Dr Sophia Tan | Snr Assistant Director, Centre for Teaching, Learning & Pedagogy, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

In this video, we chat with Dr Sophia Tan from Nanyang Technological University, SIngapore, about team-based learning (TBL) and its relationship to interdisciplinary learning and student feedback on teaching, based on her experiences supporting faculty development.

Using Larry Mickelson's team-based learning approach as a footing for the discussion, Sophia unpacks TBL as a collaborative form of learning in small groups that follows a very specific structure. She explains how it addresses a core dilemma in higher education of how to embed collaborative learning methods in large classes, in order to overcome the passive learning approach of lectures and keep students active and engaged.

Expanding on this notion of flipped learning, Sophia explains how a TBL structure to classes enables students to perform deeper, higher-level thinking and analysis in-the-moment, as opposed to delaying this process to an after-class setting, as witnessed in traditional classroom approaches.

Sophia also points to TBL’s strength in advancing feedback - peer instruction and peer feedback in particular - to foreshadow the skills students will need in their professional lives. Furthermore, the need for a system of feedback that doesn’t eclipse individual evaluation within the group mentality and promotes self-reflection is also raised, in addition to a feedback loop that allows students to feedback on teaching and learning efficacy to ensure no one is left behind.

Finally, Sophia discusses the many challenges to executing on TBL, including the fast pace of learning content, mediating group dynamics, and promoting understanding within interdisciplinary groups.

How can educators use team-based learning in the most effective, scalable way to better engage learners and fulfil learning objectives? Watch the video for Sophia’s advice.

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