Optometry Students' Attitudes about Team-Based Learning

Background: Team-based learning (TBL) is a method for fostering critical thinking skills in high functioning teams. This study examined optometry stu dent attitudes about TBL. Methods: Students (N=91) completed a 15-item, five-point, Likert-scale survey regarding their attitudes about two consecutive four-month TBL courses. Four peer evaluation items were added to the second survey. Mann Whitney U tests (p=0.05) compared course differences. Results: Term response rates were 95% and 98%. First-term student satisfaction across four categories was: team experience (4.29), quality of learning (3.75), clinical reasoning ability (3.96) and professional development (3.78). There were significant second-term satisfaction increases with 8 of the 15 statements and no significant decreases. Peer evaluation satisfaction was 3.58. Discussion: Optometry student satisfaction with TBL was favorable and improved with additional experience.