MAILING LISTS

Since the T-RAT is a team effort, if the person is absent they miss 
those points. I used to allow for iRAT make ups in the testing center 
for up to one week after a missed iRAT. However that was way too much 
coordination and effort on my part and it did little to help the team. 
So I devised the one extra credit opportunity for my class. Students a 
may do an article review from a peer-reviewed journal on a topic related 
to the team decision. They must share their article review with their 
team after I approve it. This helps them with research and hopefully 
helps their team with their decision and is a more meaningful 
assignment. Article reviews are worth the same amount of points they 
could have earned on a iRAT/T-RAT and must be completed before the team 
decision.

Christine Kuramoto wrote:
> Dear Friends,
>
> I have a question about absent team members. In the past I've always 
> given students the tRAT score from their team when they missed a RAT 
> day and a 0 for the iRAT. I'm teaching the same 100 students in their 
> second round of TBL and notice the same guys tend to skip class as the 
> last time. My students had a tendency to be quite lenient on their 
> peer evaluations, so the skippers got the team points and still got 
> pretty good peer evaluations last year (with a few brave members 
> commenting "you should come to class more" but still not lowering 
> their scores much).
>
> I'm beginning to wonder if I should step in and say that absent 
> students won't get the team score for the tRAT. The tRATs are what 
> saved a few of them from failing last year. Am I teaching them that 
> it's OK to be lazy and let your team take responsibility for it? Or 
> should I be looking at the bigger picture that says, "See team! You 
> have the power to let them sink or save them. It's up to you."--which 
> is then teaching them the responsibility of being part of a team and 
> what the real world is like.
>
> Hmmmmm. . .
>
> Please let me know what you think.
>
> Thanks!
> Christine
>

-- 

Herb Coleman,Ph.D
Dir. Instructional Computing and Technology
Adjunct Professor of Psychology 
Austin Community College
Highland Business Center
5930 Middle Fiskville Rd.
Austin, TX 78752
[log in to unmask]
512-223-7746
*************************************************
“I, and every other professor on this campus, are 
here to help you to find, take back, and keep your 
righteous mind.” 

---Professor Melvin Tolson 
    from the motion picture "The Great Debaters"
*************************************************