The University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy implemented a new integrated curriculum that utilizes Whole Task Learning as the overarching pedagogical structure. This model integrates foundational and clinical sciences into a single course to enhance cohesion between sciences and application to patient care. Team-Based Learning (TBL) has become a required weekly component of student learning to immerse students in team learning and explore the nuances of the discipline.

Effective implementation of TBL offers numerous educational advantages, driving enthusiasm for its adoption across institutions. However, uninformed applications without adherence to crucial structural components and standards can lead to inadvertently watered-down TBL activities. Instructors may feel deflated when they don’t achieve desired outcomes and declare that TBL “doesn’t work.” Students may be disengaged and not feel that they are benefiting from the class. Moreover, change-resistant or skeptical instructors may initially oppose this novel pedagogical approach. To maximize TBL's benefits and overcome potential resistance, it’s essential to ensure a comprehensive understanding and faithful execution of its fundamental principles

To ensure consistency in the longitudinal implementation of TBLs, a TBL workgroup was formed, and fidelity standards for using TBL within the new curriculum were established. Additionally, a novel TBL coaching program was developed to expand the number of instructors trained in TBL pedagogy. This coaching program assigns a TBL coach to each TBL module in the semester. The coach is responsible for facilitating module design, preparing instructors for in-class facilitation, ensuring TBL fidelity, and providing feedback through observations.

Some potential limitations of this proposed model include instructor time commitment, instructor resistance to change, lack of University buy-in, and ensuring consistency and fidelity among instructors. Finally, this model was implemented in a College of Pharmacy program, potentially fostering a more connected environment than other institutions.