Project Lead: Jessica Kalra, BPSc
Project description
We aim to study how team-based learning (TBL) ”a pedagogical approach designed to curate complex learning activities for students” facilitates transformative learning. Little is known about student experiences of the complexity encountered in TBL classrooms, the discomfort students feel when faced with complex learning, the strategies students develop for navigating it, or the extent to which these experiences lead to transformative learning. This project seeks to fill this gap by surveying and interviewing undergraduate students with diverse demographics and backgrounds, about their experiences of complex learning in TBL classrooms, across different disciplinary contexts and different levels of study (1st and 3rd year).
Research questions
- In what ways do students experience discomfort with the complexity they encounter during TBL activities? Do their experiences vary depending on learning context (discipline, level of study, background, demographics, sense of belonging)?
- How do students perceive TBL as helping them navigate the complexity and/or discomfort of learning? Specifically, to what extent do students rely on TBL structures and processes to help them navigate complexity/discomfort, or seek outside sources of support?
- To what extent do students’ experiences of complexity/discomfort during TBL activities suggest that TBL is successfully leveraging these experiences to facilitate transformative learning?