What is Tandem?
Tandem is a tool that supports teamwork in the Course and helps you learn to be a better teammate for life. Your instructors find teamwork valuable and want you to grow these skills. We hope you use the lessons from Tandem as an opportunity to be the best team member you can be.
Tandem is made up of 4 core components.
- Beginning of Term Survey
- Team Checks
- Lessons
- Team Evaluations
Beginning of Term Survey
The Beginning of Term survey is a one-time tool to collect information to power team formation and lesson tailoring. The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete. It:
- introduces Tandem to students,
- explains why it’s in the course,
- collects data,
- helps students think about what they bring to a team
This is the first thing students do in Tandem, even before teams are formed. We recommend scheduling it in the first week or two of the term–some instructors even do it before the term starts.
Go to Tandem: Beginning of Term Survey to see the full survey.
Team Checks
Team Checks are short, frequent snap shots of how the team is doing. The Team Check repeats throughout the term, usually weekly. There are typically 6 questions to answer. Each Team Check takes less than two minutes to complete. Students rate their teams from 1–9 on the following items:
- How well the team is working together
- How the team is handling logistics of teamwork
- How confident, or not, the student is that the team will do well on the project
- How equally the work is distributed across the team
- How equally ideas are shared across the team
Students are then asked if the team is facing any challenges.
Data collected from team checks will be displayed on a graph for performance analysis. For more details about how to use the graph, please visit How to interpret team data on the instructor overview?
Lessons
Lessons are interactive experiences to help teams build their skills.
These interactive tools help students learn about and practice specific team work skills. Lessons typically include a question-and-answer section as well as didactic content about the topic. Lessons are tailored to each student’s specific needs. We recommend allowing Tandem to automatically assign the most relevant lesson to each team. Instructors can also choose to assign the same lesson to the whole class at the same time. Instructors make this selection while completing their Term Planner.
Tandem lessons cover the following topics:
- Cognitive diversity on teams
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Good and bad conflict
- Imposter syndrome
- Inclusion and belonging on teams
- Managing logistics
- Preparing for presentations
- Stress and self-care
- Talk in teams
- Task distribution
- Trust & teamwork
Students see their assigned lessons on their Tandem homepage. Use Assignment History (found under your uniqname in the upper right corner) to see all assignments and due dates.
Go to Tandem: Lessons Overview to view a summary, core message, and full text for each lesson.
Team Evaluations
Team Evaluations are in-depth (20-minute) self and peer assessments conducted at the middle and end of each Tandem term.
Each evaluation is followed by a reflection lesson that summarizes feedback for each student. These reflections are one of the most highly rated Tandem assignments. Students want to hear feedback from their peers.
Team Evaluations ask about:
- Team challenges
- Team strengths
- Team confidence
- Task contribution to instructor written team tasks
- Each team member’s team work skills and areas for growth
- Each students’ self assessment of their team work skills and areas for growth
- What each team member should feel proud of
- What each student feels proud of
Midterm Team Evaluation Survey & Reflection Lesson
What: Averages of results from Midterm Team Evaluation Survey, reflection and goal setting for the rest of the project
When: Survey should occur after students have been working together long enough to be able to rate each other’s performance, but with enough time remaining that they can make adjustments to their teamwork. The Midterm Reflection Lesson opens after the Midterm Team Evaluation Survey closes.
Pro-tip: Incentivize completion by offering a small amount of course credit. Tandem will send email reminders to students but it’s also helpful to remind them in class.
View full Midterm Team Evaluation Survey or Reflection Lesson.
End of Term Team Evaluation Survey & Reflection Lesson
What: Averages of results from End of Term Survey, comparisons to Midterm, how learning can go to the next team setting
When: Survey should open after teamwork is complete, or mostly complete. The lesson will open immediately after the End of Term Survey closes.
View full End of Term Team Evaluation Survey or Reflection Lesson.