Assessments in TBL

Introduction to the community
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Hi everybody!! (My english is not good!) my name is Rosario Fuentes. I work at the Universidad de La Frontera in Temuco - Chile, and I currently specialize in professional practice, clinical courses, and teaching about Occupational Therapy in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

I am currently developing a manual for faculty members of the School of Medicine who wish to implement TBL, based on the guidelines of Mr. Larry Michaelsen.
I have some questions related to TBL:

What summative assessments are considered in TBL? For example, the individual test, group test, clinical case, and peer evaluation? What percentage is assigned to each type of assessment for evaluating TBL?

thank you!

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Dear Rasario,

Congratulations for starting to implement TBL. Let me try to answer your questions. To me, TBL is about learning – not so much about summative assessment. That said, there is no reason that individual summative assessments can be added to the learning experience as a check. So, summative assessments are not a part of TBL experiences but can be a part of other learning and assessment experiences.

Originally at duke-NUS, our vice dean considered there were two types of numbers that came from the course experience: Individual and Team. Individual represented the IRAT and any summative assessment that was included. Team scores were TRAT, Application, and Peer Eval. Originally, our percentage was 50% of grade came from individual assessments and 50% from team work. With the caveat that to pass, the IRAT had to be at least 70% average. (There is no scientific rational, just what he wanted to do). Now the TBL and other in class learning activities are formative and there are end of semester summative exams, using standard procedures for determining passing. Recognizing that if we see a student struggling (even though formative) we reach out and try to identify the challenges before they get to the summative assessments.

There are no “correct” answers – much of it “depends”. What you (and your institution) will have to decide:

  • if and how much the TBL activities count toward grade. Some include some do not. I personally feel including something in grade promotes some accountability.
  • What other learning activities do you want to include that are not TBL (clinical cases, team/individual projects, simulations, etc….) and how much do they count (formative or part of grade).
  • What percentage each element contributes to the grade. There are no fast rules – it depends on your learners, your institution, and your philosophy. You find what works for you and supports learning, and assures you learning has occurred.

I hope this helps.