Best Practice Guide for Designing and Delivering EPICUR courses

Guidance and resources to support EPICUR course development, cc-by-sa

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Team-based Learning (TBL)

Team-based Learning (TBL)

Why Team-based Learning (TBL)?

TBL is an instructional strategy designed to deepen students’ learning and teach students to collaborate (“Team-Based Learning,” 2022). It fosters learning by collaboration and social engagement. The team aspect makes students interdependent, which can increase motivation and sense of responsibility for active participation (“Team Based Learning,” 2024).

5 key points about TBL in-person or online

  1. Team Structure: Teams are composed of 5-7 students, which allows for effective collaboration and participation (Roossien et al., 2022).
  2. Foster Interaction: TBL relies heavily on interaction, so ensure that the teaching environment is conducive to this. In-person, use small group tables, while online, set up breakout rooms to facilitate group work (“Online Education: Team-Based Learning at ACTA,” 2023).
  3. Consistent Team Membership: Students stay in the same teams for an extended period, giving everyone the opportunity to take on roles such as spokesperson or chair, which encourages leadership and accountability (“Online Education: Team-Based Learning at ACTA,” 2023).
  4. Teacher as Coach: During the final phase of TBL, the teacher’s role shifts to coaching and providing support. Instead of answering questions directly, encourage teams to respond to one another (“Online Team-Based Learning (TBL),” 2023).
  5. Time Management: Be mindful of the time, especially during the discussion phase, which should ideally take up half of the session. Additionally, ensure there is sufficient time for a proper closure at the end (Gullo et al., 2015).

TBL  in practice

TBL is divided into three key phases:

  1. Preparation Phase: In this phase, students individually build their understanding of the subject by completing structured tasks, such as assigned readings or learning modules. These tasks provide the foundational knowledge needed for the next phase of TBL.

  2. Readiness Assurance Phase: This phase focuses on reinforcing and assessing the knowledge gained during preparation. It involves two tests to promote retention through repeated retrieval:
    a.  Individual Readiness Assurance Test (iRAT): Students take this test on their own to assess their understanding of the key concepts.
    b.  Team Readiness Assurance Test (tRAT): After the individual test, students take the same test as a team, allowing them to discuss and deepen their collective understanding of the material.

  3. Application Phase: In the final phase, students collaborate on an application exercise that challenges them to apply their knowledge to real-world problems. These exercises encourage in-depth discussion and promote deep learning. Afterward, teams present and justify their solutions to the class, while other students ask critical questions. The teacher then concludes by discussing best practice answers (Roossien et al., 2022).

Links to TBL resources

for in-person classes:

for online classes:

  • https://www.teambasedlearning.org/

References

Gullo, C., Ha, T. C., & Cook, S. (2015). Twelve tips for facilitating team-based learning. Medical Teacher, 37(9), 819-824.

Online Education: Team-Based Learning at ACTA. (2023, December 4). UvA Teaching and Learning Centres (TLC).
https://tlc.uva.nl/en/article/online-education-team-based-learning-at-acta/?faculty=55

Online Team Based Learning (TBL). (2023, January 5). UvA Teaching and Learning Centres (TLC).
https://tlc.uva.nl/article/online-team-based-learning-tbl/

Roossien, L., Boerboom, T. B. B., Spaai, G. W. G., & de Vos, R. (2022). Team-based learning (TBL): Each phase matters! An empirical study to explore the importance of each phase of TBL. Medical Teacher, 44(10), 1125–1132.

Swanson, E., McCulley, L. V., Osman, D. J., Scammacca Lewis, N., & Solis, M. (2019). The effect of team-based learning on content knowledge: A meta-analysis. Active learning in higher education, 20(1), 39-50.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2022.2064736

Team-Based Learning. (2022, June 28). UvA Teaching and Learning Centres (TLC).
https://tlc.uva.nl/article/onderzoek-in-de-schijnwerper-team-based-learning/

Team Based Learning. (2024, August 15). VU Centre for Teaching & Learning.
https://vu.nl/en/employee/didactics/team-based-learning

Interactive Approaches

Author(s)

This resource sheet has been co-written or written by

  • Jacqui Edwards (UvA)
  • Imme Roosje (UvA)

Related Resource Sheets

Next steps

If you need further support with developing your course, please contact your local teaching support unit.
If you need further information on offering your course for EPICUR, please contact your EPICUR institutional coordinator.

Local teaching support units

EPICUR Institutional Coordinators

Adam Mickiewicz University
Karolina Choczaj
karmench@amu.edu.pl

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Nikos Kouloussis
nikoul@agro.auth.gr

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Michael Zacherle
zacherle@kit.edu

University of Amsterdam
Tiffany Boersma
t.a.boersma@uva.nl

Universität Freiburg
Charlotte Langowski
charlotte.langowski@zv.uni-freiburg.de

Université de Haute-Alsace
Léa Ziri
lea.ziri@uha.fr

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Nicolas Fries
nicolas.fries@boku.ac.at

University of Southern Denmark
Ida Thøstesen
ilt@sdu.dk

University of Strasbourg
Pascale Nachez
pnachez@unistra.fr

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Further use as OER explicitly permitted:
This Resource Sheet within the Best Practice Guide for Designing and Delivering EPICUR Courses was created by Jacqui Edwards and Imme Roosje, University of Amsterdam.
Please attribute according to TASLL rule as follows: Team-based Learning (TBL) (Best Practice Guide for Designing and Delivering EPICUR Courses), by Jacqui Edwards and Imme Roosje, University of Amsterdam. Any icons included are protected by copyright, © The Noun Project, used with permission.
License: This work and its contents are – unless otherwise stated – licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . 

Last edited: 15. Jan 2026, 15:07, Hutz-Nierhoff, Dorthe [dh1076@rz.uni-freiburg.de]