Team-Based Learning

OVERVIEW

Team-Based Learning, or TBL, is a synthesis of flipped classroom, peer instruction and problem-based learning, Team-Based Learning is a strategy that involves moving the work of the lecture or reading portion of the class to pre-class activity and then using class time to apply the knowledge gained.

TEAM BASED LEARNING AT PEER INSTITUTIONS

Team-Based Learning at UT

This video walks the viewer through team-based learning from a planning perspective and from a student perspective, in addition the viewer gets to see all the steps in action.

Team-Based Learning at Duke School of Medicine

This video gives a high-level view of Team-Based Learning from both the teacher and student perspective. It doesn’t get into the details of the activity, but it’s a good overview.


HOW DO I USE IT?

Assign Preparatory Materials

Students engage with the content outside of class so they can be ready for in-class discussion and application. This can be done through readings, videos, or podcasts in CarmenCanvas.

Students take the Individual Readiness Assurance Test (IRAT) [5 mins]

This quick five minute quiz, taken individually, activates the student’s prior knowledge and helps boost retention of the pre-class materials. This multiple choice quiz should be no longer than 10 questions and should have one correct answer and no more than three distractors. Each question is worth a maximum of 4 points. Students can choose to distribute those points across all four answers, split them evenly between two, or, if they are confident they have the correct answer, put all four on one answer

Teams take the Team (or Group) Readiness Assurance Test (T/GRAT) [10 mins]

The TRAT (or GRAT) repeats the questions from the IRAT. Teams should be set up ahead of time, rather than randomized on the fly, and be comprised of 5 to 7 people. It is also best to keep the same teams for the whole semester. Team members come together with their completed IRATS to take the quiz again and choose the answers as a team. If there is a dispute among team members on what the correct answer is, the team works together to find the best answer, and to scratch off their chosen box on the IF-AT form for each questions. If they find a star under their answer, they got it right. If they did not get it right, the team deliberates again to make another choice. The maximum number of points for each question is 4 and the number of points gained goes down with each attempt.

Tips for Writing Good IRAT/TRAT Questions

The best questions will be pulled from previous lectures or pre-class work and relate to the application exercise that you have in mind. In addition, there are specific formatting considerations because of the nature of the IF AT scratch-off form.

Questions should be multiple choice with:

  • One clearly correct answer
  • Three distractors

Avoid:

  • True/False
  • All of the above
  • None of the above
  • K-type (answers that combine one or more choices)

Appeals Process [Outside Class]

If a team believes that a question is unclear or misleading, they can appeal to the instructor. Generally, this is done in writing via email, but it can be done in person, depending on the instructor’s presence.

Mini-lecture Clarification [10 mins]

Following the review of the TRAT results, the instructor can make decisions about what needs to be addressed for the sake of clarity or to be sure that there are no misconceptions or misunderstanding. Things that the class did well on don’t ned to be covered in this mini-lecture, saving time for the application exercise.

Application Exercise [20 mins]

At the end of the mini-lecture, the instructor introduces an application exercise based on the material that was covered in the pre-class assignment.

The application exercise is the most important piece of a TBL exercise. The IRAT/TRAT and mini-lecture serve to clarify and remind students about the pre-class content, using retrieval, peer instruction, and didactic techniques. The application exercise, however, is where the students begin to analyze, evaluate, and apply that content to real-life situations. Therefore, it is critical that this piece be allotted the most time for the completion and be a good example of how pre-class knowledge is applied in the field.

During this portion of the activity, the instructor travels between teams facilitating discussion and assisting with questions. This exercise can include previous material so it connects concepts within the whole course and should be built with the learning outcomes in mind using the “Four S Framework” to structure and to guide its development.

The four S Framework for Application Exercises

  1. Significant Problem – The problem presented should be something that is significant to what students just learned and what they will be doing in their professional life with this knowledge.
  2. Same Problem – All teams should have the same problem to work on.
  3. Specific Choice – There should be specific choices given to choose from and students should be asked to defend their choice. In other words, “what would you choose, and why?”
  4. Simultaneous Report – All teams should report their choices and arguments at the same time.

Summation and Debrief [5 mins]

The final step is a brief summation of the groups’ findings and a quick review of the material from the instructor’s point of view.