Abstract
ObjectivesTo examine whether introduction of Team-based Learning (TBL) improves student learning resulting in improved performance on final examination questions and decreased failures in an infectious diseases course. MethodsTo improve mastery of course content, we designed an intervention, which provided weekly TBL exercises in study years 2 and 3 to review concepts presented during didactic lectures and laboratory exercises. The remaining course structure and content was essentially unchanged. All students taking the course (n=50 in year 1, n=64 in year 2, and n=72 in year 3) participated in this study. Student final examination performance and performance on individual final examination questions were collected and analyzed for changes in response to the study intervention. ResultsAddition of weekly TBL exercises improved student performance on the course final examination as demonstrated by a statistically significant increase in the distribution of correct answer percentages for questions in common between the final examinations in years 1 and 2 and between years 1 and 3 (t(99) = 3.1454, p<0.05 and t(99) = 4.1268, p<0.01, respectively; Student-Newman-Keuls). There was no statistical difference (t(97) = 0.9814, p> 0.05; Student-Newman-Keuls) in the distribution of correct answer percentages between years two and three. There was also a decrease in final examination failures in years two and three. ConclusionsThe results suggest that TBL could be used to improve mastery and retention of course content in a preclinical infectious diseases course. Weekly exercises allow students to identify and ameliorate weaknesses in understanding and make adjustments early in the course.
Highlights
In our fast paced, ever changing world of medicine, it is essential for physicians to access, analyze, and apply new medical knowledge that is needed for up to date, evidencebased, patient care
We found ample literature showing the benefit of Teambased Learning (TBL) in medical education, we were unable to identify any studies which addressed the use of TBL in an infectious diseases preclinical medical school course
We were able to show a statistically significant improvement in the distribution of p-values on fifty-three questions in common between the final examinations offered in years one, two Behling et al TBL in basic science medical education and three after addition of TBL in years two and three (Figure 1)
Summary
Ever changing world of medicine, it is essential for physicians to access, analyze, and apply new medical knowledge that is needed for up to date, evidencebased, patient care. Instructional strategies in medical schools must foster an educational environment that promotes the ability of future physicians to perform their own learning needs assessments, design their own learning objectives, and access the resources necessary to meet these learning objectives. Research has shown that when students feel that they are in control of their learning, they become intrinsically motivated, which results in improved understanding.[2] practice in taking personal responsibility for learning provides future physicians with the skills necessary for life-long learning
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