Team-based learning is a student-centered pedagogical approach that involves assigning students to permanent teams to work on applied problems. It consists of three phases: preparation before class, a readiness assurance process in class, and application exercises. The readiness assurance process involves short individual and team tests to ensure students are prepared. Application exercises are complex problems for teams to work through together. Research shows team-based learning improves student engagement, develops skills like collaboration, and has been effectively used in medical, nursing, and other professional programs. While it requires an initial faculty time investment, team-based learning has benefits for both students and faculty.

1. Team Based Learning
Presented: October 17, 2014
http://www.teambasedlearning.org/

2. Funding was Provided by:
• The U. S. Department of Education's Title III,
Part A, Strengthening Institutions Program
– awarded to LSSU in 2013 to enhance faculty
teaching and strengthen student advising.
– Thank you to the following people:
• The Title III Project Coordinator, Carolyn Rajewski, the
Oversight Committee, the workgroup, and Krystle
Gertecich

3. Building the Bridge as You Walk on It
Robert .E. Quinn (2004).Building the Bridge As You Walk On It: A Guide for Leading Change. Wiley &
Sons.

4. Intentionality

5. Will TeamBased Learning Fit Your
Class?
EBP Listed on TBL Website
• Medical School
• Nursing
• Law School
• Pharmacy
• Engineering, civil, mechanical
• Anatomy & Physiology
• Psychology
• Microbial physiology
• Ethics

7. Overview of Team Based Learning
http://www.teambasedlearning.org/

8. Sequence of Team-Based Learning
• Cycle is repeated for every unit of instruction, and
usually consists of 6-10 hours of class time (Michaelsen & Sweet,
2008).
Phase I: Preparation
(pre-class)
Phase II: Readiness assurance
45-75 minutes of class time
Individual test (I-RAP)
Team test (G-RAP)
Phase III: Application of course concepts
1-4 hours of class time
Application oriented activities
TBL instructional activity sequence
(repeated for each major unit = 5-7 per course).

9. Phase III: Application Exercises
• Significant/Complex problems with
incomplete or contradictory
information where a diversity of
perspectives is an asset and critical
thinking is essential.
– Faculty walks around to show interest,
and correct misconceptions by
intervening at team level or whole
class.
http://cis.apsc.ubc.ca/services/team-based-learning/

10. Grading of TBL Courses
• The TBL grade component in a prototypical TBL
course
– ungraded application activities
– only iRAT and tRAT are grade
• can be as low as 25%.
• the other 75% of grades might come from traditional
components like individual essays, individual reports,
midterms, and finals.
• In some courses, the grades are 100% based on
TBL
– these courses most often have graded Application
Activities.

11. Faculty Commitment
• Initially, faculty must invest time to implement
team-based learning
– Faculty members are expected to be content experts
and provide clarification of material as necessary
• May be difficult when teaching a new class for the first
time
• Can be slowly implemented gradually by
converting a module each semester

12. Student Perspective
• See faculty as collegial and part of the team
• Opportunity to develop:
– interpersonal and teamwork skills
– professionalism
– communication skills
– collaboration skills

13. Limitations and Recommendations
• Initial time commitment from faculty members
• Must be willing and interested to try a new
teaching method (and tobe BRAVE)
• Some course content may not be appropriate

14. Web Sites
University of British Columbia
http://cis.apsc.ubc.ca/services/team-based-
learning/what-is-tbl/
• TBL Nurse Educators Interest Group web site
https://sites.google.com/site/tblfornurseeduc
ators/
– Use of Google + technology for online teaching
using TBL

15. References
• Britta M Thompson,Virginia F Schneider,Paul Haidet,Ruth E Levine,Kathryn K
McMahon,Linda C Perkowski,Boyd F Richards. Team-based learning at ten medical
schools: two years later Medical Education Volume 41, Issue 3, pages 250–257,
March 2007.
• Dinan, F.J. (2006) “Opening Day: Getting Started in the Cooperative Classroom’
Journal of College Science Teaching, v35 n4 p12-14
• Heidi A. Mennenga, Tish Smyer : A Model for Easily Incorporating Team-Based
Learning into Nursing Education. International Journal of Nursing Education
Scholarship Volume 7, Issue 1 2010 Article 4
• Harvard, Survival Team Exercise, pdf
• University of British Columbia (2014). Faculty of Applied Science. Center for
Instructional Support http://cis.apsc.ubc.ca/services/team-based-learning/
• Larry K. Michaelsena, Warren E. Watsonb, Albert Schwartzkopfa and Robert H.
Blackc Group Decision Making: How You Frame the Question Determines What You
Find Journal of Applied Psychology Volume 77, Issue 1, February 1992, Pages 106-
108