Team Formation Toolkit

The Guide to Getting Started with Your

+Acumen Course Team

+Acumen team in Melbourne

Photo Credit: Gulandam Khan
 +Acumen
TEAM team inTOOLKIT
FORMATION Berlin

Learning is
better with
others.
All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
 Thousands of people around the
world have completed +Acumen
courses in teams. This guide will walk you through 7
steps to get started with your own team.

1 SEND A FRIENDLY INVITATION TO OTHERS

2 SCHEDULE YOUR TEAM MEETINGS

3 REGISTER YOUR TEAM ON THE COURSE PLATFORM

4 SEND REMINDERS TO YOUR TEAM

5 FACILITATE YOUR TEAM MEETINGS

6 COLLABORATE BETWEEN MEETINGS

7 STAY IN TOUCH

All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
 +Acumen team in Istanbul

“The reason I pushed

other people to take
these courses in a team
was that it was really
good use of time. You
need to put in the prep
work, but the amount of
hours I spent on the
course were well worth
the amount of learning. “

-Chloe Stull-Lane
Nairobi, Kenya
What Makes a Successful Team?
Leadership: A team needs someone who takes the initiative to get
everyone started. Step up and be that person!

Scheduling: The most successful teams schedule all of their weekly

team meetings as soon as they register. We suggest forming a team of
2-6 people because scheduling becomes difficult for larger teams.

Preparation: The most successful teams are made up of individuals

who are committed to completing their individual prep work before
meeting with their team. Don’t be the weakest link!

Co-Creating the Learning Experience: Successful teams realize

that real learning comes from meaningful interactions based on trust,
respect and accountability. Set ground rules for successful
collaboration.

Commitment to Having Fun: Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Teams should strive to make the course experience positive, creative
and energizing for all. You’ll learn more when you’re having fun.

Want to learn about what the data says about the best
teams? Check out our EdSurge article:

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-10-05-peer-pressure-will-help-you-finish-that-mooc
+Acumen team in Poland

7 Steps
to Get
Started
 1. Send a Friendly Invitation
+Acumen courses like this one work best if
you can find a team to work with in
person. Reach out to your friends,
colleagues, acquaintances or relatives.
Many people are looking for an outlet for
their creativity or a way to give back to
their communities, but need a group
leader and structured activities to get
started. Be that leader! You might be
surprised at how many people respond
positively if you take the first step of
sending out an invitation. See the
Appendix to this Guide for some sample
A +Acumen team in Malaysia emails to send to your friends and
colleagues to ask them to join your team.

If you can’t find a team to meet with in

person, you’ll be able to post to the “Find
a Team” thread in the NovoEd forum once
the course launches. It’s helpful to include
your name, timezones, and interests in
that message. We’ll also walk you
through some steps to search your fellow
students by interest and geography to find
others who might be a good match. Keep
in mind that virtual teams typically
require an added level of commitment
and coordination to keep your team in
sync at a distance.

All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
 2. Schedule Your Team Meetings
When you register for the course, you should receive a Course Syllabus that will
outline the number of weeks in the course and the number of hours suggested for
each team meeting. Using this course syllabus as a guide, take out your calendars
and schedule the required number of team meetings. The sooner you can
coordinate the times, the more likely you are to find dates that work for everyone.
Send out those calendar invites now!

+Acumen team in Brazil

All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
 3. Register on the Platform
Once the course has launched and everyone in your group has signed up for the
course on NovoEd, you’ll be able to register as a team. To do so, start with
Assignment 1, which will be a Team Formation Assignment. If you need further
assistance on how to register your team and invite your peers to join, follow
these steps from NovoEd.

Once everyone on your team has accepted the invitation to join your team, you
will have access to a collaborative workspace where you can trade chat
messages and share files. You can learn more about how to access the Team
Workspace here.

All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
 4. Send Reminders to Your Team
Once the course has started, send a friendly reminder to members of your group
confirming the time of your team meeting for that week and reminding them to
complete the individual preparation work. Typically, there is approximately 1
hour of readings, videos, or self-reflection exercises that your team members
should complete before you meet together. If they come to the meeting
prepared, you will all be better able to take advantage of your collective time!
See sample email in Appendix 2.

+Acumen team in Bangladesh

All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
 5. Facilitate Your Team Meetings
When the time has come to hold your first meeting, you’ll want to make the
experience positive and productive for everyone. Here are some of the best
practices that successful teams have reported that they use to keep everyone
one track:

 Print a copy of the workshop guide for facilitators.

 Check the workshop guide for the list of required supplies for the meeting
and have those prepared and available. For most meetings, it is helpful if
you can bring post-it notes and extra pens.
 Print extra copies of any worksheets or templates that people might need
to complete as part of the team meeting.
 Find an inviting space that is amenable to team collaboration. Have lots of
empty wall space or white boards available if possible.
 Bring snacks and drinks. People might get hungry as you start to dig into
creative brainstorming or intense discussions.
 Have your laptop will an internet connection available. This can help in
case you want to reference the course materials or post insights to the
course forums as you go along.
 Start with introductions and ice breakers to establish trust and kick things
off if the group has not worked together much before.
 Establish initial ground rules. What general guidelines will your team follow
to make sure the time can be spent productively and everyone’s voices and
ideas are heard? Who will be bringing supplies and snacks to subsequent
meetings?
 After you complete the group activities, determine who will be responsible
for uploading the assignment to the platform on behalf of the team.
 Share your thoughts and insights with the global course community on the
discussion forums.
 Confirm the time for the next team meeting before your group disperses.
 In between group meetings, your team members can also check out the
submissions from other teams on NovoEd to get inspired!

All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
 6. Collaborate Between Meetings
You may need to work on assignments in between the times you meet in person.
Here are some tools that other teams have found helpful to facilitate virtual
collaboration. Have others to share? Post them to the discussion forums and
we’ll add them to this list!

Plan Meetings Hold Virtual Virtual Workspaces

Discussions
• Doodle • Skype • Google docs
• Meeting Planner • Google hangouts • Mural.ly
• appear.in • Post-it App
• Whatsapp • Padlet
• LINE

+Acumen
team
working
virtually

All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
 7. Stay in Touch
We encourage you to stay in touch with the people you meet through +Acumen
courses. This is an online community of global change makers who have shared
potential to change the world. People have met co-founders, co-authors, co-
discussants, and new best friends through this community.

If you collaborate further with people you meet through +Acumen courses, we’d
love to hear about it! Email your story to [email protected]

+Acumen course designer and course participant

All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
+Acumen team in the US

“I met amazing
people through
taking this course.
Connecting through
a course gives us a
structure and
strategy that has
been wonderful.” “

-Francessca Piaza
London, England
+Acumen team in South Korea

FAQs
about
Teams
All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: I really like working according to my own schedule. Do I have to
form a team?
Answer: You are welcome to go through +Acumen courses on your own. However, keep
in mind that our activities and materials have been designed primarily for teams. Even if
you work with just one other people, that can add to your learning experience! People
who sign up for the course with a team are more likely to complete & report having a
richer learning experience. If you can’t find anyone nearby to complete the course with,
you’ll have a chance to reach out to others on the NovoEd platform once the course
launches.

Question: Does every member of a team have to sign up for the course
individually?
Answer: Yes! Anyone who wishes to earn a Statement of Accomplishment for the
course needs to register individually. Typically registration remains open up to 2 weeks
after a course start date. Once the course launches, then the group leader should
create a team and invite all individual team members to join. See more details here:
http://help.novoed.com/hc/en-us/articles/200091467-Starting-a-Team-and-Adding-
Peers

Question: Can I join more than one team?

Answer: No, you can only belong to one team at a time. Trust us, you’ll be busy enough!
If you wish to switch teams after the course launches, you can follow these steps:
http://help.novoed.com/hc/en-us/articles/200722148-How-do-I-switch-teams-

Question: It seems like a lot of work to coordinate a team. How much time
should I anticipate spending on this learning experience?
Answer: The time commitment required for +Acumen courses varies, but, in general,
you should expect to spend about 1 hour doing individual prep work and about 2 hours
meeting with your team. Look at the course website to see more details about the
particular course you are signing up for. Yes, the course will be a lot of work, but deep
learning often requires a level of time commitment and investment to get something
worthwhile out of the experience! Don’t feel like you have time now? We offer most
+Acumen courses multiple times a year so that you can fit them into more available
periods of your schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Some people on my team might be busy during this course. What
if we can’t keep up with the course?
Answer: Most of the deadlines in the course, with the exception of the final course
closing date, are soft. This means that you work according to your own schedule,
although we strongly encourage that you strive to keep pace with the recommended
timeline. Most +Acumen courses have an extra week or two built into the schedule at
the end so that you can catch up. If you can’t meet in person with your team one week,
try to arrange for virtual collaboration.

Question: I have more questions! Who can I ask?

Answer: Email [email protected]. We’re happy to help!
 +Acumen team in India

Appendix
All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.
Appendix 1: Sample Emails
Want to invite others to join you afor the course but not exactly sure how to make the
ask? Use these email templates for some ideas.

SAMPLE EMAIL 1

I’ve spoken to most of you about the free online courses I’ve taken with +Acumen
(http://plusacumen.org/courses/) and the incredible people I’ve met through them. There
is a new course on____ that I’m interested in signing up for! Would you like to join me?

It will require meeting for ___ hours once per week from _____ to ____. It will be a good
opportunity for us to develop a new project that could ___________________. I’d love to
share this experience with you. I promise great conversation, creative activities, snacks
and a bunch of incredible people.

Date: xxxx
Venue: xxxx
Time: xxx

What you need to do ahead of this:

1. Confirm by replying to this email that you will be joining
2. Sign-up to the course ______________
3. Complete the individual preparation activities.
4. Show up at said venue on time and be ready to discuss

SAMPLE EMAIL 2

Hey team,

We spend many hours everyday working on [insert work description]. I thought it would
be a great change of pace to take a moment and exercise our creativity and build our skills
iwht this new course offered by +Acumen (http://plusacumen.org/courses/).

You can sign up here: <<insert course link>>.

I’m offering to facilitate and I suggest meeting in the conference room from <<insert time
and day>>. Let me know if you’d like to join.
Appendix 1: Sample Emails
SAMPLE EMAIL 3

Hey! We should do this! Are you in?

See <<insert course link>>. It is a free course offered by +Acumen
(http://plusacumen.org/courses/).

I see that it requires about an hour for prep (individually) and about two hours together
to discuss. Let me know if interested! (Once you register to the course, you will receive
access to the course materials).

SAMPLE EMAIL TO REMIND OTHERS ABOUT PREP

WORK

SAMPLE EMAIL 1

Thanks again for agreeing to join me for the +Acumen course on <<insert course topic>>.
I’m really excited to get started!

As a reminder, our first team meeting will be held <<insert time and location>>. In
advance of the meeting, remember to log into the course on NovoEd and accept my
invitation to join our team. Then complete the individual preparation work (should take
approximately 1 hour).

I’ll look forward to seeing you on <<insert date of team meeting>>!

 +Acumen team in Singapore

See you in
the course!
All use, reproduction and distribution of this work is subject to a CC-BY-NC-ND license.