Gregory Grinnell Shares Lessons in “Structuring Team-Based Learning in Large Courses”
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Kinesiology lecturer Gregory Grinnell presented his innovative course practices as part of the “Sharing Showcase,” the cornerstone session during the UMass Center for Teaching and Learning’s (CTL) Teaching Showcase event held on March 31st. The Teaching Showcase fosters community around teaching, inspires new practices, and supports instructional excellence through faculty recognition for curricular innovation.
Grinnell’s presentation, titled “Structuring Team-Based Learning in Large Courses,” highlighted his instructional design for KIN110: Human Performance & Nutrition. The introductory kinesiology course, which typically enrolls around 300 students, uses a team-based learning model combining lecture and discussion sections to promote applied learning and accountability.
“KIN 110 is intentionally structured around team-based learning to make a large course feel smaller and more interactive,” he notes. “Students work in permanent teams throughout the semester, completing readiness assurance tests, application activities, and case-based problem solving together. I design in-class activities that require consensus decision-making rather than simple answer sharing, which encourages discussion and peer teaching.”
Learn more about Grinnell’s course design on the CTL website here.
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Gregory Grinnell
