The goal of our research was to determine whether TBL is effective in preparing for the written section of IMSPQ. In 2016, we used a TBL to prepare for the written section of IMSPQ. At the 14th IMSPQ in Yogyakarta, the performance of the team from our school was markedly improved, placing 20th among 81 international teams in written test.
Considering TBL was a new teaching strategy in our physiology course, the first important thing for the teacher to do at the beginning of the preparation process was to create an inclusive student-centered learning environment and to maintain an open mind and a willingness to accept new ideas. In an atmosphere of genuine mutual respect, the students felt safety and quickly became active participants, and then developed a positive attitude toward the team work [8]. For example, the name and slogan of our team was a result of cooperation between teacher and students. The students hoped to create a “miracle” in the written test of IMSPQ and our team was named “Miracle Team”. The teacher encouraged the five students to work together and our slogan was “Never abandon, never give up!”
The second most important thing was to guide the selected five students to work effectively as a team. To achieve this, instructor should have skills to facilitate group discussion and activate students to promote thinking and problem solving [9]. In the Grade 2014, Department of Clinical Medicine, physiology course was completed in the third semester, but the medium of instruction is not in English. Although these five students had passed College English Test Band Six, the English curriculum was still difficult for them. In our actual situation, we chose “Broad Review Series-Physiology (fifth edition)” as the first textbook and believed that this book was appropriate to the education level of our students. In order to foster effective teamwork, the five students were encouraged to rotate as team captain. During this exercise, the student would responsible for making a study plan as well as evaluation. TBL was conducted once a week, and then the students would receive immediate feedback from the instructor. During this TBL process, team members learned that they were not on their own and established mutual credibility. After several weeks of TBL, the five students were not only more willing to participate but also more committed to and excited about TBL.
Creating a group application exercise is also very important for effective TBL. These problems required students to use all their previous knowledge and their team brainpower to analyze, interpret and then commit to a choice or a decision. By using well designed questions, students not only learned from each other but also developed a great deal of confidence in the value of working in a team [5]. In 2015, Quiz Master Professor Cheng published a book which included a collection of IMSPQ related questions, and these questions mainly tested key concepts or fundamental understanding of physiology rather than mere recall [1, 3]. Therefore this book acted as the source of application exercises in our preparation process.
This was an unusual semester, in which we witnessed something like a miracle. In the entire preparation process for the written section of IMSPQ, the students and instructor were clearly accountable for behaving in ways that promote learning. The teacher enjoyed a sense of renewed energy and satisfaction when teaching in this way; it is very different from traditional didactic lectures. This study has given an example of how to implement a TBL to prepare for the written section of IMSPQ and how it can be of value to both learners and teachers. We would like to introduce this strategy to more teams, and we believed that it will provide not only an enjoyable experience, but will also improve outcomes even if you are not from a top university.