Preclinical medical student satisfaction of Team-based learning in Chiang Mai University

Abstract

Introduction: Global medical and healthcare education systems are increasingly adopting team-based learning (TBL). TBL is an interactive teaching programme for improving the performance, clinical knowledge, and communication skills of students. The aim of this study is to report the learning experience and satisfaction of participants with the TBL programme in the preclinical years of the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University. Methods: Following the implementation of TBL in the academic year 2022, we asked 387 preclinical medical students, consisting of 222 Year 2 and 165 Year 3 medical students who attended the TBL class to voluntarily complete a self-assessment survey. Results: Overall, 95.35% of the students were satisfied with the structure of the TBL course and agreed to attend the next TBL class. The overall satisfaction score was also high (4.44 ± 0.627). In addition, the students strongly agreed that the TBL programme improved their communication skills (4.50 ± 0.796), learning improvement (4.41 ± 0.781), and enthusiasm for learning (4.46 ± 0.795). Conclusion: The survey findings indicated that students valued TBL-based learning since it enabled them to collaborate and embrace learning while perhaps enhancing their study abilities. However, since this is a pilot study, further investigations are warranted.

Keywords

• team-based learning
• small group interaction
• medical education
• implementation