Team-Based Learning

To facilitate learning, team-based learning (TBL) relies on small-group interactions, perhaps more heavily than any other instructional strategy in postsecondary education. This conclusion is based on three facts. First, with TBL, group work is central to both exposing students to and enhancing their ability to apply the course content. Second, with TBL, the vast majority of class time is used for group work. Third, courses taught with TBL typically involve multiple group assignments that [Page 1534]are specifically designed and sequenced to promote both learning and the development of self-managed learning teams.

Figure 1 Team-Based Learning Instructional Activity Sequence (Repeated for Each Major Instructional Unit, i.e., 5–7 per course)

Source: The earliest version of Figure 1 originally appeared in Michaelsen, L. K., Knight, A. B., & Fink, L. ...