Team-based learning and student performance in undergraduate economics: Evidence from a quasi-experimental study

This paper examines the effects of introducing Team-Based Learning (TBL) on academic outcomes in undergraduate economics. We study an instructional change at a large Italian public university, where one programme integrated TBL alongside standard lectures in a core second-year course, while a parallel programme maintained traditional lecture-based instruction throughout. Using administrative records tracking student careers from 2009 to 2025, we estimate a difference-indifferences model and find that exposure to TBL is associated with improvements in student performance across a broad set of outcomes, both in the short and in the medium run. Treated students accumulate more second-year ECTS credits and achieve higher average exam grades, with these gains persisting over time and translating into higher final degree grades and an increased probability of graduation. Positive effects are observed across multiple student subgroups, while evidence from the treated course indicates higher pass rates at early exam attempts and examination sessions.