Getting Started With Thinkspace

What is Thinkspace?

ThinkSpace is an instructional and collaborative learning tool designed to provide real-world problems and environments to students. Students are first presented with an introduction to the problem. The case can be as short or as long as the instructor chooses, from 50 min in-class team problems, to a multi-institutional team of students working on a semester-long case. Shown below is a typical shorter case from a physics class where a problem is posed in the main panel.

(click the thumbnail for a larger image)

On the left is a selection of information students can request, some of which is not relevant to the problem. The instructor can group the information into categories (e.g., databases of historical trends, numerical results of tests, clinical observations, interviews with clients or experts, potentially applicable concepts, and descriptions of principles possibly related to the problem). Key to the design of thinkSpace is that students complete a series of intermediate tasks such as framing the problem, performing a qualitative analysis, requesting specific diagnostic tests (whose results would then be provided), producing an intermediate report to a client, or forming a visual map of their hypotheses. These tasks are chosen by the instructor and provide a structure or scaffold for students to develop their problem-solving skills.

What Can I Do With Thinkspace?

Markup

Rubrics

Scenarios

End with link to "What instructors..."

What Do I Need to Do to Begin Using Thinkspace?

First, you will need to set up a space. There are several different kinds of spaces to chose from.

Deciding What Type of Space to Set Up

If you want to...you should...

Setting Up Your Space

Set up a Problem space

A ProblemSpace is the most generally used type of space. A ProblemSpace is used for these types of projects...

Set up a ScenarioSpace

A Scenario is used for these types of projects...

ThinkSpace