Implementing Team-Based Learning to Strengthen Communication Skills among Undergraduate Kinesiology Students

Abstract

Kinesiology is the study of human movement and grounded in learning about physiological and psychological mechanisms of physical activity, exercise, and sport. Despite the educational focus promoting an active lifestyle, teaching strategies often ignore the hands-on and interactive components of the field, in favour of a traditional passive teaching style (Bulger, Housner, & Lee, 2008). This teaching approach can be problematic as most undergraduate Kinesiology students will either pursue an academic career path, or enter a health care field (e.g., kinesiologist, medical doctor, physical therapist, etc.) Whichever path a student chooses, it will require strong communication skills, whether it be sharing research ideas or working with a patient. To improve these skills, instructors can use an interactive classroom. A recent study evaluating communication competence in undergraduate nursing students found overall improvements in communication efficacy and communication ability when implementing team-based learning (TBL; Cho & Kweon, 2017). Therefore, a larger focus in Kinesiology should be on promoting effective communication skills so that students are more prepared when they graduate. By incorporating TBL into Kinesiology courses, students can become more interactive in the classroom and build upon fundamental skills that are paramount in academic and health care settings (Meeuswen, King, & Pederson, 2005).