Monday, March 13, 2017

Digital Project Review: Team Jeopardy by Neeru Mann

In reviewing other's digital projects for PIDP 3250, I was drawn to the Team Jeopardy presentation by Neeru Man.


I wanted to see how someone else valuated an activity that I have often used in my classes, and I was pleased I may be able to assuage some of the "cons" listed, but to also have the activity affirmed in other aspects I had not perceived.

Neeru mentions that the setup of the activity may be time-consuming, as a myriad of questions (that are content-specific and highly precise) need to be formulated.  While I agree it takes some time, I believe there are long-term time savings benefits.  First and foremost, the Jeopardy questions provide a basis for any exam questions. Whence you go forward and create and exam, the basic framework for types and content of questions is created.

Concurrently, the learner is informed as to which concepts and theories on which they should be focusing their attention.  The students are familiar with this essential content, and there shall be no "nasty surprises" for the students, as such.

I also can advocate for the team-building inherent in this activity. In fact, I have usually picked the team captain based on those students which are least engaged, and mandate that the answers be given out loud only by them.  While this does cause minor awkwardness at first, the team captains soon figure out effective systems for communication with the team and they become more adept at public speaking.

Furthermore, team building is one of the most important aspects of this activity.  Team skills are an essential component of any profession, and most new employers value this trait in new hires (Kirscht, 2013).  Introducing team building into introductory courses is complimented with Team Jeopardy's ability to actively engage students in team work while being well suited to basic knowledge recall.

The team aspect allows the students to openly debate the questions and responses, and allows for critical thinking to take place.  For the team to come to a consensus, there has to be impromptu conflict resolution and reasoning skills.   The students often convince each other of differing responses by discussing the pathophysiology or presentation of a given disease.  As the questions progress in difficulty, this task becomes refined.

This activity also allows for the facilitator to glean needs and knowledge gasps moving forward. If certain concepts or theories are misunderstood, it's an opportunity for prompt and specific feedback to the group.

Overall, this activity produces the foundation for team work in a fun, non-threatening fashion whilst preparing the students to challenge evaluation and helping them understand the importance of main themes in the curriculum.  A trifecta, if I ever saw one!


References

Ron Kirscht, (2013).  8 essentials of building of building a strong team.  Industry Week.  Retrieved from http://www.industryweek.com/corporate-culture/8-essentials-building-strong-team

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