Abstract
Background: Team-based learning (TBL) is a collaborative teaching and learning strategy emphasizing student engagement and application of knowledge.
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to compare the differences in scores on pharmacology course final and standardized criterion-referenced examinations between students taught in a traditional lecture-based approach and those taught under the TBL approach.
Methods: Using a before-and-after design, 338 prelicensure students were taught pharmacology using either a traditional lecture-based approach or a TBL approach.
Results: Significant differences on course final and standardized examination scores were found between the groups, with students taught using TBL scoring higher than students in the traditional lecture-based group.
Conclusions: Team-based learning had a positive impact on learning outcomes. Moreover, TBL may be a more efficient approach to teaching, as students in the TBL group had only 3 credit hours of content versus students in the traditional lecture-based group, who had 4 credit hours.