Assistant Director of Education, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences