Incorporating modified team-based learning into a flipped basic medical laboratory course: impact on student performance and perceptions

Application of a flipped classroom incorporating modified team-based learning in molecular biology laboratory teaching: a mixed methods study

BACKGROUND

The Flipped Classroom with Team-Based Learning (FC-TBL) approach has gained traction in medical education in recent years, yet a comprehensive assessment of its instructional efficacy remains limited. This study sought to elucidate the effectiveness of FC-TBL in molecular biology laboratory instruction and assess its influence on subsequent related courses' learning outcomes.

METHODS

A total of 109 students were randomly assigned to either the traditional Lecture-Based Learning (LBL) group or the FC-TBL group. Students' academic performance and satisfaction were gauged through final examinations and surveys, while the enduring impact of FC-TBL was evaluated using online assessments and tracking students' scores in follow-up courses.

RESULTS

The findings indicate that FC-TBL significantly enhanced students' academic achievements in molecular biology labs and garnered higher satisfaction rates among participants compared to traditional methods. Furthermore, in terms of sustained benefits, FC-TBL demonstrated a marked improvement in the learning outcomes of subsequent related courses.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this study underscores the efficacy of FC-TBL in fostering both immediate and lasting learning effects, positioning it as a promising pedagogical model for adoption in laboratory instruction across various medical education disciplines.

The impact of a curriculum-based research training program on medical students' research productivity and future research interests: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Incorporating scientific research into undergraduate medical education is necessary for the quality of future health care. However, providing rigorous research training to a large number of medical students at one institution remains one of the major challenges. The authors studied the impact of a curriculum-based Research Training Program (RTP) for all undergraduate students at Zhejiang University School of Medicine (ZUSM) on research productivity and future research interests.

METHODS

Medical students (n = 2,213) from ZUSM who completed the course of RTP between 2013 and 2020 were studied. The authors measured the academic performance, research publications, and research projects of students across years, and evaluated potential factors that contribute to student research productivity and increased interest in future research.

RESULTS

Across the years, there was an increase in the number of student publications, a greater proportion of students with publications, and a greater proportion of projects involving three or more students (P < .01 for all). The academic performance of the course was associated with increased publications (P = .014), whereas overall satisfaction of the course (OR 2.07, 95% CI [1.39, 3.10], P < .001), Skill Composite Score (SCS) (OR 1.70, 95% CI [1.16, 2.50], P = .007), and male gender (OR 1.50, 95% CI [1.06, 2.12], P = .022) were associated with increased future research interests.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that the curriculum-based RTP improved students' research productivity, and that overall program satisfaction and self-assessed performance were associated with increased students' intent to participate in future research.

The effect of modified team-based learning method on the knowledge and skills of medical emergency personnel: a clinical trial

Background

Trauma is one of the most important issues and problems considered in most countries in today's modern and industrial society. Since pre-hospital care is the first component of a trauma care system, if done properly, it can reduce the problems associated with long-term disability and death due to trauma. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the impact of training based on a modified team-based learning (TBL) method on the skills of medical emergency personnel in managing trauma patients in 2022.

Materials and methods

The present study was a two-group clinical before/after study in which 96 technicians were selected using a stratified random sampling method. The sample members were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. In the intervention group, skills for dealing with trauma patients were taught through a modified team-based learning method. The results were analyzed using SPSS software version 21.

Results

The results of the repeated measures analysis of variance showed a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in learning skills for dealing with trauma patients (P<0.001), which were determined by examining the effect of test repetition and the effect of interaction. The changes in the studied variables in the TBL groups were significantly greater than those in the control group (P<0.001).

Conclusion

The results indicate that training based on the modified team-based learning method is effective for the management of trauma patients by medical emergency personnel and improves the readiness of personnel in this field.

Analysis of ten-year teaching evaluation of oral microbiology lab curriculum

BACKGROUND

Based on the updated teaching philosophy of oral microbiology, Wuhan University School of Stomatology initiated a reform in the teaching of oral microbiology in 2009. As part of this reform, an oral microbiology laboratory course was introduced to cultivate students' fundamental skills, professional competence, comprehensive abilities, and innovation capabilities through experimental design. This paper provides thorough examination of the teaching experiment findings from 2013 to 2022, a ten-year timeframe, building on earlier data.

METHODS

The curriculum targets fourth-year undergraduate students in a five-year program and adopts a cooperative learning approach. The experimental teaching mainly involves four parts: plaque collection and processing, isolation and cultivation of dental plaque bacteria, staining and biochemical identification of dental plaque bacteria. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the student experiment results from 2013 to 2022. Statistical analysis was conducted using the chi-square test to assess whether there were any differences in students' experimental grades between different years. A significance level of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of teaching methods and educational systems on improving students' practical skills and overall innovative abilities.

RESULTS

The performance of 664 undergraduate students showed improvement in the oral microbiology laboratory course, with a noticeable decrease in the proportion of "C" grades in Experiments 2, 3, and 4 compared to Experiment 1. These results indicate that the laboratory course enhanced students' academic achievements, aiding their understanding and mastery of course content, and received positive feedback from the students.

CONCLUSION

This lab curriculum, through systematic laboratory teaching and practical experience, contributes to the enhancement of students' professional skills and research abilities. It fosters students' interest in scientific research and improves the quality of dental education.

Comparison of the impact of team-based learning and lecture-based learning on nursing students' core competencies: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

This study aims to evaluate the effect of team-based learning on the core competence of nursing students compared with traditional teaching methods.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, team-based learning has been widely used as a learning and teaching method in the world. Not only the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes, but also the core competence is necessary to cope with various clinical situations for nursing students. However, the effect of this new teaching method on core competence of nursing students is not consistent.

DESIGN

The study was designed according to the preferred reporting entries guidelines statement for systematic reviews and meta-analyses and population, intervention, comparison, outcome and study.

METHODS

Data were collected from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Scopus. The quality of studies was assessed using "The Newcastle Ottawa scale". A random-effect model of meta-analyses was conducted to generate pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) for core competence using Rev Man 5.4.1 software and STATASE 15. Moreover, subgroup, heterogeneity, sensitivity and publication bias analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 14 articles with 1942 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with the traditional pedagogy among nursing students, team-based learning pedagogy significantly increased theoretical performance, professional effects (self-directed learning ability and communication ability) but did not affect practice skills. In addition, one study found that learning attitudes were not improved in students with high or low academic performance. This might mean that the teaching model should be implemented for a long time, which essentially changed students' learning attitudes to improve students' self-directed learning ability and core competence, especially for students with low scores.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, findings indicated that team-based learning pedagogical approaches might be beneficial to improve teaching quality in nursing education. However, practice skills might not be sensitive to team-based learning because of the seriation of the original course. Nursing educators need to explore teaching strategies to cultivate high-quality nursing talents to cultivate nursing students with core competence and ensure that they are successfully qualified for new employment.

A comparative study on the effectiveness of online and in-class team-based learning on student performance and perceptions in virtual simulation experiments

BACKGROUND

The swift transition to online teaching in medical education has presented the challenge of replicating in-class engagement and interaction essential for active learning. Despite online team-based learning (TBL) offering potential solutions through structured cooperative activities, its efficacy in virtual simulation experiment courses remains scantily researched. This study investigates the effectiveness of online TBL for teaching virtual patient experiments in a basic medical laboratory course and contrasts it with traditional offline teaching in terms of student performance and perceptions.

METHODS

A comparative analysis involved 179 Year 3 medical students using online TBL, face-to-face TBL (FTF-TBL), and the flipped classroom (FC) approach. The learning outcomes were assessed based on experiment reports, IRAT scores, TRAT scores, and final exam performance. Students' perceptions of both online and in-class TBL methodologies were also surveyed.

RESULTS

Both online and in-class TBL groups demonstrated comparable academic outcomes and surpassed the FC group in academic performance. Students displayed a marked preference for the TBL format (whether online or in-class), valuing its enhancement of learning interest and practical knowledge application. Nevertheless, refinements in discussion efficiency, platform convenience, and student-instructor interaction were indicated as potential areas of improvement in the online setting.

CONCLUSIONS

Online TBL, along with its in-class counterpart, showed superior academic performance and a more positive learning experience compared to the FC group. These findings underscore the potential of online TBL in adapting to modern pedagogical challenges and enriching medical education through virtual simulation experiments.

The application of flipped classroom combined with team-based learning in the orthopedic clinical teaching

BACKGROUND

Medical education has evolved rapidly, with the development of flipped classrooms and team-based learning based on lecture-based learning, but the novel model of combining flipped classrooms with team-based learning has been poorly investigated in orthopedic education.

METHODS

A femoral neck fracture teaching mode was chosen to 109 clinical internship students to explore the effectiveness of flipped classroom combined with team-based learning in internship education. They were enrolled and randomly divided into either the flipped classroom combined with team-based learning group (FTG, n = 55) or the traditional lecture-based classroom group (n = 54). All students completed the learning according to the course flow and took before-class and after-class tests. The questionnaires were used to compare students perceptions and satisfaction with the different teaching methods and were utilized to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the 2 groups.

RESULTS

The post-class test scores of both groups significantly improved compared to pre-class test scores. Regarding the post-class test scores, FTG's was significantly higher than the traditional lecture-based classroom group's, mainly in clinical areas such as imaging analysis, fracture classification, treatment options, and management of postoperative complications, but there was no significant difference in the mastery of basic theoretical knowledge. The students were more satisfied with the FTG and believed that it improved their various competencies, but with significantly more time spent.

CONCLUSION

FTG is generally recognized as a promising option for training clinical interns and is worth spreading as it has outstanding merits in developing students clinical competence.

Effects of BOPPPS combined with TBL in surgical nursing for nursing undergraduates: a mixed-method study

BACKGROUND

Surgical Nursing is a core subject for nursing undergraduates that requires active and effective learning strategies to cultivate students' autonomous learning competencies and critical thinking. The effects of BOPPPS (Bridge-in, Objectives, Pretest, Participatory Learning, Post-test and Summary) model combined with team-based learning (TBL) have rarely been explored in Surgical Nursing courses.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effects of BOPPPS combined with TBL in Surgical Nursing for nursing undergraduates.

METHODS

A mixed research method of quasi-experimental study design and descriptive qualitative research was used. The control group included 27 nursing undergraduates who had finished the Surgical Nursing course using traditional learning. The experimental group included 36 nursing undergraduates were enrolled in to receive the Surgical Nursing course in the teaching mode of BOPPPS combined with TBL. The quantitative data of students' Surgical Nursing final scores, autonomous learning competencies and critical thinking ability of the two groups were collected and compared by t-test. Qualitative results were obtained through semi-structured interviews and data were analyzed by thematic analysis method.

RESULTS

Compared with the traditional learning mode, BOPPPS combined with TBL significantly improved nursing students' final examination scores, autonomous learning competencies and critical thinking ability (p < 0.05). Qualitative results from 14 undergraduate nursing students' interviews were summarized into five themes: (1) stimulating learning interest; (2) improving autonomous learning ability; (3) improving the sense of teamwork; (4) exercising critical thinking; and (5) suggestions for improvement.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of BOPPPS and TBL positively impacted nursing students by improving their autonomous learning competencies and critical thinking ability. The study suggests BOPPPS combined with TBL learning as an effective, alternative learning mode.

Online flipped classroom with team-based learning promoted learning activity in a clinical laboratory immunology class: response to the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Given the rapid development of clinical immunology technologies, students majoring in laboratory medicine should master the technological principles and application of clinical laboratory immunology. However, many are required to take online courses due to COVID-19 restrictions, which highlights the need to revisit teaching strategies. Recently, various medical education courses (such as Biochemistry, Physiology, etc.) have implemented the flipped classroom (FC) and team-based learning (TBL) methods, resulting in more positive teaching evaluations. To promote the students' mastery of the difficult knowledge effectively during the online teaching work, we evaluated the performance of online FC-TBL in a clinical laboratory immunology course.

METHODS

Sixty-two third-year students from two classes majoring in Laboratory Medicine were recruited and divided into two groups, including one group with traditional lecture-based learning teaching strategy (LBL group) and the other group with LBL or online FC combined with TBL teaching strategy (FC-TBL group). We selected three chapters to conduct FC-TBL teaching in class. All participants took in-class quizzes and final examinations that targeted the same knowledge points. Finally, all participants completed anonymous questionnaires asking for their perceptions of the respective teaching models. In addition, we conducted a survey of teaching suggestions by a FC-TBL class of students majoring in Laboratory Medicine.

RESULTS

The FC-TBL group (vs LBL group) had significantly higher scores on the in-class quizzes and final examinations, and also reported high satisfaction with the FC-TBL model. These findings indicate that FC-TBL is suitable for clinical laboratory immunology, as the participants quickly gained essential knowledge. Specifically, FC-TBL helped to "increase learning motivation," "promote self-directed learning skills," "extend more related knowledge," "enhance problem-solving abilities," "enhance clinical reasoning abilities," and "enhance communication skills." For participants' suggestions, 48.38% (15/31) students held positive attitude to FC-TBL teaching strategy compared to 25.81% (8/31) students who considered FC-TBL teaching strategy still needs continuous improvement, and 25.81% (8/31) students reported that they believed FC-TBL teaching strategy was perfect and no further suggestions.

CONCLUSIONS

Online FC-TBL effectively enhanced learning activity among students of a clinical laboratory immunology course. This is particularly useful in the COVID-19 context.