Team-based Learning and Mock Exams as Early Predictors in Accelerated Medical Neuroscience Courses
Tomaima Yousef1, Carmenrita Infortuna2, Amanpreet Kaur1, Zhiyong Han1, Felicia Glicksman1, Kristen Clark1, Stanley Terlecky1, Florian Thomas3, Fortunato Battaglia1
1Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, 2University of Messina, 3Hackensack Meridian Health
Objective:
This study aims to determine whether early Team-Based Learning (TBL) performance directly predicts summative outcomes and whether mock examinations serve as a mediating factor in this relationship, thereby establishing an evidence-based framework for early student support in a medical neuroscience course in a three-year medical degree (3YMD) program.
Background:
3YMD programs address physician shortages by compressing traditional curricula while maintaining educational standards. The intensive nature of these programs creates significant cognitive demands, particularly in complex preclinical courses like neuroscience. Early identification of at-risk students is essential for timely interventions. TBLs and mock examinations show promise as formative tools; their ability to predict final performance in accelerated neuroscience courses has not been systematically investigated.
Design/Methods:
We analyzed 134 second-year students in a 3YMD neuroscience course, examining whether TBL scores (weeks 1, 3, and 7) predicted final exam performance and whether mock test results (week 5) mediated this relationship. Linear regression and mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro with 5,000 bootstrap samples.
Results:
All assessments (TBL 1-3, mock exam) significantly correlated with final performance (p < 0.001). Mock exam scores (β = 0.435, p < 0.001), TBL1 (β = 0.190, p = 0.012), TBL2 (β = 0.172, p = 0.014), and TBL3 (β = 0.163, p = 0.018) independently predicted outcomes, explaining 45.4% of variance. Mock exam partially mediated TBL1 effects (49%) and TBL2 effects (38.5%) but not TBL3.
Conclusions:
Early TBL and practice exam performance strongly predict final success in accelerated neuroscience courses. Mock exam partially bridges early TBL scores to final outcomes, suggesting that combined assessments effectively identify at-risk students. These findings support implementing different evaluation modalities in 3YMD programs for proactive intervention.
Disclaimer: Abstracts were not reviewed by Neurology® and do not reflect the views of Neurology® editors or staff.