Medical students working together in a team

3 Reasons Why Educators Should Implement TBL in Health Sciences

Shreya Verma

Apr 20, 2022 • 5min read

Team-based learning (TBL), a structured form of small group teaching and learning, has gained popularity in health sciences curriculums. A growing number of medical schools have adopted TBL due to its numerous benefits for students.

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Here are three reasons why educators should implement TBL in health sciences curriculums:

1) TBL allows students to improve learning retention.

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The content taught in health sciences tends to be extensive – many students struggle with remembering or understanding them. The readiness assurance process in team-based learning ensures that students are able to understand the fundamental concepts. Students come prepared to the class and attempt individual readiness assurance test. After completing the IRAT, they attempt the same questions as a team. In TBL, students receive immediate feedback during TRAT, which allows them to discuss with one another and think critically before arriving at a consensual answer choice. Thus, TBL fosters active learning and promotes cognitive skills among students (Bengu, 2019), allowing them to improve learning retention.

Several professors from the Boonshoft School of Medicine in the United States found that students did better in assessments covering content taught using TBL compared to other methods.

Additionally, according to research done by Reimshisel, Herring, Huang, and Minor (2017), learners reported that through the discussions and application of the material in TBL, they could have a deeper understanding of what they studied.

2) TBL develops workforce skills in students.

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Health sciences students need to develop skills, such as teamwork, collaboration, problem-solving, etc., and not just focus on learning course content to pass numerous qualifying exams. For instance, health sciences professionals are expected to have strong critical thinking and teamwork skills (Bengu, 2019).

TBL provides a learning environment where students must work in teams to solve problems (Bengu, 2019), therefore, gaining collaboration skills and having a better overall learning experience (Parmelee and Michaelsen, 2010). Furthermore, future professionals will need to work together in a team to solve increasingly complex problems (Ho, Wong, Schoeb, Chan, Tang, and Wong, 2022).

TBL is also a suitable pedagogical method for interprofessional education (IPE). Students from various specializations in health sciences such as anatomy, physiology, neurophysiology, etc. work together in teams in a team-based learning setting, thus developing feedback skills, problem-solving skills, and learning from each other’s knowledge and experiences.

3) TBL allows students to become equal collaborators in their learning journey.

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Peer evaluation is one of the essential components of TBL – this motivates students to contribute equally to the group work. Students are also encouraged to take accountability for their learning, which leads to feeling a sense of autonomy (Behling, Kim, Gentile, and Lopaz, 2017).

According to a study done by Ryan and Deci (2000), students become intrinsically motivated when they feel that they are in control of their learning. Therefore, they would be more engaged in classes; this leads to an improved understanding of the content tested in health sciences curriculums.

These are just three reasons – TBL brings many other benefits to students, and educators should consider this learning method for their health sciences classes.

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Testimonials

Dr. Julie M Estis Associate Professor University of South Alabama

"Outstanding tool for face-to-face, web-blended and fully online TBL courses! We've been using InteDashboard across several TBL classes at the University of South Alabama and are consistently impressed with the tool as well as the exceptional support from the team. We look forward to increasing utilization of InteDashboard through our campus-wide project."

Dr. Sandy Cook Emeritus Professor, TBL Consultant, TBLC-APC Committee Chairperson Formerly from Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School

"The administrative challenges behind TBL are often viewed as a major barrier to effective implementation. InteDashboard is the only technological solution that puts it all together, allowing the faculty to focus on creating the learning environment - not fumbling with papers, grading and pulling data from different sources."

Dr. John Chapman Assistant Professor Southern Virginia University

"I'm convinced, and I've done a fair amount of looking over the past few years to identify an online quizzing/survey tool that allows for individual question submission and real-time feedback (especially for the TRAT). InteDashboard really is the premier solution in this category. Bar none. Hands down."

Dr. Jennifer Styron Assistant Professor Eastern Virginia Medical School

"Ability to get real-time data on RAT test items during teaching and save this information (i.e. scores on assessments) has made the tool an essential element to my everyday online teaching."

Dr. Judy Currey Professor Deakin University

"I love having real time access to my students performance data and knowing exactly what concepts have or haven’t been understood while they complete their IRATs and TRATs! InteDashboard has significantly enhanced the ease and effectiveness with which I prepare for, and teach in, my TBL classes at Deakin."

Dr. Tom DeWitt Professor Michigan State University

"Overall, I’ve been really pleased with how InteDashboard has elevated the ability to engage students in Team-based learning."

Victor Holmes Assistant Professor University of North Texas Health Science Center

"The InteDashboard platform is unique in what it offers for educators and learners. The ability to interact, work with the quizzes easily, and general functionality of the program are key features not to miss. I have been able to create a more experiential learning environment allowing learners to immediately dive into experiences that simulate real clinical challenges."

Dr. Sarada Harichand Bulchand Lead Associate Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School

"InteDashboard is a fantastic and very useful platform to conduct classes in a team-based learning setting, probably because it has all the features that team-based learning requires. The features on InteDashboard are so nuanced that they help in enhancing the learning of students, which is the core objective that the educators try to achieve from TBL methodology."

Matthew Robson Senior Learning Designer Macquarie University

"The feature which we find most valuable is the automated grading and item analysis dashboards. They effectively provide staff and students within information that help inform what the clarification session should address. Also, the InteDashboard team provides great support. The team has been responsive to our feedback when we have asked for a possible enhancement to their tool in the past!"

Dr. Chitra Pai Professor Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine

"The support staff was prompt when we were in the initial phase of integrating it into Canvas. It provided the benefits of graded IRAT and TRAT and was really a seamless way to provide active learning in an online environment."

Tanya Bomsta Curriculum Project Manager The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy

"Tech support is great, the software is easy to use and learn, online TBL is awesome (and helpful in this time of the pandemic), and the ability for easy peer review is stellar."

Dr. Grady Campbell Professor Nova Southeastern University

"Student evaluations were higher the semester we used InteDashboard than the previous semesters we held TBL in in-person setting."

Russell Marcus Department Chair & Associate Professor Hamilton College

"The great advantage of InteDashboard is that it is a single platform for RATs, peer evaluation, and 4S activities."

Hillel W. Cohen, Dr.P.H. Professor Associate Director of Curriculum, Clinical Research Training Program Albert Einstein College of Medicine

"InteDashboard allowed a seamless transition from paper-pencil response forms to electronic response."

Michael E. Woods, Ph.D. Associate Professor Pathology & Director of Research Laboratories Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine

"InteDashboard gives me the ability to run online TBLs with ease. The interface is intuitive for faculty and students and matches what we would have done in the classroom."

Paul Mcdermott Senior Lecturer University of East Anglia School of Pharmacy

"I have recommended the product to many people already. It is a very versatile product with features that can be applied across a wide range of pedagogies. I have presented this tool to my school not just as a TBL tool but also a way to collect and analyse MCQ data and as a way to facilitate group learning and peer evaluation."

Steve Schneid Managing Director University of California

"I just want to say I love InteDashboard, and it is an integral part of my teaching!"

Dr. Simon Twedell Professor of Pharmacy Education University of Bradford

"It’s more sustainable now – there's less printing, less admin work, and saves a lot of time."

Dr. Gemma Quinn Associate Professor in Clinical Pharmacy University of Bradford

“InteDashboard has made a huge difference. We could have gone back to the way things were before we started using the software, but it would have been an absolute nightmare. The platform is great – it’s all in one place!”

Dr. Steve Cayzer Director of Studies in Mechanical Engineering University of Bath

"I think the real-time dashboard is just really, really, good. It just works. Recently, I used the histograms and answers feature that you can present to students during the RAT debrief – I found that a very useful way of presenting the results!”

Dr. Zachary Noel Assistant Professor University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

“Because InteDashboard is entirely built for TBL, you don't have to fiddle with a lot of settings and multiple softwares, so that certainly saves time. And now that we're in our third year of using InteDashboard, we're able to copy the activities from the prior years and use those, so that has certainly saved time as well!"

Dr. Suzan Kamel-ElSayed Associate Professor in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

"It was very, very easy for us. When comparing what we did before using InteDashboard, with what we have now with InteDashboard - it has been really easy for us. Everything is available on one platform!"