Undergraduate Medical Students’ Views on Team-Based Learning (TBL)

ABSTRACT Team-Based Learning (TBL) is an educational strategy based on active learning which has become an important alternative pedagogical proposal in the context of teaching methods used in medical education. The aim of this study was to evaluate students’ perceptions about the use of the TBL methodology in Medical School and to analyze the different aspects of the application of this teaching method. A specific questionnaire was applied to the students with 8 questions and dichotomized answers (Likert scale with 5 items). During the month of June 2017 second and fourth year undergraduate medical students underwent several sessions of teaching with the TBL method at the Municipal University of São Caetano do Sul (USCS) with focus on the following themes: sepsis; trauma; leukemia; colorectal cancer; and lung cancer. The sample was calculated on 193 participants considering a relative precision of 10% and a statistical significance of 5% for an estimate of 70% of positive responses (strongly agree and agree) to the statement “This TBL had a positive impact on my learning”. The analysis was performed with descriptive statistics and the relative and absolute frequencies of responses with a 95% confidence interval for each estimated point. The use of the method was perceived as positive in aspects of preference (regarding the traditional expository class), motivation, satisfaction and learning. TBL stood out as an excellent pedagogical method for learning among medical students. One of the advantages was the ability to develop skills in clinical reasoning and the possibility of building knowledge with its practical use. The active method was thus found to be an important methodological alternative when compared to the traditional method.