Introducing Team-Based Learning in a Pharmacy Curriculum: A Qualitative Study of Staff and Student Experiences

There is an increasing move towards an outcomes-based approach to educating healthcare professionals including the development of key skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking. Some healthcare regulators have changed accreditation criteria to ensure that graduates can apply knowledge and skills, analyse complex situations, and develop the skills to learn independently. There is a move to ensure that curricula are designed to take into account modern educational theory and research and promote active and deep approaches to learning. Accordingly, educators have redesigned curricula to be delivered by more learner-centred approaches involving active problem solving and peer and collaborative learning. These approaches require educators to adapt from the role of content deliverer to that of learning architect and facilitator of learning. This qualitative research study takes a phenomenological approach to consider the experiences of pharmacy educators and students in a pharmacy school that has designed its curriculum to be delivered predominantly by team-based learning (TBL). The findings of the study include: a dissatisfaction with traditional methods in engaging and motivating students; mixed feelings about the initial idea of TBL; the need for substantial resources for planning, staff training, designing and quality assuring resources when transitioning to TBL; improved student engagement and student preparation with TBL; staff benefits in working more collaboratively and enhanced enjoyment of teaching using TBL; perceived benefits of peer learning and transferable skills development; substantially higher staff workload during transition; challenges in writing effective application exercises, and developing the facilitation skills needed for a learner-centred classroom. In addition there is the need for substantial planning around timetabling, sourcing suitable rooms, ensuring consistency of approach across educators, and the development of bespoke quality assurance processes. Overall this research suggests that the majority of participants supported the implementation of TBL in the curriculum and that the benefits outweighed the challenges.