Team-based Learning in the Humanities Classroom - “Women’s Environmental Writing” as a Case Study

Oct 15, 2026

This essay presents the adaptation of Team-Based Learning (TBL) for a humanities course using ecofeminist approaches to environmental literature. Originally developed for professional programs, TBL emphasizes permanent learning teams, structured preparation, application activities, and timely assessment. The study describes course goals, accountability through Readiness Assessment Tests (RATs), and five to eight student teams for discussion and peer evaluation. It reports positive student engagement and concludes that, despite initial labor intensity, TBL supports accountability, feedback, and practical transfer of course material.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Course design and TBL foundations

Accountability, RATs, and permanent teams

Collaborative learning and ecofeminist practice

Student and instructor evaluation

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 6 | Issue 3 | Article 11 | | --- | --- | 12-11-2015 Team-based Learning in the Humanities Classroom:“Women’s Environmental Writing” as a Case Study Roxanne Harde University of Alberta, [rharde@augustana.ca](rharde@augustana.ca) Follow this and additional works at: [http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea](http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea) Recommended Citation Harde, Roxanne (2015) "Team-based Learning in the Humanities Classroom: “Women’s Environmental Writing” as a Case Study,"The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 6: Iss. 3, Article 11. Available at: [http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea/vol6/iss3/11](http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cjsotl_rcacea/vol6/iss3/11) Team-based Learning in the Humanities Classroom:“Women’s Environmental Writing” as a Case Study Abstract This essay presents the adaptation of Team-Based Learning (TBL) for a course that uses ecofeminist approaches to environmental literature. Developed originally for use in professional programs, TBL’s cornerstones are permanent learning teams, preparation, application, and timely assessment (Michaelsen, Knight, & Fink, 2002). I wanted my students to examine literature about nature and sustainability in a way that would inform their ecological practice in the future. In this essay, I discuss the practice of using TBL in the environmental literature classroom, a strategy that has produced noticeable positive engagement from my students, engendering intellectual engagement with literature, the environment, and ecofeminist theory and criticism. I outline how TBL has proved an effective teaching strategy in the environmental literature classroom, showing the model’s value in a Humanities setting. I begin by detailing the goals ofa course on women’s environmental literature and ecofeminist theory. Second, I explain how I applied TBL strategies of student and teacher accountability to the course by using Readiness Assessment Tests (RATs) and assigning permanent teams of five to eight students for regular discussion and peer evaluation. Third, I discuss ways in which a TBL approach to teaching women’s environmental literature encourages collaborative learning among students, and reflects the communal attitude that should be a part of ecofeminist learning and application. I also present students’ assessments oftheir experiences in the TBL classroom, along with my own evaluation, concluding that although the TBL method is initially labour intensive for both students and teachers, it is an ideal teaching method as it encourages accountability, regular feedback, and practical application of course material. Cet article présente l’adaptation de l’apprentissage fondé sur l’esprit d’équipe (AFEÉ) pour un cours qui utilisedes approches éco-féministes à la documentation environnementale. L’AFEÉ a été initialement développé pour être utilisé dans les programmes professionnels et ses principes fondamentaux sont des équipesd’apprentissage permanentes, la préparation, l’application et l’évaluation ponctuelle (Michaelsen, Knight & Fink, 2002). Je souhaitais que mes étudiants examinent la documentation publiée sur la nature et la durabilité d’une manière qui puisse influencer à l’avenir leurs pratiques écologiques. Dans cet article, je discute lapratique qui consiste à utiliser l’AFEÉ dans une salle de classe où l’on examine la documentation environnementale, une stratégie qui a eu pour résultat un engagement positif notoire parmi mes étudiants et aengendré un engagement intellectuel avec la documentation publiée, l’environnement et la théorie de l’écoféminisme et de la critique. Je souligne comment l’AFEÉ s’est avéré être une stratégie d’enseignement efficace dans la salle de classe de documentation environnementale et je montre la valeur du modèle dans un cadred’enseignement des humanités. Je commence par détailler les objectifs du cours sur la documentation environnement

FAQs

What is the core teaching approach described in the essay?

The essay adapts Team-Based Learning (TBL) for a humanities classroom that uses ecofeminist approaches to environmental literature.

How does the course ensure accountability among students and instructors?

Accountability is supported through Readiness Assessment Tests (RATs) and the use of permanent student teams for regular discussion and peer evaluation.

What benefits does the essay report from using TBL in an environmental literature setting?

The approach produces noticeable positive student engagement and promotes intellectual engagement with literature, the environment, and ecofeminist theory and criticism.

Oct 15, 2026

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