MAILING LISTS

I think its a good idea to start out with teams of 6 and 7, since then disruptions will generally only drop you down into the range of teams of 5.

Recently I've been looking at the relationship between team size and team performance, and there fairly strong data supporting Dean's finding that teams of 4 are underpowered. While a team of 4 might get "lucky" by having a particularly strong individual member, in general teams of 4 are at a major disadvantage, and it can be problematic to leave students in a group that small.  

Whatever intervention you decide upon (getting volunteers or recruits) I think that finding new members for an underpowered team is the best intervention. If you know you will lose members, start with a large team to begin with so that team can absorb the losses.

Ruth


Ruth E. Levine MD

Clarence Ross Miller Professor of Psychiatry
The University of Texas Medical Branch
301 University Blvd, Route 0193
Galveston, Texas 77555-0193
409-747-9675 (Phone) 409-747-9677 (Fax)
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From: Team-Based Learning [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Kathryn Thompson [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 5:35 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: TBL team/group size

We've been doing TBL in year 1 for about 4 years and we have continued it into year 2 this year.  We have a similar arrangement to what you describe-about 20 teams of 7 and a few of 6.  Our teams stay together for the entire year. One year we did have a team drop to 4 students and maybe 2 went to five students.  We decided it was better to let the small team continue to function as a team since it was too disruptive to try to add students to other teams.  This did not seem to be a problem and there were no complaints from the students.  Our attrition rate is pretty low-usually less than 5 students per year.
Kathy

Kathryn H. Thompson, PhD, RD
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition
Director, Distance Education
College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of New England
11 Hills Beach Road
Biddeford, ME 04005
voice: 207-602-2216
fax: 207-602-5931
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>>> "Leonard, Timothy" <[log in to unmask]> 03/07/12 4:14 PM >>>
I had a fantastic experience at my first TBLC meeting last week.  Thanks to all who planned and participated!

I am working with a group of other people at my institution to implement TBL throughout a new integrated Year-1 and Year-2 undergraduate medical curriculum.  We anticipate having approximately 30 teams of 7 students each in our Year-1 class, and these students will work together within these teams throughout the entire academic year (probably average one TBL session every two weeks).  I am wondering what others would advise if any of the TBL groups drop to 4 or fewer students due to "permanent attrition" (withdrawals, academic failures that trigger either dismissal or repeating the year, etc.).

Thanks for any input/advice,

Tim Leonard
Clinical Sciences Dept.
WVSOM
Lewisburg, WV