Tim & Jim,
I am attaching a couple of my attempts to capture a TBL explanation in my 1st day handout.

Jim's idea to do a midterm weighting adjustment sounds like great advice! I keep clinging to setting the grade weights but I am finally putting on my big professor pants and taking the plunge this fall :)

I have found it very helpful to not only do a midterm anonymous "soft" team mate eval, but also  a "soft" anonymous class eval and then make 2nd half changes based on this. Students seem to appreciate both of these.

What do other folks have for student orientation to TBL materials?

Best of luck to you Tim! While it may be a challenging term, it should be rewarding and educational for you :)
-Mike

Mike Welker
History Adjunct Faculty
& Interim Coordinator, Distance Learning
North Central State College
Mansfield, Ohio
(419) 755-4706 - ofc.
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Room 163 Kehoe (Shelby)
Campus Mail: AT-27

"Remember, I'm pulling for you... we're all in this together. Keep your stick on the ice." -Red Green


On Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 1:35 PM, Jim Sibley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi Tim

No sure if anyone has responded

The getting students to set grade weights is a good idea....

Let students figure out how to solve stalemates....unlikely if it comes to some form of vote that the class would split exactly down the middle

but see your problem with add/drops........Can you set the weight for the first round and move the activity of grade weight setting to later in course

With the add/drops....if you create teams in the classroom....could “are you like to NOT drop this course” be a criteria you use for team formation....that way team members might come and go but each team would have a consistent core

Attached is my TBL handout that is probably too complicated for classroom purpose........anyone have some piece to insert in a syllabus?

JIm


From: Tim Connors <[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Tim Connors <[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:15:55 -0400
To: <[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">[log in to unmask]>
Subject: 1st Week TBL - Advice

I have been baby-stepping my way into TBL over the past year but now feel like "going all the way."  I could use some advice/examples on how to implement a couple of things I have not yet done.  The class I will be doing this with is an upper division undergraduate course in theatre history that is required of all theatre majors and minors (virtually the entire class will be majors or minors).

The first of these is grading.  Up to now I have pre-determined the grading system:  70% individual; 20% team; 10% team maintenance.  I want to allow the class to determine the grading this Fall.  Would it be out of line for me to establish a minimum % for each of these (e.g., minimum of 50% individual, 10% team, and 5% team maintenance)?  If I don't establish minimums, what kind(s) of issues might I anticipate?  How are stalemates resolved?

Also, drop/add for the class won't be over until after the third class session (course is MWF, 50-minutes per class).  It seems unfair to wait until the 4th class session (after the deadline to drop) to determine the grading system.  And I have an "intro to teams" activity I want to use during the first week.  Should I make temporary teams for grading and the first activity, or make permanent teams and hope that a bunch of people from one team don't drop?

And, lastly, does anyone have a student handout and/or intro to TBL presentation they use in your first class session that you would be willing to share?

Thanks very much.

Tim



Timothy D. Connors
Professor of Theatre
Central Michigan University
 
Office/Voice:  989-774-3815
Fax:  989-774-2498