Are Online Synchronous Team-Based-Learning (TBL) pedagogy effective?: Perspectives from a study on medical students in Oman

INTRODUCTION: Team-based learning (TBL) is a highly structured, instructive, and student-focused pedagogy used by medical educators to foster the students’ learning. The present study aimed to qualitatively explore the students’ perception of the effectiveness of online synchronous TBL pedagogical strategy in promoting learning outcomes. METHODS: A cross-over interventional study was conducted on MD4 year medical students, using four modified TBL sessions on common immunological diseases on four different dates. 139 participants were divided into 4 groups [35 each in A, B, C, & 34 in D]. For TBL session 1, Group A and group B were the study and control groups, respectively. For the second session on different topics, the groups were reversed with group B and group A as the study and control groups, respectively. The same was followed for groups C and D. The means and standard deviations of the pre-test and post-test scores were compared after calculating the improvement in scores from pre- to post-tests. Repeated measures ANOVA suitably coded in SPSS for cross-over design was used to find out confounding by sequence of interventions with a p-value of <0.05 signifying the significance. Students’ feedback on online TBL sessions was collected through a predesigned questionnaire on a 3-point Likert scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 and expressed as number and percentage. RESULTS: The post-test scores of the students who participated in the TBL session were significantly higher when compared to the self-study (SS) arm. The overall improvement in scores was 4.98 (1.4) in TBL group, whereas in the SS arm it was only 2.29 (1.51). The new method was found far superior to the self-study method regardless of being applied before or after the comparison mode of self-study (P<0.0001). The scores of the self-study was marginally better when offered first rather than after a TBL session, indicating the negative effect of cross-over on SS mode (P=0.024). The overall response of our students toward the effectiveness of online TBL pedagogy was overwhelmingly positive in terms of an opinion survey which had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.932. The majority (>80%) perceived TBL as an enjoyable active session that promoted their active participation and engagement through student-led discussions. Many stated that TBL enhanced their critical thinking, problem-solving ability, communication skills, and knowledge. CONCLUSION: TBL is an instructive and highly structured teaching-learning strategy, welcomed by the majority of our participants. Online TBL sessions are effective in fostering the students’ learning and can be used confidently when needed.