Given the complexities of the healthcare system, nurses and other medical providers require critical thinking skills and the ability to work effectively within the healthcare team. Team-based learning (TBL), an experiential learning strategy based on constructivist learning principles, is rapidly gaining popularity in the health sciences worldwide. The proposed initiative would focus on the widespread implementation of TBL and pedagogically sound integration of technology to support student learning. This initiative will help to develop a critical mass of educators within the Faculty of Nursing with knowledge about this innovative experiential teaching approach that can in turn be disseminated to the broader university community.

The focus of my Teaching Scholar was to leverage technology in the implementation of team-based learning (TBL), an experiential learning teaching approach that promotes critical thinking and team work. My Teaching Scholar initiative was inspired by my experiences implementing TBL with nursing students and trialing various technologies in the classroom. These earlier experiences led to the development of a TBL technology that is currently under development at UofC.

There are rapidly increasing pressures within higher learning institutions to provide more engaging learning opportunities in the classroom. Contemporary learners are more collaborative in nature and desire team-based learning opportunities. Team-based learning (TBL) has been well-established in the academic research as a valuable teaching and learning approach. While instructors acknowledge the benefits of TBL (promotes critical thinking and team dynamics), they are often deterred by the costs (money and time) associated with implementation. My experiences implementing TBL have highlighted the strengths of the approach, as well as the barriers to uptake.

As a Teaching Scholar I have been working on the development and commercialization of a tool to support the implementation of team-based learning (TBL), an experiential learning approach, in the classroom. As an assistant professor in the Faculty of Nursing, I have actively explored the benefits and pitfalls of using e-learning technologies in the classroom, which has inspired me to investigate the impact of e-technology on students and instructors in higher education. I used my findings to leverage teaching and learning seed funding to develop a unique response system (TaBLex) to support student and instructors in courses delivered using a TBL approach. Providing students with immediate feedback about their learning is foundational to TBL; however, the ability for instructors to do this has not been well supported by pre-existing teaching and learning tools. Tablex, a software designed in collaboration with students and faculty to address this challenge, has application in other faculties and instructors who might want to adopt TBL in their own classrooms.

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