Introducing Team-Based Learning (TBL) at Faculty of Medicine

Abstract

Background: TBL value in medical education is in promoting individual accountability while developing skills for
 teamwork. 
 
 Summary of work: TBL sessions were introduced since 2010 to medical students at UGD. Two TBL sessions were
 administered for each of the courses ‘Fundamentals in
 Immunology’ and ‘Clinical Immunology’. Sessions were
 conducted in collaboration with the E-learning Center. 
 
 Summary of results: TBL sessions were adjusted to 60 minutes sessions. A total of 544 medical students, 487 in Fundamentals of Immunology and 57 in Clinical Immunology underwent the TBL sessions. Students were divided in groups of 5-6 students and were initially administered a short
 Readiness Assessment Test followed by case presentations, discussions and teams answers to multiple-choice questions. TBL sessions were not obligatory. Points were awarded for presence and the winning team was awarded extra points. Because of the large number of students, two sets of TBL sessions on the same topic were created and administered. 
 
 Conclusions: TBL sessions were very well accepted and
 enjoyed by the students. Students very much preferred this type of interactive, active learning as opposed to classical
 lecturing.
 
 Take-home messages: TBL sessions are a valuable teaching tool that can also be administered in medical schools in developing countries.