I teach intro econ and provide study guides with page numbers. I explain ahead of time that the questions require them to understand not just memorize the concepts - and provide a few examples. I also explain both before and after taking RAP that the team is weighted 60% and individual is 40% -- so even they make a 50 on the iRAT and 100 on tRAT they would receive an 80. We discuss the fact that instructors want to focus on student learning, while the primary goals of students is the grade. I begin this discussion by asking them whats more important (It's very rare that any student chooses learning over a good grade). Then I explain my goal is to provide learning opportunities. I emphasize that their grade is based on the entire process not just the individual portion & enter one grade for the reading assessment process (as opposed to one for the iRAT and one for the TRAT). I also drop the lowest grades.
Since showing them the teams provide an opportunity to both learn and raise there grade, I get much less push back on RATs.
Michael
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From: Team-Based Learning <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Neil Haave <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2015 10:05 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: first RAT of the term
First the context: this is a first year course for majors and non-majors in biological function. Most of the students are either majoring in biology or intending to enter a professional program in the health sciences.
My question: How have people on this list handled the huge disappointment that happens with the first RAT of the first term in freshman courses?
This is typically students' very first university quiz as I start right after the first week of setting up the course structure with the first TBL module. This past weekend I gave students their reading assignment complete with reading guide (key objectives and keywords matched to the pages and figure numbers in the text book). Then they wrote their first RAT yesterday. I received fairly typical results I think except that the iRAT score were lower then I had hoped.
[X]
[X]
It breaks my heart when I hear stories from students during the tRAT and after class that they studied 10-15 hrs and made 10-15 pages of notes over the long weekend only to receive an iRAT mark of 2/10. They had such energy at the start of the term last week. Now I think I have killed it.
How do the rest of you manage this sort of disappointment and help students regain their spirit for learning (and mine for teaching!)? I suspect the issue is that many of these excellent students (and I have no doubt they achieved excellence in high school) simply were able to excel in high school without developing good study, reading, and note-taking skills. I have a couple of excellent senior students who will be coming into class tomorrow to explain how they read and take notes. I hope that helps.
I would love to hear the collective wisdom of the TBLC.
Thanks very much.
Neil
Neil Haave, PhD
Associate Professor, Biology
Managing Editor, CELT<http://celt.uwindsor.ca/ojs/leddy/index.php/CELT/index>
Vice-President, AIBA<http://www2.mtroyal.ca/~tnickle/AIBA/AIBA_website/AIBA.html>
Faculty Affiliate, CTL<http://uofa.ualberta.ca/centre-for-teaching-and-learning/about-ctl/people/faculty-affiliates>
McCalla Professor<http://uofa.ualberta.ca/centre-for-teaching-and-learning/awards/mccalla-professorships>
University of Alberta, Augustana Faculty
Rm C155, Science Wing, Classroom Building, Augustana Campus
4901 - 46 Avenue, Camrose, AB, CANADA T4V 2R3
email<mailto:[log in to unmask]> | Augustana dossier<http://www.augustana.ualberta.ca/profs/nhaave/> | Google+<https://www.google.com/+NeilHaave> | blog<http://activelylearning2teach.blogspot.ca/> | Twitter<https://twitter.com/nhaave> | LinkedIn<https://ca.linkedin.com/in/neilhaave>
"We do not learn from experience . . . we learn from reflecting on experience" - John Dewey
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