More Information about the Learning Team Charter for the Model3DBiology Challenge.
Description of Learning Teams
Learning Teams are small, motivated groups of students formed at the beginning of each MODEL3D Challenge. MODEL3D Learning Teams can meet weekly at the library (Use the Study rooms), STEM Centers and Labs and other times where team mentors can be available (such as the last 20 minutes of so of a Lab or during office hours) to work as a team to complete MODEL3D Challenge assignments and projects.
Team Size
MODEL3D Learning Teams are generally comprised of between two and three members. Previous experience with MODEL3D Learning Teams suggests that they work best when they are made up of smaller two or three members. Larger teams become unwieldy and collaboration is more difficult to manage. Since the materials are presented sequentially and can be easily accessible through various websites instructor (Mentor) coordinating with smaller teams typically can complete in a timely fashion and utilize resources to do a thorough job.
MODEL3D Learning Team Configuration
All MODEL3D Challenge Participants are strongly encouraged to be members of Learning Teams. Employers are looking for employees that can function within a team, and have developed authentic collaborative skills. Typically research papers include larger numbers of authors, reflecting larger collaborating research teams and works. To make the most out of the MODEL3D experience, it is strongly discouraged to allow “single-member” MODEL3D Learning teams.
In the event that a student’s learning team has been compromised by attrition (i.e., other students leave for whatever reason), the mentor is encouraged to place the student(s) into another existing Learning Team. Similarly, a mentor may take appropriate action to increase size of existing teams beyond the three member for this reason. For example, if all parties are agreeable, the MODEL3D Mentor may move one learning team member from a team of three to a team of four. This can be managed by including other situations for the protein being studied, to include other conditions the proteins involved have been studied or include the typical utilization of the protein by the industry.
In circumstances in which a learning team member must be removed from his/her learning team due to performance issues and/or lack of participation, the mentor should help the student to petition for membership to another learning team in a timely fashion. If too much time elapses to join another team it could hinder all of the other students from being able to complete assignments and meet deadlines for Honors projects or students may be planning to matriculate to a 4 year and not have additional semesters to participate in a MODEL3D Project. Learning Team participation beyond the duration of the current semester and extend into the next should be encouraged and discuss his/her options for modifying timing, deadlines and include the other learning team member’s expectations.
Learning team’s contracts provide a means for the student to feel included, and is “contractually” obligated to participate in the MODEL3D Challenge projects.
Team Formation
During the first month of each semester, General Biology (Bio111) instructors will have an opportunity for students to consider engaging in a MODEL3D Challenge and to initially form Learning Teams. The learning Team contract allows students to exchange contact information, choose their MODEL3D Project and schedule their first meeting time and place. When forming teams, students should select team members that are based on factors such as location proximity to one another, class timing and load, and other factors important to them. Since we have a mobile campus, students will have many reasons to form teams with certain members. While that is one very important consideration, it would be better for the students to take other factors in mind that would strengthen their team and provide for a diversity of productivity skills, 3D skills and biological knowledge. MODEL3D learning teams in the past have been successful in completing the Challenge when the students have started the semester for 2 to 3 weeks and have become more comfortable with one another, members of many team’s desire to continue together in the same teams when the MODEL3D Challenge bridges over two semesters. It is strongly encouraged for team members to choose certain task roles in their teams that represent areas of personal strength and build on those skills, but learn additional skill sets along the way.
During the third or fourth week of the semester, a Learning Team are required to complete a Team Charter and to complete the Honor’s paperwork to enter the program (assuming the student meets the GPA requirement) using the MODEL3D Learning Team form that can be obtained from the MODEL3DBiology website (www.model3dbiology.com). This was designed to be completed the team members in a collaborative process and a copy is to be submitted to MODEL3DBiology and the perspective mentors. Each student needs to share and complete the contact information and choose software packages and/or web apps that facilitate good communications and work productivity as a team. This can be obtained from the example version of the learning team form (can be found on the MODEL3DBiology website).
Learning Team Logs
Members of a Learning Team should meet together to schedule their meeting times, the duration of each, and identify the location for the meeting. This information can be entered on the Learning Team Log in the Learning Team Form which is turned in to the Learning Team. The Log is used to
document the attendance of learning team members and to keep records of the learning and progress each of the team members.
Mentoring Role
The mentor’s members play critical roles in enhancing the learning team productivity and keeping the team together. Resolving normal collaborative issues and personality conflicts from time to time. The mentors suggested role might include the following:
1. Guide students in the initial formation of their Learning Teams.
2. Coaching teams in dealing with internal conflict.
3. Reviewing Learning Team forms and helping to coach the teams to stay on task, resolve technical issues and challenges, so the learning teams can experience progress in their endeavor.
4. Evaluating pre and post in the prepared examination to help evaluate the student’s command of the material and information presented during the MODEL3D effort.
5. Evaluate the team progress and review their projects, including the relative contribution of each of the individual team members.
6. Review the Learning Team Logs, as needed, to document their journey.
7. During the project, the learning team may practice or present the material for feedback and help before giving a presentation or poster session.
Learning Teams Issues do arise, students need to resolve them.
Helping students learn to manage interpersonal conflict and resolve disputes is a primary objective of the Learning Team process. Learning Teams are intended to serve as laboratories in which University of Phoenix students develop the skills necessary to serve as leaders and managers of workplace teams. Conflicts should be dealt with in the following manner:
1. Conflicts do arise, each team members should consult their Team Charter Contracts and deal with the dispute, as outlined on them. If the team members still are unable to resolve the dispute by those means, they may contact the MODEL3DBiology mentors
2. The goal for the event conflicts arise is for them to manage the disputes and resolve these issues within the context of the team itself, just as work teams would be expected to do in the workplace.
3. The Team Chartering process was designed to allow members to resolve and conduct themselves to manage their conflict and solve disputes be developing those skills. Mentors hopefully will encourage learning teams to identify any potential conflicts beforehand and agree together, develop a plan for dealing with those if and when they arise. Usually these will resolve member with supportive attitudes from mentors requiring minimal additional coaching and feedback.
4. The MODEL3DBiology mentor may choose to take an action he or she deems appropriate. In
deciding on an appropriate course of action, the philosophy should be to reflect on the idea, that in the workplace it could result in the dismissal of the employee and will have some sort of consequence.
Through the process of completing Learning Team Charters, Learning Team Logs, and class “team process” discussions, learning team students should have the opportunity to reflect on the learning that has taken place in the context of all of their team’s work together. MODEL3D mentors and students should work to formalize the learning process of reflecting back on the learning team’s progress and work product. MODEL3DBiology Challenge teams should ask themselves (individually and as teams) such questions as: 1) What has been being a member of this team taught me most about being a team leader or team member on the project? What did we do that was particularly effective to meet our goal of understanding proteins and 3D printing of the representing models? What could we have done differently to improve the process/task? By consistently asking these questions, learning team members will work effectively in the future as members and leaders of research teams—an authentic learning skill and competency that employers will expect of new hires that will be their leaders and managers.
Learning Teams are small, motivated groups of students formed at the beginning of each MODEL3D Challenge. MODEL3D Learning Teams can meet weekly at the library (Use the Study rooms), STEM Centers and Labs and other times where team mentors can be available (such as the last 20 minutes of so of a Lab or during office hours) to work as a team to complete MODEL3D Challenge assignments and projects.
Team Size
MODEL3D Learning Teams are generally comprised of between two and three members. Previous experience with MODEL3D Learning Teams suggests that they work best when they are made up of smaller two or three members. Larger teams become unwieldy and collaboration is more difficult to manage. Since the materials are presented sequentially and can be easily accessible through various websites instructor (Mentor) coordinating with smaller teams typically can complete in a timely fashion and utilize resources to do a thorough job.
MODEL3D Learning Team Configuration
All MODEL3D Challenge Participants are strongly encouraged to be members of Learning Teams. Employers are looking for employees that can function within a team, and have developed authentic collaborative skills. Typically research papers include larger numbers of authors, reflecting larger collaborating research teams and works. To make the most out of the MODEL3D experience, it is strongly discouraged to allow “single-member” MODEL3D Learning teams.
In the event that a student’s learning team has been compromised by attrition (i.e., other students leave for whatever reason), the mentor is encouraged to place the student(s) into another existing Learning Team. Similarly, a mentor may take appropriate action to increase size of existing teams beyond the three member for this reason. For example, if all parties are agreeable, the MODEL3D Mentor may move one learning team member from a team of three to a team of four. This can be managed by including other situations for the protein being studied, to include other conditions the proteins involved have been studied or include the typical utilization of the protein by the industry.
In circumstances in which a learning team member must be removed from his/her learning team due to performance issues and/or lack of participation, the mentor should help the student to petition for membership to another learning team in a timely fashion. If too much time elapses to join another team it could hinder all of the other students from being able to complete assignments and meet deadlines for Honors projects or students may be planning to matriculate to a 4 year and not have additional semesters to participate in a MODEL3D Project. Learning Team participation beyond the duration of the current semester and extend into the next should be encouraged and discuss his/her options for modifying timing, deadlines and include the other learning team member’s expectations.
Learning team’s contracts provide a means for the student to feel included, and is “contractually” obligated to participate in the MODEL3D Challenge projects.
Team Formation
During the first month of each semester, General Biology (Bio111) instructors will have an opportunity for students to consider engaging in a MODEL3D Challenge and to initially form Learning Teams. The learning Team contract allows students to exchange contact information, choose their MODEL3D Project and schedule their first meeting time and place. When forming teams, students should select team members that are based on factors such as location proximity to one another, class timing and load, and other factors important to them. Since we have a mobile campus, students will have many reasons to form teams with certain members. While that is one very important consideration, it would be better for the students to take other factors in mind that would strengthen their team and provide for a diversity of productivity skills, 3D skills and biological knowledge. MODEL3D learning teams in the past have been successful in completing the Challenge when the students have started the semester for 2 to 3 weeks and have become more comfortable with one another, members of many team’s desire to continue together in the same teams when the MODEL3D Challenge bridges over two semesters. It is strongly encouraged for team members to choose certain task roles in their teams that represent areas of personal strength and build on those skills, but learn additional skill sets along the way.
During the third or fourth week of the semester, a Learning Team are required to complete a Team Charter and to complete the Honor’s paperwork to enter the program (assuming the student meets the GPA requirement) using the MODEL3D Learning Team form that can be obtained from the MODEL3DBiology website (www.model3dbiology.com). This was designed to be completed the team members in a collaborative process and a copy is to be submitted to MODEL3DBiology and the perspective mentors. Each student needs to share and complete the contact information and choose software packages and/or web apps that facilitate good communications and work productivity as a team. This can be obtained from the example version of the learning team form (can be found on the MODEL3DBiology website).
Learning Team Logs
Members of a Learning Team should meet together to schedule their meeting times, the duration of each, and identify the location for the meeting. This information can be entered on the Learning Team Log in the Learning Team Form which is turned in to the Learning Team. The Log is used to
document the attendance of learning team members and to keep records of the learning and progress each of the team members.
Mentoring Role
The mentor’s members play critical roles in enhancing the learning team productivity and keeping the team together. Resolving normal collaborative issues and personality conflicts from time to time. The mentors suggested role might include the following:
1. Guide students in the initial formation of their Learning Teams.
2. Coaching teams in dealing with internal conflict.
3. Reviewing Learning Team forms and helping to coach the teams to stay on task, resolve technical issues and challenges, so the learning teams can experience progress in their endeavor.
4. Evaluating pre and post in the prepared examination to help evaluate the student’s command of the material and information presented during the MODEL3D effort.
5. Evaluate the team progress and review their projects, including the relative contribution of each of the individual team members.
6. Review the Learning Team Logs, as needed, to document their journey.
7. During the project, the learning team may practice or present the material for feedback and help before giving a presentation or poster session.
Learning Teams Issues do arise, students need to resolve them.
Helping students learn to manage interpersonal conflict and resolve disputes is a primary objective of the Learning Team process. Learning Teams are intended to serve as laboratories in which University of Phoenix students develop the skills necessary to serve as leaders and managers of workplace teams. Conflicts should be dealt with in the following manner:
1. Conflicts do arise, each team members should consult their Team Charter Contracts and deal with the dispute, as outlined on them. If the team members still are unable to resolve the dispute by those means, they may contact the MODEL3DBiology mentors
2. The goal for the event conflicts arise is for them to manage the disputes and resolve these issues within the context of the team itself, just as work teams would be expected to do in the workplace.
3. The Team Chartering process was designed to allow members to resolve and conduct themselves to manage their conflict and solve disputes be developing those skills. Mentors hopefully will encourage learning teams to identify any potential conflicts beforehand and agree together, develop a plan for dealing with those if and when they arise. Usually these will resolve member with supportive attitudes from mentors requiring minimal additional coaching and feedback.
4. The MODEL3DBiology mentor may choose to take an action he or she deems appropriate. In
deciding on an appropriate course of action, the philosophy should be to reflect on the idea, that in the workplace it could result in the dismissal of the employee and will have some sort of consequence.
Through the process of completing Learning Team Charters, Learning Team Logs, and class “team process” discussions, learning team students should have the opportunity to reflect on the learning that has taken place in the context of all of their team’s work together. MODEL3D mentors and students should work to formalize the learning process of reflecting back on the learning team’s progress and work product. MODEL3DBiology Challenge teams should ask themselves (individually and as teams) such questions as: 1) What has been being a member of this team taught me most about being a team leader or team member on the project? What did we do that was particularly effective to meet our goal of understanding proteins and 3D printing of the representing models? What could we have done differently to improve the process/task? By consistently asking these questions, learning team members will work effectively in the future as members and leaders of research teams—an authentic learning skill and competency that employers will expect of new hires that will be their leaders and managers.