Effectiveness of Team-Based Learning Compared with Lecture-Based Learning in Clinical Medicine: A Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pedagogy in Health Sciences

Background:

• Traditional lecture-based learning (LBL) is a common method in clinical medical education.
• Team-based learning (TBL) has emerged as an alternative pedagogical approach.
• Evaluating the comparative effectiveness of TBL versus LBL is crucial for optimizing medical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive comparison and evaluation of team-based learning (TBL) and lecture-based learning (LBL) in clinical medical education (CME).
• To systematically review and meta-analyze existing studies on TBL and LBL in clinical medicine.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases until September 20, 2023.
• Nine studies were included after screening, data extraction, and quality assessment.
• Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 17.0 software.

Main Results:

• Team-based learning (TBL) demonstrated superiority over lecture-based learning (LBL) in overall scores (SMD = 0.84).
• Significant improvements were observed with TBL in short-term theoretical scores (SMD = 0.46), practice scores (SMD = 0.88), long-term theoretical scores (SMD = 1.12), and student satisfaction (SMD = 1.13).

Conclusions:

• The team-based learning (TBL) model appears to be superior to the lecture-based learning (LBL) model across all assessed aspects of clinical medical education.
• Further high-quality studies are recommended to confirm these findings and solidify the evidence base for TBL's effectiveness.