ABSTRACT
Team-based learning (TBL) is a research-based instructional practice (RBIP) shown to increase students' content knowledge, class engagement, motivation, and science self-efficacy. After several years of using TBL in an upper-division biochemistry course and noting the same positive effects, we were hesitant to abandon TBL when forced to consider options for teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was little published research to inform efforts to adapt TBL for online instruction. But, by carefully considering the critical components of TBL it was possible to anticipate the potential challenges an online environment would present. In this paper, we describe how we created an online facsimile of the in-person TBL experience by prioritizing student–student and student–instructor interactions and present student performance data that suggest that learning outcomes were similar in both the online and face-to-face course offerings. Finally, we contribute to the TBL literature by reporting our challenges (e.g., keeping groups on similar pace) in implementing TBL in the online space and our efforts to minimize these obstacles (e.g., rotating through breakout groups, broadcasting messages). This work provides guidance for anyone considering online use of TBL, particularly instructors who might be concerned about pacing of activities or promoting positive team dynamics, or researchers who plan to systematically study the efficacy of TBL in the online environment. More broadly, this report supports the call for instructors and researchers to collectively consider how RBIPs can be adapted and leveraged to design more robust, effective online instruction.