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Table 2 Summary of the benefits of TBL for students and facilitators

From: Team-based learning: design, facilitation and participation

BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS

Small group experience with facilitators who are experts in their area

A clear strength of TBL is having multiple, small groups of students in each room, promoting inter and intra team discussion and peer learning. Having expert facilitators ensures all students are provided with the same, up to date, evidence based guidance and answers [8].

Structured learning

The specific steps of the TBL process help to engage students. Students move beyond active learning as individuals by participating in structured, collaborative learning activities that are interactive and relevant [32]. Active learning opportunities, which engages participants, will promote deeper understanding and better knowledge retention [33].

Students experience the value of working and collaborating in teams

Students compare and reflect on their IRAT and TRAT results, and their peers’ contributions to teamwork. Evidence suggests that the worst performing team will usually score higher than the best individual student [3].

Students are motivated to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses as members of a team

The peer evaluation prompts students to consider how they can improve as a team member. When implemented correctly, friendly competition promotes student accountability to their ‘teammates’, and to their teachers [7], encouraging students to better prepare for class activities.

Students develop professional attributes, such as giving and receiving feedback through peer review

Peer review is a common requirement among health professionals, yet it is rarely formally taught and practiced at university [34, 35]. The ability to give feedback is reported to improve communication skills, problem solving, decision making and responsibility [36, 37]. Similarly, receipt of feedback from peers can provide an effective learning experience for students, and create reflective learners, who analyse and reflect on their contributions and performance [38].

BENEFITS FOR FACILIATORS

Teaching students who are prepared is more rewarding

Staff and students alike value the ‘flipped classroom’ format of TBL. Students are encouraged to prepare for class, and be up to date with course content. Rather than ‘spoon feeding’ content to students, there is time to facilitate meaningful discussion and help students to problem solve [3].

Teaching as a team

With co-teaching implemented as a strategy in TBL, hospital consultants and university academics come together to develop the students’ knowledge and skills in their areas of expertise. Teaching is carried out in a unified manner, bringing together different topics to encourage interaction of the basic sciences with clinical disciplines, enabling students to integrate, conceptualise and apply this newly acquired knowledge.

Facilitators learn from each other

Evidence suggests that co-teaching is effective in generating student interest, engagement, knowledge acquisition and retention [39]. At the same time, the teachers may build on their own scientific and medical knowledge, and further hone their teaching skills by learning from each other during TBL classes, ultimately enriching their teaching experience. Our facilitators have described the positive experience of “working with other experts in a collegial atmosphere” as “rewarding” and “positive”.