PS We looked at the 2005 discussion thread at the Austin conference...and this is what the group came up with Response to the 2005 discussion around Student Resistance 1) Clearly and frequently explain your rationales for using TBL 2) Demonstrate TBL to orient your students 3) start with easier activities and progress difficulty as student comfort and confidence increases 4) Resistance is normal....don't let a a few complaints make you assume that everyone is unhappy 5) Discuss resistance openly in class - power of majority can sometimes silence a vocal minority Common Student Words 1) we are teaching ourselves 2) testing before teaching make no sense 3) you are paid to teach 4) this is too much work 5) I don't want my grade to depend on teamwork 6) I want to form my own team Jim -----Original Message----- From: Team-Based Learning [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ed Bell Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 2009 1:55 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Student complaints on new TBL TBL Colleagues: I coordinated a new course using TBL Spring 2009. This 3-credit course (pharmacotherapeutics) is in the 2nd year of a 4-year professional pharmacy program (115 students). Three faculty taught (separate 5 week modules). We followed the TBL model very closely (ie, IRAT/GRAT, IF-AT forms, AE, peer evaluations). I attended the TBL conference in March. Final course grades overall were quite high. Student evaluations (8 pages total written comments) post-course were "interesting" - most evaluations were negative and included several themes: 1) students want more lecture - they want to be told what is important 2) students believe we as faculty - the "experts"- should be telling them what is important about medications that they will need to know as a future pharmacist - this is our "responsibility" as faculty/teachers 3) several students emphasized 2) above in light of our school being private, with high tuition reasoning for responsibility of the faculty to tell students "what's important" 4) some faculty this semester and due up next semester don't seem to fully accept TBL vs. still desiring to lecture How do we respond to these student - and faculty - concerns? I researched the TBL list serve archives and found similar concerns from 2005 postings, yet I am seeking additional recommendations and input from seasoned TBL faculty. Thank you. Ed Bell (Drake University College of Pharmacy)