Volume 9 (2020)

Increasing Undergraduate Student Performance in Intelligence Analysis Courses Using Team-Based Learning

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Critical thinking is a highly desired skill of intelligence analysts, and fostering this skill is one goal of intelligence educators. Team-based learning (TBL) cultivates critical thinking and also provides structure
for effective collaboration, a foundational component. This research addresses whether using TBL increases student performance in applied intelligence analysis courses by comparing the performance of students enrolled in TBL and non-TBL courses. A total of 384 assignments were gathered from students enrolled in an intelligence writing course or an intelligence analysis course between fall 2018 and spring. The hypothesis that the TBL cohort would perform better was supported. One implication for intelligence education is that TBL is an effective method for fostering critical thinking skills and improving analytic performance on intelligence products.

Author

Dr. Brooke Shannon

Dr. Brooke Shannon is an Associate Professor of Intelligence and Security at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) – Prescott. She teaches courses in intelligence analysis, terrorism, African studies, and global security. She was previously an analyst at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center while serving in the United States Air Force. She has a Ph.D. in Information Science and Learning Technologies from the University of Missouri, an M.A. in International and Comparative Politics from Wright State University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Columbia College. Her research interests include information practices, intelligence education, and epistemology.

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Increasing Undergraduate Student Performance in Intelligence Analysis Courses Using Team-Based Learning