Team-Based Learning in Prosthodontics Courses: Students’ Satisfaction

Abstract

The goal of this cross-sectional observational study was to assess dental students’ satisfaction regarding team-based learning (TBL) methodology in prosthodontics courses taught at College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Saudi Arabia. Undergraduate dental students at second, third, fourth, and fifth years were taught prosthodontics courses through traditional and TBL pedagogies. TBL sessions consisted of preparation, readiness assurance, and application. At the end of each prosthodontics course, the students were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire that was divided into four sections to assess the effect of TBL on the following parameters: information acquisition, interpersonal skills improvement, classroom environment, and the students-instructors interaction. The responses of the questionnaire followed the Likert scoring method (scaled from 1 to 5). The t-test and ANOVA statistical analyses were performed using SPSS. Results. The response rate to the questionnaire was 86%. There were a significant relationship and correlation between TBL pedagogy and student satisfaction (P values ≤ 0.05) for all levels. The means of the responses for the second and fifth years were 4.36 and 4.56, respectively, where the means for the third and fourth years were 3.54 and 3.59, respectively. The parameter notably affected by TBL was interpersonal skills enhancement. All students strongly agreed that TBL enhances personal flexibility and boosts their self-esteem. Conclusion. Students showed positive perceptions about TBL pedagogy in terms of active engagement, knowledge acquisition, and improvement of interpersonal skills leading to more efficient learning outcome.