Vancouver Island 2024 Team-Based Learning Institute, August 13-15 at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo B.C.
Student engagement and persistence depend on many factors, but a bonding experience with other students in the classroom can make the difference between staying or leaving and between excelling or merely drifting.
We therefore invite you to reserve your seat now in the August 2024 Course Re-Design Project, Increase Student Engagement and Persistence with Team-Based Course Design. By the end of the 3-day August 13-14-15 Institute, you will be well on your way to implementing a fully redesigned course in the Team-Based Learning (TBL) format beginning in the Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 semesters.
Registration:
To register, identify the appropriate arrow below, then click on the arrow to initiate the registration process.
Members of the VIU Faculty can sign up to participate in this project here.
Non-VIU faculty are also welcome to participate, as seats are available. Please visit our registration page specifically for VIU Guests.
Begins
13 Aug
8:30 am
Increase Student Engagement and Persistence with Team-Based Course Design
Don’t be misled by the name. The Michaelsen-Knight-Fink model of “Team-Based Learning” is NOT just group work. It’s a comprehensive instructional approach designed to foster greater student independence and personal responsibility for learning. It works in any discipline and with any content—from the Humanities to the Sciences to the Trades to Professional programs. One reason for the model’s success is that Team Learning protocols provide the scaffolding that allows faculty members to challenge even beginning students at a higher level. The key is a simple, coherent, set of reliable protocols that ensure an alignment of forces for high-level learning and rich student interaction. For a summary of TBL, please visit UBC’s description.
Vancouver Island University students who have been surveyed as part of the Team-Based Learning Project have expressed their response with comments such as these:
- “This is my favourite (and hardest) course!”’
- “I’m usually shy talking in front of others, but in this course I get to shape my ideas with my teammates.”
- “I love my team!”
- “I like that we have to come prepared, and then get to exchange ideas with our team members.”
- “This course really challenges me to think.”
- “My team helps me understand and see new ideas.”
The Team-Based Learning Course Redesign Program is open to faculty members teaching in any discipline and in any level of the curriculum. Teachers of first and second-year courses, and larger classes in particular, are strongly encouraged to apply. These are the courses in which students are often newer to university learning, are more likely to find themselves isolated, and therefore may benefit from the community that a typical Team-Based course provides.
Past participants are also invited to join again, to use the opportunity to work on the re-design of a new course, using the protocols of Team Learning.
What will happen in the TBL Institute? Participants will…
- Experience a live TBL classroom from the students’ perspective. Day One of the Institute stages a simulation of a student experience in a TBL course, so you’ll better understand the “WHY” behind the method
- Design and develop a course based on the use of TBL protocols and practices
- Experience, evaluate, and then design TBL-informed activities and assignments
- Learn tools and techniques for managing a TBL course and facilitating a TBL classroom
- Re-design a syllabus) for a TBL course, including policies and grading schemes that promote student autonomy and responsibility
- Receive feedback on draft TBL teaching plans
Key Dates and Commitments
- Before August 13: Advance Preparation Time (complete a selection of readings, 3-4 hours)
- Tuesday, August 13: Day One, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (breakfast and lunch included)
- Wednesday, August 14: Day Two: Independent course development work (3-4 hours in a location of your choice—space to be made available for campus visitors); plus individual feedback by Institute facilitators
- Thursday, August 15: Day Three, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (breakfast and lunch included)
Student engagement and persistence depend on many factors, but a bonding experience with other students in the classroom can make the difference between staying or leaving and between excelling or merely drifting. We therefore invite you to reserve your seat now in the August 2024 Course Re-Design Project, Increase Student Engagement and Persistence with Team-Based Course Design. By the end of the 3-day August 13-14-15 Institute, you will be well on your way to implementing a fully redesigned course in the Team-Based Learning (TBL) format beginning in the Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 semesters.
PIDP Equivalent
TBLI workshop participants can earn credit towards the Provincial Instructor Program (PIDP) at Vancouver Community College (VCC). VCC recognizes VIU’s TBLI workshop as Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) through a new credit bank process for ‘Collaborative Learning in the College Classroom’ (PIDP 3340).
Next Steps
Once we receive your request to participate and your registration information, we will follow up with you to take care of administrative details and arrange for payment of fees. The fee for Guests to the 3-day 2024 Vancouver Island Team-Based Learning Institute is $395.00 (CAD). Registration is free for VIU Faculty.
Visit our “Travel to Nanaimo” page if you are looking for information related to transportation to Nanaimo and accommodations nearby. Please be aware that getting to Nanaimo usually requires a ferry ride or a seaplane, although you can also book your airline flight direct to either Nanaimo (YCD) or Victoria (YYJ). Budget is the most widely available car rental service on the Island.
Meanwhile, if you have questions about travel or administrative details, please contact Rebecca Lin at rebecca.lin@viu.ca or (250) 740-6167.
If you have questions about the application process, or about the program, itself, please contact Jessica Gemella at jessica.gemella@viu.ca.