4 Collaborative Tools for a Successful TBL Session with InteDashboard

Brian O'Dwyer

Jan 14, 2021 • 3min read

InteDashboard is team-based learning software that was conceived with the mission of enabling more learners in higher education, workforce training, or schools to benefit from Team-Based Learning. When using InteDashboard in an online setting, using a collaborative web conferencing tool will create a more engaging environment that will be closer to an in-person session experience. We have put together information on four collaborative video conferencing tools you can use with InteDashboard for a successful online TBL session.

Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing tool that allows the user to hold virtual meetings with video and audio as well as to conduct live chats. Zoom is a great tool for online TBL sessions because it allows the users to form breakout rooms and have small group discussions like they would have in an in person-TBL session. It is possible to pre-assign breakout rooms for every session, provided the student email id matches their Zoom email id. While using Zoom, the participants can also share their screens, which allows the teams to focus on the same question while working on TRATs and Application exercises. Zoom allows the instructors to record their sessions, and this can be useful in cases where there is a need to review the class session or when there are students who miss a session.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is another collaborative tool that allows for video conferencing. On top of having the functionality of a video conferencing tool, Microsoft Teams has a very comprehensive chat function, which allows the chat to continue even when the video conference is not going on. This function can help teams to coordinate their schedules in an asynchronous online TBL session. Teams can keep in touch without having to use a separate messaging tool. Microsoft Teams also makes it easier for users to access, share, and edit Word docs, PowerPoint, and Excel files in real-time, allowing teams to manage their time better and collaborate on their work more effectively. Microsoft Teams allows the instructor to form breakout rooms by starting a different channel for every team. Although it is a little more complicated to move between a breakout discussion and the main session discussion quickly, it still provides the small group discussion environment that is necessary for TBL.

WebEx

WebEx is another video conferencing tool that can be used alongside InteDashboard to conduct online TBL sessions. WebEx allows its users to provide details about their backgrounds to the other participants during the online session - this can be very useful in online workshops using TBL with participants who do not know each other. This feature can help participants get to know each other quickly. WebEx has a chat function that can be used to ask questions, a screen sharing function to foster collaboration, and breakout rooms feature to allow for team discussions during TRATs and application exercises. It also provides the instructors with the option to record their meetings for future use.

Blackboard Collaborate

Blackboard Collaborate is another collaborative video conferencing tool that can be used to lead a successful TBL session. It has all the functions needed for a TBL session such as chat, breakout rooms, screen sharing, and the ability to record the session. One thing to note is that Blackboard Collaborate does not allow for preassigned breakout rooms. Therefore, breakout rooms can only be formed when the online session starts. To not lose any time, it will be a good practice to have a second person, other than the facilitator, assign the participants into breakout rooms.

Other than the video conferencing tools, there are other collaborative tools such as messaging apps (Whatsapp, Slack, and Messenger) that can be useful during an online TBL session. Teams can use these apps to coordinate their time tables and collaborate on team assignments. There could be multiple hosts for an online class. Instructors and other hosts can use messaging apps to coordinate the back-end tasks of an online session. File sharing tools are also an important part of successfully putting together an online TBL session. File sharing tools such as Dropbox, ShareDrive, and Google Drive allow team members to remotely work on the same document in real-time, thus providing an experience closer to an in-person TBL session.

Testimonials

Dr. Julie M Estis Associate Professor University of South Alabama

"Outstanding tool for face-to-face, web-blended and fully online TBL courses! We've been using InteDashboard across several TBL classes at the University of South Alabama and are consistently impressed with the tool as well as the exceptional support from the team. We look forward to increasing utilization of InteDashboard through our campus-wide project."

Dr. Sandy Cook Emeritus Professor, TBL Consultant, TBLC-APC Committee Chairperson Formerly from Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School

"The administrative challenges behind TBL are often viewed as a major barrier to effective implementation. InteDashboard is the only technological solution that puts it all together, allowing the faculty to focus on creating the learning environment - not fumbling with papers, grading and pulling data from different sources."

Dr. John Chapman Assistant Professor Southern Virginia University

"I'm convinced, and I've done a fair amount of looking over the past few years to identify an online quizzing/survey tool that allows for individual question submission and real-time feedback (especially for the TRAT). InteDashboard really is the premier solution in this category. Bar none. Hands down."

Dr. Jennifer Styron Assistant Professor Eastern Virginia Medical School

"Ability to get real-time data on RAT test items during teaching and save this information (i.e. scores on assessments) has made the tool an essential element to my everyday online teaching."

Dr. Judy Currey Professor Deakin University

"I love having real time access to my students performance data and knowing exactly what concepts have or haven’t been understood while they complete their IRATs and TRATs! InteDashboard has significantly enhanced the ease and effectiveness with which I prepare for, and teach in, my TBL classes at Deakin."

Dr. Tom DeWitt Professor Michigan State University

"Overall, I’ve been really pleased with how InteDashboard has elevated the ability to engage students in Team-based learning."

Victor Holmes Assistant Professor University of North Texas Health Science Center

"The InteDashboard platform is unique in what it offers for educators and learners. The ability to interact, work with the quizzes easily, and general functionality of the program are key features not to miss. I have been able to create a more experiential learning environment allowing learners to immediately dive into experiences that simulate real clinical challenges."

Dr. Sarada Harichand Bulchand Lead Associate Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School

"InteDashboard is a fantastic and very useful platform to conduct classes in a team-based learning setting, probably because it has all the features that team-based learning requires. The features on InteDashboard are so nuanced that they help in enhancing the learning of students, which is the core objective that the educators try to achieve from TBL methodology."

Matthew Robson Senior Learning Designer Macquarie University

"The feature which we find most valuable is the automated grading and item analysis dashboards. They effectively provide staff and students within information that help inform what the clarification session should address. Also, the InteDashboard team provides great support. The team has been responsive to our feedback when we have asked for a possible enhancement to their tool in the past!"

Dr. Chitra Pai Professor Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine

"The support staff was prompt when we were in the initial phase of integrating it into Canvas. It provided the benefits of graded IRAT and TRAT and was really a seamless way to provide active learning in an online environment."

Tanya Bomsta Curriculum Project Manager The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy

"Tech support is great, the software is easy to use and learn, online TBL is awesome (and helpful in this time of the pandemic), and the ability for easy peer review is stellar."

Dr. Grady Campbell Professor Nova Southeastern University

"Student evaluations were higher the semester we used InteDashboard than the previous semesters we held TBL in in-person setting."

Russell Marcus Department Chair & Associate Professor Hamilton College

"The great advantage of InteDashboard is that it is a single platform for RATs, peer evaluation, and 4S activities."

Hillel W. Cohen, Dr.P.H. Professor Associate Director of Curriculum, Clinical Research Training Program Albert Einstein College of Medicine

"InteDashboard allowed a seamless transition from paper-pencil response forms to electronic response."

Michael E. Woods, Ph.D. Associate Professor Pathology & Director of Research Laboratories Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine

"InteDashboard gives me the ability to run online TBLs with ease. The interface is intuitive for faculty and students and matches what we would have done in the classroom."

Paul Mcdermott Senior Lecturer University of East Anglia School of Pharmacy

"I have recommended the product to many people already. It is a very versatile product with features that can be applied across a wide range of pedagogies. I have presented this tool to my school not just as a TBL tool but also a way to collect and analyse MCQ data and as a way to facilitate group learning and peer evaluation."

Steve Schneid Managing Director University of California

"I just want to say I love InteDashboard, and it is an integral part of my teaching!"

Dr. Simon Twedell Professor of Pharmacy Education University of Bradford

"It’s more sustainable now – there's less printing, less admin work, and saves a lot of time."

Dr. Gemma Quinn Associate Professor in Clinical Pharmacy University of Bradford

“InteDashboard has made a huge difference. We could have gone back to the way things were before we started using the software, but it would have been an absolute nightmare. The platform is great – it’s all in one place!”

Dr. Steve Cayzer Director of Studies in Mechanical Engineering University of Bath

"I think the real-time dashboard is just really, really, good. It just works. Recently, I used the histograms and answers feature that you can present to students during the RAT debrief – I found that a very useful way of presenting the results!”

Dr. Zachary Noel Assistant Professor University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

“Because InteDashboard is entirely built for TBL, you don't have to fiddle with a lot of settings and multiple softwares, so that certainly saves time. And now that we're in our third year of using InteDashboard, we're able to copy the activities from the prior years and use those, so that has certainly saved time as well!"

Dr. Suzan Kamel-ElSayed Associate Professor in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

"It was very, very easy for us. When comparing what we did before using InteDashboard, with what we have now with InteDashboard - it has been really easy for us. Everything is available on one platform!"