Validation of TBL-PBL Teaching Model in Energy Metabolism and Internal Environment System Curriculum

Abstract BACKGROUND Energy Metabolism and Internal Environment System (EMIES) is a crucial curriculum in the organ-system integrated medical courses for students in the MD-PhD program of Xiangya School of Medicine at Central South University in China. The combination of Team Based Learning (TBL) and Problem Based Learning (PBL) forms a new case-based teaching model so that students can cooperatively participate in case discussions using multi-disciplinary knowledge. The aim of this study is to utilize TBL-PBL teaching model in EMIES curriculum, and assess the feedback on teaching arrangement, effectiveness and the academic performance of students. METHODS This is a single institution, two-year study that includes two cohorts of students who participated in two training paradigms, traditional teaching model and TBL-PBL teaching modal. The MD-PhD students enrolled in 2016 (n = 100) were selected for traditional teaching model, students enrolled in 2017 (n = 100) were selected for TBL-PBL teaching model, in which the learning contents were remodeled and integrated with simulated cases, taught by an interprofessional team. After completing the curriculmn, all students were surveyed on their feedbacks about group teaching arrangement and teaching effectiveness. Academic performance were also assesses by post-session quizzes, periodical tests and the final exams. RESULTS The survey results revealed that in the TBL-PBL teaching group, the percentage of students who thought that the teaching objectives were challenging reached 94%. Meanwhile, for the traditional teaching group, the percentage of students who thought likewise were 84%. The percentage of students in the TBL-PBL group who thought that the innovative teaching mode rendered helpful in consolidating basic medical knowledge structure (89% vs. 78%), promoted student overall thinking skills (94% vs. 84%), communication skills (93% vs. 82%), teamwork skills (95% vs. 82%) and professional abilities (89% vs. 84%) outweighed the traditional teaching group to a significant degree. The academic performance in the TBL-PBL group was improved evidenced by higher class scores (85.52 vs. 80.34), excellence rate (51% vs. 49%) and qualification rate (100% vs. 92%). CONCLUSION The TBL-PBL teaching model improved academic performance, yielded higher student satisfaction and engagement. This innovative teaching model can be used as an alternative to traditional model for medical courses.