Jansen Michaela, Kim Cavdar Irina
Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX 79430 USA.
Department of Medical Education, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX 79430 USA.
Med Sci Educ. 2024 Dec 19;35(2):883-892. doi: 10.1007/s40670-024-02246-y. eCollection 2025 Apr.
Team-based learning (TBL) is a structured collaborative learning strategy where students are able to apply conceptual knowledge in small groups through a sequence of activities comprised of preparation, individual readiness assurance testing, teamwork, and team readiness assurance testing, typically followed by an application exercise. TBL has been gaining popularity in many education institutions and programs across the world and in the USA. This study marks the beginning of implementing TBL as a major active learning modality at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. Through this initiative, we present TBL as a versatile and adaptable method to improve students' learning and examination outcomes.
TBL sessions are conducted in three steps: pre-class preparation, in-class readiness assurance testing, and application-focused exercise. The present study used a modified or abbreviated format, consisting of pre-class preparation and in-class individual readiness assurance test (iRAT) and team readiness assurance test (tRAT) followed by immediate feedback. A Pilot Phase was used to engage early-adopter faculty and optimize session parameters, and an Implementation Phase was used for one organ system, with both phases in the pre-clerkship curriculum and a class size of 180 students. During the Pilot Phase, student participation was voluntary, whereas in the Implementation Phase, participation counted towards a selective session attendance requirement. Therefore, student numbers were significantly smaller during the Pilot Phase supporting gradual optimization of session organization.
iRAT, tRAT, and summative end of organ system section National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) scores were analyzed. We find that participation in an increasing number of TBLs was associated with increased iRAT scores and a decreased performance gap between highest and lowest performers, where the increase in the scores of lowest performers was more substantial than the increase in the scores of highest performers. NBME score analysis showed that TBL participation increased examination performance by an average of 2.4% per TBL session attended.
We present an implementation strategy for TBL sessions using a two-phased approach. Our process implementation provides a clear roadmap for other health professions or medical schools to implement TBL format sessions in their specific educational context. Importantly, the unique, abbreviated TBL format presented here facilitates implementation and adaptation. Observed learning strategies during tRAT that have been demonstrated to be effective include elaboration, dual coding, specific examples, interleaving, and retrieval practices. Overall, the results indicate a positive impact of TBL participation on final summative exam scores.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02246-y.
基于团队的学习（TBL）是一种结构化的协作学习策略，学生能够通过一系列活动在小组中应用概念性知识，这些活动包括准备、个人准备度保证测试、团队协作以及团队准备度保证测试，通常随后还有一个应用练习。TBL在全球和美国的许多教育机构及项目中越来越受欢迎。本研究标志着在德克萨斯理工大学健康科学中心医学院将TBL作为一种主要的主动学习方式开始实施。通过这一举措，我们将TBL展示为一种通用且适应性强的方法，以提高学生的学习和考试成绩。
TBL课程分三个步骤进行：课前准备、课堂准备度保证测试以及以应用为重点的练习。本研究采用了一种修改后的或简化的形式，包括课前准备、课堂个人准备度保证测试（iRAT）和团队准备度保证测试（tRAT），随后立即给出反馈。一个试点阶段用于让早期采用的教师参与并优化课程参数，一个实施阶段用于一个器官系统，两个阶段均在见习前课程中进行，班级规模为180名学生。在试点阶段，学生参与是自愿的，而在实施阶段，参与度计入选择性课程出勤要求。因此，试点阶段的学生人数明显较少，这有助于逐步优化课程组织。
分析了iRAT、tRAT以及器官系统部分国家医学考试委员会（NBME）总结性考试成绩。我们发现，参与越来越多的TBL课程与iRAT成绩提高以及最高和最低成绩者之间的成绩差距缩小相关，其中最低成绩者的成绩提高幅度比最高成绩者的成绩提高幅度更大。NBME成绩分析表明，每参加一次TBL课程，学生的考试成绩平均提高2.4%。
我们提出了一种采用两阶段方法实施TBL课程的策略。我们的流程实施为其他健康专业或医学院校在其特定教育背景下实施TBL课程形式提供了清晰的路线图。重要的是，这里呈现的独特、简化的TBL形式便于实施和调整。在tRAT期间观察到的已被证明有效的学习策略包括详细阐述、双重编码、具体示例、交错学习和检索练习。总体而言，结果表明参与TBL对最终总结性考试成绩有积极影响。
在线版本包含可在10.1007/s40670 - 024 - 02246 - y获取的补充材料。
