Team-Based Learning (TBL) Faculty Development Open Educational Resource (OER)

This module explores Backward Design as the strategy TBL instructors use to develop instructional units.

Before doing the iRAT please make sure to:

1. Read the introductory excerpt on Backward Design by Michaelsen and Sweet (2008)
2. View Grant Wiggins’ introductory video on Understanding by Design:
3. Read Wiggen and McTighe’s (1998) chapter on Backward Design
4. Take the iRAT

Reflection Exercise:

1. Identify the Desired Results.
   • Write an instructional objective for the course you are redesigning. What is the big picture? What should students take away from your course?
2. Determine Evidence and Assessment
   • What would serve as evidence of the enduring understanding?
   • How many readiness assurance tests will there be? One for every unit?
   • Would another method of assessing readiness be appropriate?
   • Will the RATs cover the entire readings assigned? Part(s) of the readings?
   • Will you provide a study guide in some format for the readings?
3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
   • Divide your course into 3-7 units.
     • How long will you spend on each unit?
     • Are there days when TBL doesn’t make sense? What would you do on those days instead – lecture, discussion, review, other?
       • What content makes sense to group together?
       • Which materials (textbook, course packet, exercises, supplementary materials, reading guides) will provide what the students need to know to meet the course objectives?
   • Consider your application activities.
     • What is a significant theme or problem to explore for the unit planned?
     • How many activities will there be for each unit?
     • How many activities should be planned for each application day?
     • Will the application activities immediately follow the RATs (may depend on your class structure and length)?
     • Are the teams expected to create a product from the application?
     • Will their product (if there is one) be graded? Will each, some, or none of the application activities be graded?
     • Note: How to create TBL application activities will be discussed in Module 4.
   • Consider your team formation process.
     • What characteristics would you like to distribute in your teams? (their majors, their abilities, number of credits, etc.)
     • How will teams be formed – randomly? survey/questionnaire?
     • When will teams be formed? First day, first week, after add/drop period?
     • How will you encourage student buy-in? RAT on day 1/week 1? Introductory application activity?

Team Application Activity:

If possible, complete one of the following team activities in person, depending on the number of colleagues working on Module 3.

1. Activity with a small group of faculty:
   • Share with each other the instructional objective you each created. For each objective shared, discuss what would serve as evidence of the enduring understanding.
2. Activity with two or more teams of faculty:
   • Review the course objective(s) you outlined for your students. Discuss amongst your teammates and nominate one person from your team whose instructional objectives would best suit a TBL course.
   • Write out the course objective(s) on a large poster-sized post-it sheet of paper. Write your team # on the sheet.
   • Together as a team, discuss what would serve as evidence of the enduring understanding. Write this on the sheet of paper. When done, hang the sheet of paper on the wall.
   • As a team, go and read the other team’s(s’) instructional objective(s) and evidence.
   • Discuss, and then, using the post-it notes, write comments (one per post-it) and questions (1 per post-it) you (the collective team) have regarding the objective and evidence.
   • When done reading the other team’s(s’) objectives, go back with your team to your own sheet of paper and read the comments and questions. Engage in further discussion.