Does Team‐Based Learning Have a Positive Effect on Student Learning Outcomes in a Medical Developmental Anatomy Course?

Team‐based learning (TBL), a version of the flipped classroom, has been well supported over traditional didactic lecture and is a widely used teaching method aimed to encourage active student participation in the learning process via a three‐step format: individual pre‐class preparation, in‐class readiness assurance testing, and application‐focused exercises. Many fields of health‐related professional education have incorporated this teaching strategy. This year, the course instructor decided to fully integrate TBL into the Developmental Anatomy (DA) course at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. DA is a 2‐credit hour course that has followed a flipped classroom model and is integrated with Gross Anatomy. In the past few years, students have been provided with online self‐study modules to review on their own time before attending optional interactive review sessions using clickers. The review sessions were a chance for students to assess their knowledge and exam readiness. The goal of using TBL is not only to help facilitate an active learning environment, but also to create a system in which students are encouraged to review material in a timely, evenly‐distributed manner. With the introduction of TBL, sessions are no longer optional and contribute 10% to the students' overall grade in the course. The authors of this paper intend to describe the use of a newly implemented, modified‐form of TBL in the classroom and its effects on current student exam results as compared to those of the previous year. Modifications of the official TBL format had to be made. These alterations include: 50‐minute pre‐scheduled sessions when longer sessions are typically suggested for effective TBL and the non‐traditional use of Turning Technology “clickers” rather than paper for both individual (IRAT) and team readiness assurance tests (TRAT) to reduce paper consumption and increase grading efficiency. Prior to the start of the term, the authors composed ten USMLE style clinical vignette questions based primarily on module and course objectives for use during the TBL sessions. The authors determined what topics to focus on by reviewing previous exams for questions missed by 30% or more of the class. Preliminary analysis of the data shows that when comparing exam question results, student performance significantly increased when the questions had been included in the TBL activity than when they were used during the interactive review session. Moreover, decrease in the Point Bi‐Serial value suggests that students in the lower quartiles might benefit more from these TBL sessions. Final outcomes will be determined following the conclusion of the term. The authors hypothesize that there will be a statistically significant improvement in learning outcomes in comparison to the previous year. Support or Funding Information University of Mississippi Medical Center Department of Anatomy