Some key issues and solutions for us at Queen's:
We have swivel chairs to transform from lecture mode to team mode. Our tiers support 2 rows each and 3-4 students in the front row swivel (chairs do not have recoil!) to make a team with the 3-4 students behind them. Our desks are long but the students use only portions of them. I wish we had round desks! :) But we built multipurpose rooms, so lectures had to be accommodated too.
We have a monitor at the end of each desk so students can plug in and share with the team. This has turned out to be quite useful.
You need microphones so each group can be heard when sharing in a large venue. We have microphones built into the desk and students can open them up when they are talking to the whole room.
Baffles--this accords with what Larry said about sound--baffles prevent sound from being lost in the ceiling while also preventing echoes.
Be careful with tiers--we have steps and it's easy to trip as the facilitator roaming the room or (as I recently did) walking backward :) NOTE: we have ramps only at the sides which means there are whole portions of the room which are not wheelchair accessible.
I wish we had whiteboards still--instead we have only e-smart boards,which student teams can't come up and write on , and on which we(Facilitators) can't write notes down on or create a "Parking Lot" for questions that need answering later.
All our controls for things are behind a stationary podium. We've bought pin-on microphones and wireless mice for those of us who hate teaching from behind a podium and would like to move around.
We project on 3 screens at the front, as our space is wider than long. However, you could think about screens at the back, or projection onto monitors at each long desk.
I'll try to hunt up some photos of our spaces, but feel free to contact me individually.
best,
Sheila
__________________
Sheila Pinchin
Manager, Educational Development & Faculty Support,
Undergraduate Medical Education
Queen's University
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613.533.6000, ext. 78757
________________________________
From: Team-Based Learning [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Larry Michaelsen [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: May 15, 2013 3:09 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Help-Need advice about building a flexible team based learning space
Dear All,
I've seen a bunch of different rooms and, without question, the most common mistake is using tables that are too large. The second most common mistake is failing to give good acoustics it's rightful place at the top of the list of characteristics. Although I don't think anyone has one yet, I'd go for a "theater in the round" multi-tiered room (see attached). I'd be interested in others' opinions on this issue as well.
Larry
On Wed, May 15, 2013 at 1:11 PM, Alex Stagnaro-Green <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Dear collegues,
George Washington Univesity School of Medicine will be transforming a sloped lecture hall which seats 200 students into a terraced multi use space which can be used either for Team Based Learning exercises or classical lecture.
This year was my first experience at the TBL-C in San Diego and I recall that some schools have already accomplished this transformation-however I am not sure which ones.
if anyone out there has accomplished this and is willing to provide some advice it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Alex
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Alex Stagnaro-Green, MD, MHPE
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Senior Associate Dean for Education
Professor of Medicine
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
2300 Eye Street, NW
Himmelfarb 301
Washington, DC 20037
Phone 202-994-3468
Fax 202-994-6915
E-mail: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
--
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Larry K. Michaelsen, Professor of Management
Dockery 400G, University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO 64093
660/543-4315 voice, 660/543-8465 fax
For info on:
Team-Based Learning (TBL) <www.teambasedlearning.org<http://www.teambasedlearning.org>>
Integrative Business Experience (IBE) <http://ucmo.edu/IBEl<http://faculty.ucmo.edu/ibe/home.html>>
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