TEAM BASED LEARNING: ESSENTIAL ASPECTS FOR STUDENTS IN A NUTSHELL- A MUST KNOW

Team-based learning (TBL) is an instructional strategy developed in the business school environment in the early 1990s by Larry K. Michaelsen, Professor of Management and Business Communication, University of Oklahoma, who wanted the benefits of small group learning within large classes. Team-based learning is a form of cooperative learning. TBL, an approach first developed to facilitate active learning in large undergraduate classes, but which has subsequently proven to be effective in a wide range of instructional settings. TBL has also been shown to reduce faculty burnout by promoting increased student responsibility, engagement in the learning process, and increased opportunities for positive teacher-student interactions. A key feature is multiple-choice questions that students take individually and then re-take as a team. TBL is very different from teaching methods in that there is no need for many faculty or rooms as in case of problem based learning (PBL), students must come prepared to sessions and individual and small groups of students (teams) are highly accountable for their contributions to team productivity. TBL is one of the teaching methods where teacher becomes guide on the side and effective implementation depends on teachers for its success. Also to be noted that TBL gives equal opportunity to high performers and low performers to interact and improve upon.