Team-based learning review and more

The team from Student Team Performance is pleased to share an update on recent events, resources, and links to support our students in their teamwork.

Fall was an excellent season for teamwork for the RRU community. Several internal and external events were staged with a focus on team-based learning and over fifty instructors and staff attended three different events focused on team-based learning: 

1. October 26: Team Coaches:  Best Practices outlined and Facilitated Conversations
2. November 6: BC Campus conference in Vancouver with Kathleen Manion, Sophia Palahicky and Trish Dyck
3. November 23: Living our Model: Team Based Learning.

Team Coaches and CTET staff provided a variety of resources on best practices and facilitated discussions that captured participants' experiences on what is working and what are growth opportunities regarding team based learning at RRU. Doug Hamilton, one of the attendees wrote a summary after the event stating:

“I couldn’t imagine in my wildest dreams that we (RRU) could have developed the kind of substantive, comprehensive, and forward-looking initiatives that were shared in the sessions yesterday over a relatively short period of time. I also came away from the sessions yesterday with a clearer appreciation of the innovation-minded culture that has been established amongst the coaches and their collaborations with faculty and staff”. (Hamilton, personal communication, October 27^th, 2017).

Overall, it became evident from these events that our knowledge, resources, and collaborations continue to grow at RRU to support team based learning.  This positive growth is largely the result of the collaborative, team-based approach that we have taken in how we organize and support student teams at RRU.

As outlined in the graphic below: student teams receive support through a collaborative, systems-based approach: Team Coaches from Student Team Performance, instructors and programs are supported by CTET with design and assessment, and academic leadership refers to enhanced design and integration at the program level.

For more information about these components please contact Trish Dyck, Manager of Student Team Performance for Team Coaching, CTET Studio for program, course design and assessments. 

See links below for resources, summary of conversations and emerging action steps.

Team Coaching:

View a short video developed by the Team Coach team describing their thoughts and practice to support Team Based Learning at RRU  

HOT OFF THE PRESS! TeamsWork website:

• What do Team Coaches do?
• Team Coach Process Overview
• Instructor and Team Coach Collaboration
• Working through Team Challenges

1. Flow chart outlining steps to take when dealing with Team Challenges
2. Supporting documents:
   i.      Learning in Teams
   ii.     Working Through Team Challenges

CTET:

• Team Assessment support resources
• Developing Team Assignments
• Technology tools for Student Teams: Team Tools for communication
• TeamsWork Moodle Shell – being offered to our Service Level 3 programs: Developing High Performing Teams - Master TeamsWork Moodle Shell

Academic Leadership:

At the recent Living our Model session, participants identified program mapping as one aspect that supports the overall development of where and how team based learning works best.  A few programs at RRU have recently piloted program mapping with a key focus being where and how team learning is integrated.  CTET provides program maps to deliver a snapshot of team-based learning within a program.  Program maps identify the different types of team assessments, total percentage of team-based learning, and assessment of team process and team deliverables across the program. As a result, programs can scaffold team-based learning appropriately and measure the effectiveness of using team-based learning for assessment purposes. 

For more information on program mapping contact Sophia Palahicky.

• Watch the livestream of the general session,  Living our Model: General Session
• Watch the video captured during the Shift and Share Sessions
• See the feedback from participants
• See the action steps outlined from the Team Coaching shift and share session

Team-based learning Crossroads post Jan. 25