Impact of two methods for assigning groups in a team-based learning self-care course.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacotherapy education
• Team-based learning
• Educational strategies

Background:

• Team formation strategies significantly impact academic performance and dynamics.
• Previous research shows varied results on intentional vs. randomized team formation.
• The effectiveness of specific criteria in intentional team formation remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of intentional versus randomized team formation on student performance and perceptions.
• To compare outcomes in a semester-long self-care pharmacotherapy course utilizing team-based learning.

Main Methods:

• Students were intentionally assigned to teams in Fall 2018 and randomly assigned in Fall 2019.
• Performance was measured by team readiness assessment tests (TRATs).
• Student perceptions of team dynamics were evaluated via questionnaires.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in TRAT scores were found between intentional (99.8%) and randomized (99.9%) cohorts.
• Questionnaire response rates were 85.7% (intentional) and 77.9% (randomized).
• No significant differences were observed between cohorts for any questionnaire items.

Conclusions:

• Intentional team formation using community pharmacy experience did not yield significant differences in performance or perceptions compared to randomization.
• Random assignment is an efficient strategy for forming teams in single-semester courses.
• Randomization does not negatively impact team performance or perceptions of team dynamics.