Research and Scholarship: Team-Based Learning in Health Professions Education

Team-based learning (TBL) was developed and refined through a trial-and-error process that spanned more than twenty years. This process was guided by theory and empirical research on small-group dynamics, but many of the individual refinements that are part of the method today grew out of the direct observations and classroom experiences of Larry Michaelsen and the early users of TBL. There are characteristics of health professions education settings that may represent new ground for the application of TBL. This chapter reviews published scholarly work that has been done about TBL and its use in health professions education. Next, to make explicit relationships observed in the literature, it presents a conceptual model to help guide ongoing and future research about TBL. The chapter details a case example to illustrate how one can create opportunities for scholarly work in his or her own experimentation with the method.