Skip to content

TBL as a three-phase structured active-learning method: preparation, readiness assurance (iRAT/tRAT), and application exercises

Design · All designs
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

The review describes team-based learning as a structured pedagogical method that "unfolds across three distinct phases": individual pre-class study, an in-class readiness assurance phase in which students first take an individual quiz (iRAT, typically 15–25 multiple-choice questions) and then retake it in teams (tRAT) with discussion and immediate feedback, and a final application phase where teams tackle real-life exercises applying concepts to concrete medical contexts. The review uses this framework as the standard against which it judged whether the 49 included studies implemented full-concept or modified TBL.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • Individual preparatory materials assigned before class
  • Small teams of roughly 5–7 students and immediate feedback after tRAT submission

Constraints

  • The review found most clinical-discipline implementations omit one or more of these steps, most often peer review

Target Learners

  • undergraduate medical students in clinical disciplines

Learning Goals

  • knowledge acquisition and application
  • teamwork
  • clinical reasoning

Claims

Examples

-

Key Sources

  • Sterpu Irene, Herling Lotta, Nordquist Jonas, Rotgans Jerome, Acharya Ganesh. (2024). Team-based learning (TBL) in clinical disciplines for undergraduate medical students—a scoping review. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04975-x
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id tbl-three-phase-structure-theory
title TBL as a three-phase structured active-learning method: preparation, readiness assurance (iRAT/tRAT), and application exercises
description The review describes team-based learning as a structured pedagogical method that "unfolds across three distinct phases": individual pre-class study, an in-class readiness assurance phase in which students first take a...
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-31
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — sterpu-irene-2024

Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.