Team-based learning format: pre-class preparation, readiness assurance, and concept application¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 2 studies (1 associational, 1 design), q1–q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Team-based learning (TBL) is a student-centered instructional format that, as the article describes citing Michaelsen & Sweet (2008), "transforms teacher-centered classrooms with pre-class preparation, group work, and peer teaching to strengthen knowledge acquisition and application." The article implements TBL in a fixed sequence: students prepare before class with readings and videos, complete an individual then team Readiness Assessment Test with immediate feedback cards and appeals, then apply concepts through team activities and independent experimentation. In this module TBL was used as a platform to meet five learning objectives and teach scientific skills in a behavioral genetics laboratory.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Pre-class preparation materials (readings, videos, worksheets) posted before the laboratory session
• Teams formed by distributing member resources equally and avoiding previously formed coalitions
• Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique cards and an appeal process for the team RAT

Constraints¶

• The article notes team cohesion, cooperative learning, and student responsibility require extended periods of time for development, suggesting implementation throughout the entire semester

Target Learners¶

• junior/senior-level undergraduate biology majors in a laboratory course

Target Learning Objectives¶

• understanding the role of genetics on complex behavioral phenotypes
• identifying, measuring, and quantifying behavioral phenotypes
• formulating hypotheses and designing experiments following the scientific process
• developing and implementing independent novel research

Claims¶

• Team Rat Scores Higher Than Individual Rat [+M]
• After the TBL module, students were better prepared to design and implement independent final research projects [+M]
• Students' IRAT scores were consistently poorer than their TRAT scores, suggesting team collaboration benefits team test performance [+W]

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

• Two-week fruitless gene TBL laboratory module on aggression and courtship in Drosophila melanogaster
• Team Based Learning
• Team Based Learning

Key Sources¶

• Peterson, E.K. and Carrico, P. (2015). Laboratory Exercise in Behavioral Genetics Using Team-based Learning Strategies. Bioscene 41(2). https://visionandchange.org/files/2011/03/Revised-Vision-and-Change-Final-Report.pdf