In our course, each week students complete their RAT prior to class using a 20-question online quiz in Blackboard. When they redo this quiz for the GRAT in class, students are offered the opportunity to increase their own personal RAT score by 50% of the difference between their RAT and GRAT if that is higher. We have found that the teams are much more serious about doing well on the GRAT and, in fact, many teams do score better than their individual RAT results. So, each week provides them with clear proof that working together and helping each other on the GRAT offers a distinct advantage over doing this alone. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gary Kapelus MBA DSP Professor and Coordinator, Interprofessional Education Faculty of Community Services and Health Sciences George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology 200 King St. E., Room 721 Toronto, ON M5T 2T9 Tel: (416) 415-5000 Ext 3508 Cell: (416) 450-8083 http://www.georgebrown.ca/healthsciences/ipe.aspx <http://www.georgebrown.ca/healthsciences/ipe.aspx> <http://www.georgebrown.ca/healthsciences/interprofessional-education-event.aspx> ________________________________ From: Team-Based Learning on behalf of Michael J. Welker Sent: Wed 13/10/2010 3:21 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: give students tips on RATS ( readiness assessments tests) Bill, For whatever reason, I find myself over the past few quarters becoming more and more "transparent" with my classes about why and how we are using TBL and its process and rationale. For instance, last night as I was showing the Team RAT scratch off scores, and reminding them it was to give them feedback on how their team was performing in relation to their peers. I think such frequent "embedded" reminders, particularly over the first few weeks, seem to be getting more buy in to TBL quicker...? Anybody else have ideas/comments on how often/when is "best" to reinforce the why and how of TBL to students?? -Mike On Sat, Oct 9, 2010 at 11:53 PM, Bill Goffe <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Duane - Personally, I'm not sure that I'd give such hints (maybe others will differ). As I recall you teach accounting and you might point out that with the end of GAAP (current U.S. accounting standards) in a few years they better know how to learn new things on the job and that you're helping them do that now. Also, I have found that with such assessments, you really find student weaknesses. For example, I teach Money and Banking and most of my students have had accounting. Yet, few seem to know where owner's equity goes on the balance sheet (yes, I'm dumbfounded). I guess the message here is that one does have to be very careful on the difficulty of RATs. I just do Bloom's Level 1 and some simple applications. Also, after we do a RAT, I do a fair amount of reporting of results. Attached you'll find what I report for each team. I show the first part to the class (I figure that the team results are to only be seen by the team). The subtle message here is that some of the people in the class can do this work, as can some of the teams. It is too late now, but at the start of the semester it seems like a good idea to really lay out why you're using TBL. I've used this TBL video: http://magenta.cit.utexas.edu/largeclasses/#tbl (though UT might not work for OU students!). Also, as some suggested here (including Jennifer Imazeki), the first thing the first day of class I ask Poll: Thinking of what you want to get out of your college education and this course, which of the following is most important to you? 1. Acquiring information (facts, principles, concepts) 2. Learning how to use information in new situations 3. Developing lifelong learning skills Most of my students answered 2 or 3 (it was mostly freshman and transfers who answered 1 -- this is consistent with the book described in http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/11/18/fearfactor , but that's really another story). For those stuck on 1, I pull out a smart phone and do a Google search to suggest that key these days isn't knowing facts. I then talk about how TBL helps with 2 and 3. Just last week a student complained about a "tricky" question and I pulled out these results (and I added that "life is tricky"). I could see the proverbial light bulb going off in his head. - Bill > My TBL students have complained that my RATS are too difficult. This > occurs even though I try to limit RAT questions to lower levels Bloom's > taxonomy of educational objectives ("knowledge" , "comprehension" and > "application" ---- no "synthesis" or "evaluation" and no computations). > Also, it occurs even though I give them tips ( a list of terms ) before > the RAT is given. > > > > So, I am thinking about giving stronger tips. For example, consider the > below question. > > 6. The gap ratio expresses the repricing gap for a given time > period as a percentage of > > a. equity. > > b. total liabilities. > > c. current liabilities. > > d. total assets. > > e. current assets. > > > > I could give them the premise of all or some of the questions before the > RAT. That is I would give them the below before the RAT. > > > > The gap ratio expresses the repricing gap for a given time period as a > percentage of > > > > I worry this could make it too easy. Has anyone out there done this? Any > advice? > > > > Thanks in advance. > > > > > > > > > > Duane R. Stock, Price Investments Professor > > 205A Adams Hall > > Price College of Business > > University of Oklahoma > > Norman, OK 73019 > > > > work email: [1][log in to unmask] > > home email: [2][log in to unmask] > > > > work fax: 405.325.7688 > > > > work phone: 405.325.5690 > > > > home phone: 405.364.5347 > > > > cell phone: 405.808.9344 > > > > home address: 4112 Harrogate Drive > > Norman, OK 73072 > > > > > > > > References > > Visible links > 1. mailto:[log in to unmask] > 2. mailto:[log in to unmask] -- Bill Goffe Department of Economics SUNY Oswego, 416 Mahar Hall Oswego, NY 13126 315-312-3444(v), 315-312-5444(f) [log in to unmask] http://cook.rfe.org <http://cook.rfe.org/> -- Mike Welker History Adjunct Faculty & Interim Coordinator, Distance Learning North Central State College Mansfield, Ohio (419) 755-4706 - ofc. [log in to unmask] 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