Team-Based Learning in Engineering Classrooms: Feedback Form and Content Adds Value to the Learning Experience

An instructional strategy called Team-Based Learning (TBL) has been implemented by the authors in courses that emphasize fundamental engineering concepts that are core to the discipline. TBL is an alternative to conventional classroom lecture instruction. In a TBL course, students are placed on permanent learning teams and the teams work together, during class time, to apply course concepts and solve discipline-relevant problems called application exercises. The goal of introducing TBL in these engineering courses is to enhance the quality of student learning by incentivizing student engagement with course content and fostering team skills. This is achieved by using application exercises that require student teams to apply critical thinking and decision-making abilities. Students on high performing teams routinely report that their team’s success on application exercises is directly attributable to the thorough preparation by individual student team members outside of class, and that the TBL course structure helped them develop and enhance their ability to learn challenging concepts on their own. An important component of TBL course structure is the inclusion of frequent, timely, and varied types of instructional feedback to students. This paper will introduce a taxonomy for instructional feedback and place the feedback mechanisms that are inherent in the TBL course structure within this context. The form and content of instructional feedback used in TBL engineering courses will be examined. This discussion will include suggestions for achieving a balance between the dimensions of feedback to facilitate the professional development of engineering students.