Traditional, hybrid and online teamwork: Lessons from the field

Preparing students to work in teams benefits learning experiences and provides a stronger foundation for the challenges of the workplace. Team-based learning (TBL) is an instructional strategy where small groups become closely coupled teams through repeated face-to-face collaboration on various projects and assignments. This paper illustrates how traditional team-based learning can be extended to the online environment. Different techniques are discussed based on the use of computer-mediated tools in hybrid (a mix of face-to-face and distance learning) and in completely virtual settings (without face-to-face interactions). Based on experiences gained through implementations of TBL in various courses, this article presents implementation options as well as the challenges of team learning in various environments.