Team-Based Learning: Group Work that Works

Michael Sweet, PhD 
Senior Associate Director, Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning through Research 
Lecturer, Department of Psychology 
Northeastern University
RSVP

As class sizes continue to grow, faculty are increasingly looking for ways to engage students. In this workshop, faculty will experience Team-Based Learning (TBL), an instructional strategy that both teachers and students have reported increasing levels of student engagement, preparation, participation and critical thinking.  This specific form of small-group learning has enjoyed increasing adoption across disciplines in the last decade.  Dr. Michael Sweet has published and presented widely on TBL, and will be leading participants through a TBL experience.  Upon completing this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Explain the structural flaw in most "traditional" forms of group work

• Identify three important distinctions between TBL and other forms of group work

• Describe the four practical elements of TBL

• Begin designing an effective and enjoyable group assignment

Biography: Michael Sweet, PhD 

Michael Sweet earned his Ph.D. from University of Texas Austin in Educational Psychology. His research and professional work have centered on learning processes in student groups and he has published in Educational Psychology Review, Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Decision Sciences, Journal of Innovative Education, To Improve the Academy, and New Directions for Teaching and Learning. He was an invited guest editor for a special issue of Educational Psychology Review and was lead editor of the volume Team-Based Learning in the Social Sciences and Humanities: Group Work that Works to Generate Critical Thinking and Engagement.

Dr. Sweet presents nationally and internationally on critical thinking and team-based learning, served as the 2009-2010 President of the international Team-Based Learning Collaborative and 2014-2016 Executive Editor of Publications. Furthermore, the online resources he developed to support critical thinking instruction and team-based learning have achieved international adoption.

Dr. Sweet has taught classes in Learning and Motivation, Group Communication, Critical Thinking and in various internet and data networking topics.