The three key features of an ideal room for TBL are that:
1) The accoustics must allow participants to hear each other during the discussion of teams' choices on the applications (i.e., during all-class discussions). '
2) Team members must be able to see eabh others' eyes and hear each other while all of the teams are engaged in discussions during the team RATs and the first phase of applications. The most common mistake is having tables that are too large. In fact, some schools have invested millions of dollars in rooms in which TBL teams have to engage in discussions in the spaces between large (and high tech) tables.
3) There should be as little as possible distance between the teams so that students can see  each other and hear across the teams.

I think the ideal room configuration is slightly rectangular with two rows on a tier, individual rolling chairs and in a horseshoe shape The instructors location should be on the end so that the majority of the teams are facing each other (i.e., The room should be deep (not wide).

Larry

On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 9:40 AM, Bill Goffe <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hugh -

You probably should take a look at what some physics departments have done
with their "Scale-Up" classrooms. I believe it started at North Carolina
State, but has been repeated at a number of institutions. While the
details of physics pedagogy are a bit different than TBL, working in
groups and working together in a class are the same. See
http://scaleup.ncsu.edu/ .

Also, I was thinking that there was a journal of classroom design, but I
couldn't find it in a quick Google search.

    - Bill



>    Hi All,
>
>
>
>    We are in the process of designing a large facility for TBL. The facility
>    would encompass the entire class (approx 220 students). Thus far the
>    architects have come up with a room of rectangular proportions. We are
>    worried about the possible lack of `inter-connectedness' (for want of a
>    better phrase) of the teams in a rectangular room - can teams at one end
>    (or one corner) of the room have difficulty feeling and being a part of
>    the inter-team discussion? Is there any hard evidence that a room with a
>    square design would help with `inter-connectedness' (we'll need to back up
>    requests to the architects!)?
>
>    I understand that many of us make TBL work in facilities that are
>    non-ideal, but theoretically what room proportions would you have if
>    money, practicalities etc were not issues?
>
>    Many thanks in advance
>
>    Hugh
>
>
>
>    Hugh Clements-Jewery, PhD
>
>
>    Assistant Professor of Physiology
>    West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
>    400 N Lee Street
>    Lewisburg, WV 24901
>    Office: +1-304-793-6822
>    Fax: +1-304-645-4859
>
>
>
>

--
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



--
*******************************
Larry K. Michaelsen, Professor of Management
Dockery 400G, University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO 64093
660/429-9873 voice/cell phone, 660/543-8465 fax
For info on:
Team-Based Learning (TBL) <www.teambasedlearning.org> 
Integrative Business Experience (IBE) <http://faculty.ucmo.edu/ibe/home.html>
*******************************