Check In - Check Out

This is a simple exercise for maintaining a good team dynamic

Best used for

Team Management.

Time to introduce this activity in lecture / Time to run this activity

15 min each / 15 min each

In the context of Digital Social Impact courses and learning activities

Creating social impact often requires a group of students who know and trust each other. Especially at the start of a project but also throughout the delivery phase, a newly formed student group needs to develop trust and should stay up to date about the current situations of each team member as far as it influences the project’s meetings and goals.

Main Target Group

Students

Potential tools for digitising this activity

Group Videocall

Additional Resources

Step by Step

Check in (15 min)

Check in should take place early in the day.

All participants of the process are sat by their work station and ask each other the following question: “What are your expectations of this day/process?” and/or “How have you been since we last met up?”
Afterwards each participant “checks in” by telling briefly about their expectations of the day and how they are feeling otherwise. For instance it might have been a stressful morning, someone might be going through a busy time at his or her part time job or something else might have affected one’s contribution to the group-work.

Check out (15 min)

Check out takes place late in the day.

All participants in the process are sat by their work station and ask each other the following question: “What will you take with you from today, what did you get out of participating, what has been especially good?”
Afterwards participants check out by briefly talking about what they will take with them from today’s work. It may be an idea to take 2 minutes to reflect on the day before checking out.

3 The exercise “Check In – Check Out” is a simple exercise that needs to be repeated every day or every time the group members meet up. If the group has a facilitator it could for instance be her responsibility to begin the exercise, otherwise the group will have to select another person to ensure the exercise is carried out.