Supporting Instructors in Implementing Team-Based Inquiry Learning

Drew Lewis, Steven Clontz, Christopher Parrish, Julie Estis, & Raj Chaudhury

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This work is supported by the National Science Foundation DUE #2011807

Outline

• What is Team-Based Inquiry Learning?
• TBIL Project overview
• Preliminary results
• Discussion

Background: IBL+TBL=TBIL

Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is characterized by four pillars:

• Students engage deeply with coherent and meaningful mathematical tasks
• Students collaboratively process mathematical ideas
• Instructors inquire into student thinking
• Instructors foster equity in their design and facilitation choices

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Challenge: How to promote use of IBL in lower division courses?

(Laursen & Rasmussen, 2019)

Background: IBL+TBL=TBIL

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Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a highly structured form of collaborative learning popular in many disciplines

• Students work in permanent, heterogeneous teams
• Students complete pre-class work to free up class time for engaging activities
• Students work in teams during class on significant problems to deeply learn

(Michaelsen & Sweet, 2008)

Team-Based Inquiry Learning

• Implements IBL through this TBL framework�
• Pre-class work prior to each chapter focused on solidifying pre-requisite knowledge (“Readiness Assurance Process”)
• Pre-class review
• Two-stage assessment
• Just-in-time-teaching�
• In-class 4-S activities focused on collaborative inquiry

Structure of TBL Activities

During class, students work in teams

• on the Same problem;
• it is a Significant problem
• requires them to make a Specific choice
• they Simultaneously report to the class

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This structure facilitates students collaborating in teams, followed by a class-wide discussion

Timeline of the TBIL Project

2017 – TBIL developed and first implemented in Linear Algebra�2018 – First adoption by instructors beyond project team �2021 – First TBIL Summer Institute (hybrid, 13 faculty)�2022 – First editions of Linear Algebra for TBIL and Calculus for TBIL released�2022 – Second TBIL Summer Institute (in-person, 13 faculty)�2023 – MAA OPEN virtual workshop (22 faculty)�2024 – MAA OPEN virtual workshop (TBD)�2024 – First edition of Precalculus for TBIL to be released

Faculty Supports

• Initial training (~3 days)
• Course materials (co-developed with first cohort)
• Student-facing activity book
• Randomized exercise banks (for assessment and/or homework)
• Monthly(ish) online working groups
• Slack community
• One-on-one support (by request)

TBIL Research Agenda

Three major focuses

• Student Outcomes
• Initial study at USA showed improved content mastery & course grades
• Currently analyzing student data from multi-institution study
• Faculty Supports
• Survey (self report)
• Interviews
• Fidelity of Implementation
• Survey (self report)
• Syllabi
• Video recordings

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TBIL Research Agenda

Three major focuses

• Student Outcomes
• Initial study at USA showed improved content mastery & course grades
• Currently analyzing student data from multi-institution study
• Faculty Supports
• Survey (self report)
• Interviews
• Fidelity of Implementation
• Survey (self report)
• Syllabi
• Video recordings

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Research Questions

RQ1: (A) Which of the supports provided to faculty led to a successful implementation of TBIL in various instructional contexts? � (B) Which additional supports would aid faculty in their implementation of TBIL in various instructional contexts?

RQ2: What aspects of TBIL do faculty implement after participating in the training workshops?

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Methods

• Surveyed 26 instructors who completed one of our first two trainings
• 23 unique institutions (17 PWI, 6 MSI)
• Administered survey during each semester they implemented TBIL

Which supports were most helpful?

• Free response, open-coded
• Aggregated responses across all administrations of survey

Frequency of Implementation of TBIL Components

Conclusions

• Providing classroom-ready materials was a key support for instructors
• Ongoing support (synchronous & asynchronous) was also identified as a helpful support
• Participants largely incorporated the essential elements of the TBIL pedagogy, with peer evaluations being an exception

Discussion Questions

• Instructor supports – What follow on questions would you ask in interviews with instructors?
• Fidelity of Implementation – What might we look for in video recordings of TBIL classes?

Thank You

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Contact:

drew.lewis@gmail.com

http://tbil.org

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