Enhancing academic engagement through online team-based learning: a longitudinal study in nursing education

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Educational Technology
• Digital Learning

Background:

• Innovative educational methods are needed for online learning environments.
• Team-based learning (TBL) shows potential for engagement but its online effectiveness is underexplored, especially in emergency nursing.
• This study evaluated online TBL's impact on nursing students' academic self-efficacy, immersion, and interest.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the long-term effects of online team-based learning (TBL) on nursing students.
• To compare academic self-efficacy, learning immersion, and learning interest between online TBL and traditional TBL.
• To determine the efficacy of digital platforms in nursing education.

Main Methods:

• 91 nursing students were randomized into an online TBL group (n=46) or a traditional paper-based TBL group (n=45).
• Data were collected using validated questionnaires at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks.
• Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze changes over time.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found at baseline or 4 weeks.
• At 8 weeks, the online TBL group demonstrated significantly higher academic self-efficacy, learning immersion, and learning interest.
• These results suggest that the benefits of digital TBL become apparent over an extended period.

Conclusions:

• Online TBL is an effective method for improving nursing students' academic self-efficacy, engagement, and motivation.
• Digital platforms facilitate real-time collaboration irrespective of geographical constraints.
• Future healthcare education strategies should integrate peer interaction and scaffolded tasks within digital TBL frameworks.