Using Team-Based Learning to Liven Up Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training for Biomedical Science Graduate Students and Postdocs
Wayne T. McCormack, Ph.D.1 & Cynthia W. Garvan, Ph.D.2
1Dept. of Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine and Office of Graduate Education, College of Medicine
2Dept. of Educational Psychology, College of Education
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
Background: The focus of team-based learning (TBL) on problem-solving and integration of information has tremendous potential but has not been widely explored for improving biomedical science graduate education or postdoctoral training. TBL was implemented in a responsible conduct of research (RCR) course for biomedical science graduate students, which was also attended by a small number of postdoctoral fellows. The TBL experience was assessed by retrospective comparison of learner course evaluations.
Description: RCR training is often done via lectures, which students find to be dry and boring. A new course was developed in 2004 to include six faculty-led small group discussions to accompany 6 lectures and assigned reading from an on-line textbook (“ORI Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research” by Nicholas H. Steneck). In 2006 TBL sessions replaced the small group discussions. Student feedback from course evaluations was compared before (2004-2005) and after (2006-2009) implementation of TBL.
Evaluation: For the two evaluation questions common to all years, overall course ratings and ratings of the textbook were slightly improved after implementation of TBL. Before TBL many faculty members were involved in leading discussions, with different group experiences and a tendency by some faculty to revert to “mini-lectures” rather than facilitate student discussion. Class discussions were, however, recognized by students as being more enjoyable and more valuable for learning than lectures. After TBL implementation a majority of students preferred TBL over other small group teaching methods experienced in our curriculum. Students spent more time each year preparing for class. A majority of respondents agreed that TBL resulted in more interaction and that they could learn better in TBL compared to other small group settings.
Conclusion: Based on student feedback, TBL appears to improve overall student satisfaction with RCR training. Based on our experiences using TBL in RCR and basic science courses, we suggest that implementation of TBL in graduate education may improve application and problem-solving skills, generate enthusiasm in the classroom, and promote collaboration and teamwork among graduate students.
