For students, particularly those in health professions, the development of professionalism is a critical aspect of learning. Professionalism is often recognised as an individual possessing soft skills, a term that belies the essential nature of such skills and the difficulty involved in embedding these into curricula. These soft skills are often characterised by, but not limited to, teamwork, leadership and communication knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes. Professional behaviours incorporate management of self and others and may also be observed when influencing at organisational level or representing the organisation.
There have been informal instructor observations reporting a difference in soft skill development of students in a TBL classroom compared to lecture-based classrooms. However, this may not be routinely observed in all TBL classrooms. Though the TBL method helps students improve student capabilities such as communication and teamwork, course policies and design should also emphasize development of professionalism, including professional behaviours, among learners. These course elements need to be deliberately designed, included in course assessments, and appropriately modelled by the instructor or facilitator.
During this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to discuss various course elements aimed at developing professionalism knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours that can be considered for incorporation into courses that use TBL.