Instilling collaborative and reflective practice in engineers: using a team-based learning strategy to prepare students for working in project teams

Abstract

This case study from the Civil and Environmental Engineering department of a UK university presents an educational design that uses team-based learning (TBL) to prepare students prior to undertaking a group project. Our aim is to show how the established TBL approach can be used in a novel way as a precursor to a group project to improve the achievement of learning outcomes. The purpose of the TBL was to ensure pre-reading was completed, to instil a sense of subject matter mastery, to allow students to discuss complex issues and to develop collaborative and inclusive behaviours. These skills and knowledge were necessary to successfully complete the follow-on group project and importantly for success in their future careers. Student's end of module reflective statements indicated that they positively collaborated and communicated when working on a group project.

Perceptions of team-based learning using the Team-Based Learning Student Assessment Instrument: an exploratory analysis amongst pharmacy and biomedical students in the United Kingdom

“…A systematic literature review documented the use of TBL in the health professions in 23 countries, demonstrating that the number of articles published on TBL increased steadily, tripling between 2011 and 2016 [2]. There is some published literature from the United Kingdom (UK) [3-5]; however, literature on this topic from the UK remains scant in comparison to the global landscape, and hence there is a need to define its use and perception in the context of local demographics.…”

School Factory Education in Optometry Towards Employability

“…When working on a group assignment, students' end-of-module reflective statements revealed that they constructively collaborated and communicated. [4]…”

Team-based learning: an ethnicity-focused study on the perceptions of teamwork abilities of engineering students

“…Unlike other research studies which identified ethnicity as a factor that had caused disempowerment in TBL environments in terms of peers' work adjustment (Cartwright 2015), the observations from our study on a TBL engineering module point out that students consistently adjusted their individual work style to support others regardless of their ethnic background, and for the benefit of the team success in solving the assigned tasks. While the connection between knowledge construction and the social learning environment characterised by the adjustment and support of team members is buoyed by the social-constructivist learning theory (Vygotsky 1980), most of the TBL literature has been focused on providing evidence for improved learning outcomes in different subjects (Haidet, Kubitz et al 2014, Swanson, McCulley et al 2019, particularly across STEM disciplines (Greetham and Ippolito 2018, Parappilly, Woodman et al 2019, Leupen 2020). However, little has been done so far to develop rigorous research to ascertain the factors related to behavioural changes towards working in TBL teams or to the student perceptions of the model and the learning gained from applying it (Preast 2012, Alvarez-Bell, Wirtz et al 2017, Cunha, Amendola et al 2018.…”

“…Insert Figure 1 here TBL has been regarded as an inclusive teaching model in the sense that educators are responsible for creating diverse, long-term teams of five to seven students characterised by mixed genders, ethnicities, home countries and academic abilities; these differences often reported to be the driver to the team success (Greetham and Ippolito 2018). Furthermore, Michaelsen et al claimed that TBL closes the attainment gap commonly observed between White and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students (Michaelsen, Sweet et al 2008), although this statement has been challenged (Cartwright 2017).…”

“…More recently, researchers postulated that active learning methodologies, such as TBL, positively affect student well-being, therefore enhancing their cognitive learning (Ballen, Wieman et al 2017). Regardless of the differences in learning outcomes exhibited by TBL students, this educational model still allows for a more inclusive learning environment when compared to more conventional teaching methodologies (Lane 2008, Chao and Pardy 2014, Greetham and Ippolito 2018. ).…”