Class Size and Student Performance in a Team-Based Learning Course.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience Education
• Active Learning Strategies
• Higher Education Pedagogy

Background:

• Large university courses often lead to reduced student engagement, motivation, and satisfaction.
• Students in high-enrollment classes report feelings of isolation and decreased faculty interaction.
• Active learning methods are explored to mitigate negative impacts of large class sizes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) in large undergraduate neuroscience courses.
• To assess the impact of enrollment size on student performance and classroom environment in a TBL setting.
• To determine if TBL can maintain student learning outcomes and engagement in scaled-up courses.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of student performance on summative assessments (exams) across different enrollment sizes (19-103 students).
• Collection and analysis of survey data on classroom environment and course characteristics.
• Comparison of outcomes between lower and higher enrollment terms of the same TBL course.

Main Results:

• Student performance on exams remained consistent across all enrollment sizes.
• Most measures of classroom dynamics and course characteristics showed no significant differences based on class size.
• Higher enrollment course terms received decreased ratings for overall course quality compared to lower enrollment terms.

Conclusions:

• Team-based learning in undergraduate neuroscience courses can maintain student content knowledge acquisition regardless of enrollment size.
• While course quality perceptions may decrease with size, TBL preserves key aspects of the learning environment and academic outcomes.
• TBL serves as an effective pedagogical approach for delivering engaging and successful learning experiences in large-scale university courses.