This article on team based learning is part of the AAI Teaching Tools series. More articles can be found in the Teaching Tools section. Archived articles can be found on the AAI website.
Author: Stephanie James, Ph.D., MBA (AAI ’14) Associate Professor, Regis University, Denver, CO
Many instructors in higher education never intended to teach from behind a keyboard. We enjoy direct interaction with our students, face to face. However, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning was gaining popularity and is here to stay, due to its ability to increase the reach of universities and decrease costs associated with in-person instruction. As such, we must adapt and develop engaging teaching strategies for online learning
Several studies have demonstrated that lecture-based teaching is associated with low engagement, whereas active learning strategies show improved student performance and preference. There is a plethora of strategies for bringing active learning to the classroom,[1],[2],[3] but transitioning to the online space during the COVID pandemic was a challenge.
Using Team Based Learning
Within the Regis University School of Pharmacy the immunology units in the Doctor of Pharmacy program are taught using Team Based Learning (TBL) and moving online was especially problematic. TBL is a teaching strategy in which students complete a readiness assurance quiz individually at the beginning of each unit followed by repeating the assessment as a team. The remainder of class time is used for teams to evaluate applications or case studies, with the instructor facilitating team discussion.
Immediately upon moving online, our program used a combination of Zoom and Microsoft Office tools with diminished effect. While this format still allowed students to discuss applications as a team, key components of TBL such as the team readiness assurance quizzes and simultaneous reporting of answers were lost.
The second semester after transitioning to online courses, our school adopted the InteDashboard online TBL platform (intedashboard.com) to support our pedagogy. While we still utilized Zoom as an online meeting space, all team activities were uploaded to the InteDashboard site. Using this program, students could work synchronously as a team to complete activities in the “traditional” TBL manner.
We did not observe a significant change in immunology quiz scores during the first semester of remote learning (86.5% (pre-pandemic) to 87.1 % (online, pandemic.) Interestingly, we noted a significant increase in quiz scores during the second semester of remote learning (pre-pandemic scores averaged 81.9% and rose to 87.7% during the pandemic, p=0.03.)
These preliminary results suggest that platforms like InteDashboard may improve the learning experience for students. Furthermore, even after returning to the classroom, faculty have expressed interest in the platform for easier monitoring of team activities and instant grading.
About Teaching Tools
The Immunology Teaching Interest Group (ITIG) was created by the AAI Education Committee as an informal group composed of past speakers and attendees of the ITIG sessions, including current immunology educators spanning a range of institutions and levels. It serves as a resource for novel teaching tools and practices that can be implemented in courses to enhance immunology education. Because of the great interest in this topic, AAI News features “Teaching Tools” articles highlighting ITIG presentations.
[1] Sharp JG. “Students really do get bored at university-but why?” Advance HE. Nov 14, 2018. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/students-really-do-get-bored-at-university
[2] Freeman S, Eddy SL, McDonough M, Smith MK, Okoroafor N, Jordt H, Wenderoth MP. Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jun 10;111(23):8410-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1319030111. Epub 2014 May 12. PMID: 24821756; PMCID: PMC4060654.
[3] Zeng, H. L., Chen, D. X., Li, Q., & Wang, X. Y. (2020). Effects of seminar teaching method versus lecture-based learning in medical education: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medical Teacher, 42(12), 1343–1349. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1805100