Enhancing Faculty Development for Effective Team-Based Learning (TBL) Implementation in Higher Education

Team-Based Learning (TBL) is increasingly adopted in medical schools to promote active learning, particularly in the foundational pre-clinical years. Despite its structured framework, variations in implementation across institutions have led to limited clarity on consistent best practices. This systematic review aims to identify and synthesise how TBL is applied globally during the first two years of pre-clinical medical education. A comprehensive search of SCOPUS, MEDLINE, PUBMED, WEB OF SCIENCE, and ERIC databases was conducted for English-language articles published between January 2000 and October 2024. Studies were included if they described the implementation, structure, and outcomes of TBL in the first two years of pre-registration medical programs. Comparative studies were excluded. Data were extracted and synthesised across TBL’s core phases (preparation, readiness assurance, and application) and reported using PRISMA guidelines, MERSQI for quality assessment, and Kirkpatrick’s model for learning outcomes. Of 1136 articles screened, 37 studies from 15 countries met the inclusion criteria. Most focused on first-year students, with 24 using classical TBL methods and 10 employing modified approaches. TBL was primarily delivered in person and applied across individual subjects, such as anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry, as well as in integrated curricula. The findings demonstrate strong adherence to TBL’s core structure, with students valuing its active, student-centred approach and educators noting its efficiency. However, TBL remains largely supplementary, with only a few institutions (primarily in Australia) using it as a primary teaching method. Most studies use TBL in conjunction with other pedagogical approaches, and TBL sessions, when delivered, were reported to be, on average, 3 h in length, with distinct phases of readiness assurance and application. Limited reporting of the use of the ‘4S’ framework in application design and peer review was noted. This gradual adoption may reflect resource constraints inherent in transitioning fully to a TBL-based curriculum, or it may indicate a preference for retaining conventional teaching methods to align with country-specific requirements. Our review identifies a need for medical schools to align curriculum design with core TBL strategies supported by curriculum governance frameworks and faculty development programs,—to enable effective and sustainable scaling of TBL across pre-clinical programs.

A Multiyear Analysis of Team-Based Learning in a Pharmacotherapeutics Course

Supporting Change in Entrepreneurship Education: Creating a Faculty Development Program Grounded in Results from a Literature ReviewEpicenter, an NSF-funded STEP Center, is creating a team-based program to supportinstitutional change and faculty development, the Pathways to Innovation Program, with the goalof integrating entrepreneurship and innovation education into formal and informal engineeringcurriculums in higher education. To guide the design and implementation of the facultydevelopment program, a literature review was conducted during June-August 2013 to identifyeffective models and promising practices from the complementary topic areas of facultydevelopment and change in higher education. During the review and selection process, relevantarticles were expected to address the following parameters:1. Scale: the faculty development program should be regional or national;2. Topic: the program should support engineering faculty in adopting or adapting curricula;3. Context: engineering faculty should integrate entrepreneurship and innovation curricula;4. Sustainability: successful changes would be institutionalized at all levels;5. Evaluation: faculty development programs would demonstrate changed attitudes, knowledge, and practices in engineering faculty and students.Although articles that definitively addressed all of these parameters were not found, we wereable to identify articles that reported promising practices or models around Scale, Context, and tosome extent, Evaluation. We synthesized these results into findings about the components ofeffective faculty development and change programs.Components of Meaningful Faculty Development Programs:• The combination of duration, experiential learning opportunities, and peer interaction are factors that contribute to meaningful faculty development programs.• The content and activity of faculty development programs should be constructed around a learning theory and principles of instructional design.• Evaluation, beyond satisfaction, is not conducted programmatically in faculty development programs; but it should be incorporated into every stage of a faculty development program, including pre-planning activities.Components of Fostering Change in Higher Education• Curriculum change must be viewed systemically. It is not merely a matter of ‘adding-on’ or ‘adding-in’ missing or new curriculum components.• Theories of change must guide the work of making change in order to evaluate the success of particular approaches or the impact of the change effort.• External facilitators are essential to managing group change processes and to creating a less stressful learning environment when faculty members begin to question their approaches.Our paper will present detailed results about promising faculty development models andinstitutional and curricular change management processes. It will discuss implications of thefindings and recommendations for the design of the Pathways to Innovation Program. And it willreport on the progress of the program launch (planned for Spring 2014) and integration intoentrepreneurship and innovation curriculums at participating institutions of higher education.

PurposeThe faculties are crucial to education. They should have enough training facilities and be encouraged to actively contribute to high-quality education and successful learning. Faculty engagement and development activities should be explored and included in learning organizations and employee engagement in India. This paper aims to describe higher education as a learning organization. The research will also assess how faculty development programs affect faculty engagement behaviors in these institutions and if professional development mediates this effect, which has not been previously examined.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted with quantitative data collected from 267 faculties through reliable and validated adapted questionnaires. Semistructured interviews were conducted with heads and professor-level faculties to gain insights into faculty development and engagement. Partial least squares structural equation modeling technique (PLS-SEM 3.3.6 version) was used to test the conceptually drafted model.FindingsFaculty professional development programs shown to improve higher education faculty engagement and professional progress. The studies also showed that higher education institutions must prioritize faculty development to become learning organizations. Professional development reduced the direct effects of faculty development program (FDP) on faculty engagement. This suggests that professional growth mediates the research.Practical implicationsThis research emphasizes and professional development to boost teacher involvement in B-Schools. Management must design faculty development programs to construct professional development and learning organizations, according to the results. Developing and writing rules that encourage faculty engagement in such internal and external programs would also enhance their academic and administrative abilities and assist higher education institutions become learning organizations.Originality/valueThe study is one of the few to examine the impact of faculty development programs and professional development on faculty engagement in higher education institutions, particularly B-Schools, and its competitive mediating role.

Purpose: The focus of team-based learning (TBL) on problem-solving and integration of information has tremendous potential but has not been explored for improving biomedical science graduate education. We assessed the TBL experience of PhD students in a graduate level immunology course. Methods: TBL sessions replaced 9 of 42 lectures in “Principles of Immunology”, a 3-credit graduate level course. Course evaluation results and student performance were compared before and after TBL implementation. Results: After TBL implementation, students gave higher ratings for the course overall, general format (teaching methods used), fairness of test grading, appropriateness of test content, and overall rating of lectures. Most students preferred TBL over other small group teaching methods, spent an hour or more preparing for class, and agreed that they were better prepared and their classmates seemed better prepared for class, and that TBL helped them prepare for exams. Most agreed that TBL resulted in more interaction and that they could learn better in TBL compared to other small group settings. Students showed modest gains in performance on exams. Conclusion: Based on student feedback, TBL appears to improve course evaluations and to promote active learning in graduate-level courses. Implementation of TBL in graduate education may improve application and problem-solving skills, generate enthusiasm in the classroom, and promote collaboration and teamwork among graduate students.

A key challenge for faculty development is ensuring that learning is transferred to the workplace. An effective program fosters the development of a particular blend of knowledge, dispositions, and behaviors that are applied and sustained over time. The role of expert clinician aside, faculty in academic institutions may not be formally prepared for the evolving range of roles and tasks they are asked to fulfill. Designing an effective faculty development program poses formidable challenges. While the literature offers ample guidance on designing faculty development episodes, perspectives on organized and comprehensive faculty development programs based on the principles of transfer of training are lacking. In this perspective, we highlight 11 key considerations for effective faculty development in an institutional context (TABLE). Our aim is to guide individuals responsible for designing and implementing a development program with the goal of enhancing the transfer of learning into workplace practice.

Faculty development programs (FDPs) have proven to be successful for improving teaching skills in higher education. This review article summarizes literature reviews and resource books on faculty development. It tackled why FDP is important, history of FDP in the past years, and questioned whether FDP produced any positive effect on students' academic achievement as well as the different methods to assess FDPs effectiveness. The review also discussed how to establish FDP, presented its ideal structure, features that make FDP effective, and outlined the barriers to its successful implementation as well as the future vision. This report also highlighted the situation of FDP in Saudi Arabia. Finally, the review concluded that professional FDPs produce promising outcomes in the learning and teaching practices and recommended that teachers in higher education should attend FDP training activities on regular basis and that the scope of planned FDPs should extend beyond the health professions discipline, to include social skills necessary for collaboration, professional growth as well as management, and leadership abilities.

Student perspectives and learning outcomes with implementation of team-based learning into a videoconferenced elective

Background: Team-based Learning (TBL) is a teaching approach that fosters active learning and promotes the application of knowledge; its implementation remains sporadic and on a volunteering basis in Sudan. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of Sudanese physiologist concerning the implementation of TBL. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included all physiologists in Sudan during 2018. Data were collected using qualitative and quantitative methods, namely, questionnaire and nominal group technique (NGT), respectively. Results: This study was the first national-scale study on TBL in Sudan, the study adds to the evidence of the benefits of TBL: improving the engagement of students, enhancing deep learning, and providing better instructor–student interaction. Furthermore, TBL was perceived to be of good use in tutorials. However, although TBL is perceived well by instructors, its implementation revealed two main challenges: first, the attendance of the students (and therefore their engagement) is a place of concern mostly because TBL is not well-allocated in the curricula of most medical schools and second, the substantial effort of preparation of TBL material and sessions will put a burden on the staff, rendering them less enthusiastic. Conclusion: Fostering TBL requires administrative support and training to the staff, as well as proper incorporation of TBL in the curriculum. Keywords: education, team-based learning, deep learning, physiology

BackgroundThe role of clinician educators has expanded to encompass diverse responsibilities alongside providing competent care and engaging in scholarly activities. Faculty development (FD) programs have emerged as vital tools for equipping educators with teaching skills and career advancement opportunities. However, assessing faculty development programs’ impact on organizational culture remains challenging due to their multifaceted nature. This study explores this gap to understand how faculty development influences organizational culture.MethodsThis qualitative study used a constructivist approach to explore faculty perspectives on the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Faculty Development Program’s influence on organizational culture. Forty-three faculty members participated in nine semi-structured focus groups, selected for diversity across roles and locations. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and anonymized to ensure accuracy and participant confidentiality.Data analysisTranscripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. A multidisciplinary team independently reviewed transcripts, identified preliminary codes, and refined themes through iterative consensus building. Coding was organized using memos and grouped into themes. Using information power principles, the team determined that nine focus groups provided sufficient data richness to meet the study’s aims.ResultsThe research team identified and refined four central themes: professionalization, legitimization, the value of community, and leadership impact. The participants reported a greater sense of professionalization through enhanced teaching skills, increased awareness of educational literature, and heightened confidence in their educator roles. The faculty development program fostered a strong community, promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual support across specialties and locations. Leadership impact was evident at individual and institutional levels, increasing confidence, mentorship, and organizational support.ConclusionsThis study provides valuable insights into the organizational impact of faculty development programs, shedding light on how such initiatives influence faculty experiences and organizational culture. Future research should explore leadership values, faculty retention, burnout prevention, and the broader value of education within academic institutions.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock.

BackgroundTeam-based learning (TBL) is an evidence-based pedagogical method that has been used in undergraduate medical education since 2001. However, its use in clinical disciplines is rarely reported, and the impact of its implementation is not known. The aim of this study was to explore and map the published literature on the impact of implementing TBL in clinical disciplines in undergraduate medical education.MethodsA comprehensive search of Medline, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and Web of Science databases was performed on November 24, 2021 and updated April 6, 2023, using relevant Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and free-text terms. Original research studies reporting on the implementation of TBL in clinical disciplines in undergraduate medical education published in peer-reviewed English language journals were included irrespective of their methodological design.ResultsThe initial search identified 2,383 records. Of these, 49 met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies (n = 44, 90%) described the implementation of a modified version of TBL in which one or more TBL steps were missing, and one study had undefined protocol for the implementation. The most reported outcomes were knowledge acquisition (n = 38, 78%) and students’ satisfaction or attitudes toward TBL (n = 34, 69%). Despite some differences in their results, the studies found that implementing TBL is associated with increased knowledge acquisition (n = 19, 39%), student engagement (n = 6, 12%), and student satisfaction (n = 31, 63%).ConclusionsMost of the studies reported positive results in students’ satisfaction and students’ engagement, whilst the results on knowledge acquisition and retention were more contradictory. In most of the studies, TBL was implemented in a modified form and diverse comparators were used. The methodological quality also varied. Thus, no unequivocal conclusions could be drawn regarding the value of implementing TBL in clinical disciplines. More studies with rigorous methodologies are needed in this field.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.

BackgroundRecently, there has been a concerted effort within medical schools to depart from conventional lecture-based learning approaches to alternative teaching methods such as team-based learning (TBL) and problem-based learning (PBL), with the aim of enhancing both student engagement and instructional efficacy. Despite this shift, a comprehensive review that directly compares the impacts of PBL and TBL methods in medical education is lacking. This study seeks to address this gap by conducting a meta-analysis that compares the effects of TBL and PBL in the context of medical education.MethodsStudies from Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Wanfang Database were searched, from inception to July 11, 2023. A meta-analysis was performed using Stata 14.0, and a total of 10 studies (including 752 participants) were included. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to estimate pooled effects. Heterogeneity was detected using the I2 statistic and further explored using meta-regression analysis.ResultsCompared with PBL, TBL significantly increased the number of theoretical tests (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.02–0.73). Additionally, TBL greatly improved teamwork skills compared with PBL. However, there were no significant differences between the TBL and PBL groups concerning practical skill scores, learning interest, or understanding skills.ConclusionTBL in the theoretical aspects of medical education appears to be more effective than PBL in improving theoretical test scores and teamwork skills, providing evidence for the implementation of TBL in medical education.

Team‐Based Learning (TBL) is used at the University of Louisville School of Medicine as a collaborative teaching method in which students solve challenging physiology problems. Students take an Individual Readiness Assessment Test (iRAT), Team Readiness Assessment Test (tRAT), and Individual Summative Assessment Test (iSAT). While educational gains of TBL have been shown, some student evaluations negatively assessed the teaching method with complaints regarding question difficulty and stress levels. Thus, during implementation of TBL in the School of Dentistry, two changes were made: (1) TBL questions were cognitively aligned with unit exam questions (2) Scratch‐off, lottery response cards were used to create a fun, game‐like environment. This revised TBL format, compared to the original TBL format, resulted in similar student performance during iRAT and tRAT sessions. However, the revised, low‐stress format had significantly higher scores on the iSAT (n=119‐161, p<.05). Furthermore, on Likert‐scale surveys, students participating in the revised TBL format subjectively reported higher effectiveness of the learning format, higher levels of perceived fairness, and lower stress levels. These results suggest that the qualitative experience of students, when using a new teaching format such as TBL, may be an important consideration that should be carefully evaluated during implementation.