Kamlesh Yadav, Ph.D., instructional associate professor and Nick Sears, Ph.D., instructional assistant professor developed a workshop titled “Successful delivery of an engineering-blended medical curriculum using TBL modules: Setting a standard for TBL use in other dual-degree programs” that was presented at the annual Team Based Learning Consortium (TBLC) meeting held in April 2022.
According to Yadav, a rapid change in formal pedagogy has been accelerated by restrictions imposed by COVID-19. This led to the deployment of emergency learning methods, primarily virtual classrooms with flipped learning sessions. EnMed showcased a series of around 450 engineering and medicine blended TBL sessions, through the inclusion of faculty from engineering, clinical and basic sciences that facilitated the learning of the next generation of physicianeers during pre-clerkship courses.
“Since many students at EnMed have diverse backgrounds in engineering, it is a constant challenge to design a pre-clerkship course that ensures no student is under advantaged,” said Yadav.
The workshop demonstrated the various strategies that have been developed for successful incorporation of an engineering blended medical TBL at EnMed, and the lessons that have been learned over the years, including overcoming COVID restrictions through the use of specialized software. Likewise, the workshop provided a template for other cross-disciplinary programs that aim to blend two or more traditional courses/programs.
“Since its inception, EnMed has been constantly identifying/developing innovative teaching strategies that can be integrated in the pre-clerkship courses to help students to not only master the medical and engineering subject, but also enhance problem-solving and creative thinking skills,” said Sears.
The TBLC is an organization of educators from around the world who encourage and support the use of Team-Based Learning in all levels of education.
