Student perceptions of team learning in nursing education

Nurse educators are challenged to find instructional methods that actively engage learners and help students understand concepts for application in practice situations. During the 2003-2004 academic year, faculty implemented team learning in a first-semester clinical nursing course in a baccalaureate nursing program at a Research I state university in the southwestern United States. Team learning engages small groups in learning tasks that require problem solving and decision making. Student perceptions about team learning were evaluated using classroom observations and interviews. The results verified that team learning predominantly promotes learner-to-learner engagement and indicated that students struggled with application problems that had several plausible answers yet recognized the relevance to clinical practice. Students appreciated the need for increased individual accountability for learning and identified value in learning through discussion, both characteristics inherent to team learning. Students were concerned about their team learning grade and its dependence on group performance.