Team-based learning

Abstract: TBL is a collection of practices that support one another for powerful instructional effect. This chapter describes the building blocks of team-based learning and the steps necessary to put them into place.

Abstract: Team-based learning TM (TBL) is an instructional strategy developed in the business school environment in the early 1990s by Dr Michaelsen who wanted the benefits of small group learning within large classes. In 2001, a US federal granting agency awarded funds for educators in the health sciences to learn about and implement the strategy in their educational programs; TBL was put forward as one such strategy and as a result it is used in over 60 US and international health science professional schools. TBL is very different from problem-based learning (PBL) and other small group approaches in that there is no need for multiple faculty or rooms, students must come prepared to sessions, and individual and small groups of students (teams) are highly accountable for their contributions to team productivity. The instructor must be a content-expert, but need not have any experience or expertise in group process to conduct a successful TBL session. Students do not need any specific instruction in teamwork since they learn how to be collaborative and productive in the process. TBL can replace or complement a lecture-based course or curriculum.

Abstract: Preface The Key Ideas of Team Learning Beyond Small Groups: Harnessing the Extraordinary Power of Learning Teams by L. Dee Fink Getting Started with Team Learning by Larry K. Michaelsen Designing Effective Group Activities by Larry Michaelsen and Arletta Bauman Knight Group Process Research: Implications for Using Learning Groups by Carolyn Birmingham and Mary McCord The Voices of Experience An Alternative to Lecturing in the Sciences by Frank Dinan Using Case Studies in Science--And Still "Covering the Content" by Clyde Herreid Working with Nontraditional and Underprepared Students by Pat Goodson A Dramatic Turnaround in a Classroom of Deaf Students by Melanie Nakadji Overcoming Initial Mistakes When Using Small Groups by Fred Streuling Creating Single Group Activities that Teach Multiple Concepts by Laurie Lucas Team Learning in Large Classes by Larry Michaelsen Using Team Learning in a Very Traditional Cultural and Institutional Context by Jii Popovsky International Cultures and the Dynamics of Team Learning by Jon Cragin Using Teams to Enhance Online Learning by Mark Freeman Conclusions Team Learning: A Strategy for Transforming the Quality of Teaching and Learning by Arletta Bauman Knight Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions about Team Learning Appendix B: Procedures for Peer Evaluation Appendix C: Grade-Weight Setting Exercise Appendix D: Miscellaneous Materials Related to Team Learning List of References Index

Abstract: Purpose Since team-based learning (TBL) was introduced as a medical education strategy in 2001, few studies have explored its impact on learning outcomes, particularly as measured by performance on examinations. Educators considering implementing TBL need evidence of its effectiveness. This study was conducted to determine whether student performance on examinations is affected by participation in TBL and whether TBL benefits lower- or higherperforming students. Method The authors analyzed the performance of second-year medical students on 28 comprehensive course examinations over two consecutive academic years (2003– 2004, 2004–2005) at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. Results The 178 students (86 men, 92 women) included in the study achieved 5.9% (standard deviation [SD] 5.5) higher mean scores on examination questions that assessed their knowledge of pathology-based content learned using the TBL strategy compared with questions assessing pathology-based content learned via other methods (P .001, t test). Students whose overall academic performance placed them in the lowest quartile of the class benefited more from TBL than did those in the highest quartile. Lowest-quartile students’ mean scores were 7.9% (SD 6.0) higher on examination questions related to TBL modules than examination questions not related to TBL modules, whereas highest-quartile students’ mean scores were 3.8% (SD 5.4) higher (P .001, two-way analysis of variance). Conclusions Medical students’ higher performance on examination questions related to course content learned through TBL suggests that TBL enhances mastery of course content. Students in the lowest academic quartile may benefit more than highestquartile students from the TBL strategy.