In January 2022 ESSB starts with the innovation project “Transition to Team Based Learning: Innovation Bachelor 3 Clinical Psychology” (Project coordinator: Susan van Rijen). With the support of the CLI (Community for Learning and Innovation) Team-based Learning will be introduced within multiple courses given in the bachelor Clinical Psychology. Lecturers will receive guidance in restructuring their course and at the end of the project the ESSB will do research concerning the effectiveness of this teaching method. Janneke de Jong, Learning & Innovation consultant for ESSB, talks you through the project.
Why did you choose for Team-based Learning?
At this moment we face the problem within the Clinical Psychology bachelor that we have a large number of students, but we still want to be able to provide small scale education. Team-based Learning was a solution to this problem where we didn’t have to alter the current course overview much. The education method is familiar to the method that is used currently (problem driven education), where students will be able to learn by discussing assignments using these discussions to teach themselves and each other.
What are the biggest challenges within the Team-based Learning method?
Currently students are used to Problem Driven education, where they are able to determine their own education goals within the course using guiding questions. Team-based Learning changes the process: teachers determine the learning goals and using problem solving you work towards these goals. We notice that it is sometimes hard for students and teachers to get used to this way of education.
Could Team-based Learning be a good solution in the search for more sustainable education?
Team-based Learning is a very structured education method to guide people to learn certain education goals. By allowing students to first answer an assignment of 10 – 15 questions by themselves to test their own knowledge and repeating this after with a group of other students this teaching method is very useful to learn different kinds of information. There has been done a lot of research concerning Team-based Learning and if it is an effective learning method to teach different kinds of skills, concluding it was almost always a strong learning strategy. Also this method is beneficial to people who identify themselves as life-long learners.
Can you give an example of a Team-based Learning assignment which is developed within the bachelor Clinical Psychology?
An example can be given from the course Depression, which is currently being developed. Students first have to learn basic knowledge concerning the subject (what is a depression and what are the ways of treating a patient), this knowledge will be tested using tests. After they have finished these tests they have to develop a treating method for the patient with a group. Due to the nature of this question being open it produces a lot of discussion within the group, this will be beneficial for the learning process of each group member.
Maybe this teaching method will be more suitable for your faculty than others due to questions within your program often being open for interpretation. What are your views concerning this?
There are a lot of examples where Team-based Learning is currently used to learn within courses that have naturally closed answers. A good example is the course Anatomy within medicine studies. Anatomy is a course with little to no room for discussion due to the answer to questions simply being right or wrong. However it may be hard for students to master every subgroup within Anatomy therefore the group as a whole will almost always know more about every subject then the students individually. By constantly repeating knowledge and complement each other on knowledge they will all gain from this learning process.
What is your vision on free riding and what is the best way to deal with this problem?
The problem of free riding is largely born from the course demanding a definitive group project at the end of the learning program which it uses for grading the students. With the use of this method it is better to find a different way of grading. Within the Team-based Learning method it is also possible to set up co-working contracts to motivate student to not only follow the rules, but also correct others who don’t. To further discourage free riding every group has a team leader who has to bring forward and explains the group’s solution to the presented problem. This motivates students to keep their knowledge up to date and actively participate in the group work. Of course getting used to this way of teaching is a process and students will become better at it when it is used multiple times within the bachelor.
How do certain Corona restrictions, which can have an effect on the ability to provide face-to-face learning, influence the effectiveness of Team-based Learning?
Especially during these circumstances where face-to-face learning is sometimes more difficult Team-based learning is an excellent teaching method. Students who have to actively discuss about the subject in breakout rooms will be more actively using their knowledge and obtaining new information then students looking at a long presentation about the subject. This is why for us as a faculty it is a particularly interesting way of teaching during the current situation.
How does the way of putting together groups influence the effectiveness of Team-based Learning?
Currently we will continue to use the most common way of putting together groups which is to randomly compose them. The large benefit this provides is that you won’t face groups where cluster forming within the group (due to people already knowing each other) is a large problem. Cluster forming can negatively influence motivation and willingness to share within the group, therefore random assembly is considered better for effectiveness. We also believe it is beneficial for students to sometimes get in a position they usually wouldn’t.
What is the future of Team-based Learning within the EUR?
Students will use Team-based Learning to create and share knowledge together and using each other’s knowledge to fill up their own lacking information. This is the reason this learning method matches perfectly with one of the core values of the EUR, interdisciplinary education. Team-based Learning can also offer a solution to provide large number of students with personal and small scale education. From my perspective it is a learning method that fits with EUR values and the ambition to provide sustainable education.