Transition from Problem Based Learning to Team Based learning in Clinical Psychology Education

Team-based Learning (TBL) is an activating and small-scale educational strategy. Through a structured series of activities, students go through the different steps of independent (pre-class) preparation, formative testing (individual and as a team), and application of the material through authentic and relevant problem cases. TBL is seen as an efficient alternative to Problem Based Learning (PBL), retaining the advantages of small-scale education, but using tutors less intensively. Although widely accepted as an efficient small-group educational strategy in medical and health sciences education, TBL is relatively new in the field of psychology education.

In 2021-2022, the Bachelor 3 programme of Clinical Psychology (ESSB-DPECS) switched from PBL to TBL. Bachelor year 3 students (total enrollment: n=402) were first introduced to TBL, after previously been instructed in a PBL format. In total, 334 students (response rate: 83.1%) reported on their first experiences with TBL. Focus groups (n=14) were used to further explore how students experienced the transition from PBL to TBL.

During the presentation results as well as implications for implementation and other education innovations will be discussed.