Team-Based Learning In Medical Education
Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to determine if the use of Team-Based Learning as a method of instruction is more effective in terms of student achievement than the traditional lecture method in an anatomy course at a state university medical school. Student scores from two academic years (2011-2012 academic year and the 2012-2013 academic year) for the average of four exams were analyzed using an independent sample t-test to determine if the intervention of Team-Based Learning made a difference on student achievement. Students were paired from each academic year based on final entering MCAT score, age at matriculation, and gender. While there are concerns because the samples were not randomly selected, the matching was used to control for possible difference between the two groups. An independent samples t-test was calculated to determine if there was significance between the two groups. No significant difference was found. The first attempt at using the Team-Based Learning method of instruction at the state university medical school anatomy course did not appear to significantly improve achievement; it did, however, improve scores of "at-risk" students with the smaller standard deviation on the average of the exam scores.