Navigating Problem Based Learning

This complete guide to problem-based learning (PBL) in medicine and health professions explains the aims and essential elements of PBL and provides keys for successfully working in small groups.

In this book, the authors address some basic problems in the learning of biomedical science, medicine, and the other health sciences. Students in most medical schools, especially in basic science courses, are required to memorize a large number of "facts," facts which may or may not be relevant to medical practice. Problem-based learning has two fundamental postulates--the learning through problem-solving is much more effective for creating a body of knowledge usable in the future, and that physician skills most important for patients are problem-solving skills, rather than memory skills. This book presents the scientific basis of problem-based learning and goes on to describe the approaches to problem-based medical learning that have been developed over the years at McMaster University, largely by Barrows and Tamblyn.

Problem-based learning (PBL) has excited interest among educators around the world for several decades. Among the most notable applications of PBL is the approach taken at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life sciences (FHML) at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Starting in 1974 as a medical school, the faculty embarked on the innovative pathway of problem-based learning, trying to establish a medical training program which applied recent insights of education which would be better adapted to the needs of the modem physician. The medical school, currently part of the FHML, can be considered as an 'established' school, where original innovations and educational changes have become part of a routine. The first book to bring this wealth of information together, Lessons from Problem-based Learning documents those findings and shares the experiences of those involved, to encourage further debate and refinement of problem-based learning in specific applications elsewhere and in general educational discussion and thought. Each chapter provides a description of why and what has been done in the Maastricht program, followed by reflection on the benefits and issues that have arisen for these developments. The final section of the book examines the application of PBL in the future, and how it is likely to develop further.

Engaging and motivating students--especially the least motivated learners--is a daily challenge. But with the process of problem-based learning (PBL), any teacher can create an exciting, active classroom where students themselves eagerly build problem-solving skills while learning the content necessary to apply them. With problem-based learning, students' work begins with an ill-defined problem. Key to this problem is how it explicitly links something important in students daily lives to the classroom. This motivational feature is vital as students define the what, where, and how of resolving the problem situation. Problem-based learning may sound potentially chaotic and haphazard, but it rests on the firm foundation of a teacher's work behind the scenes. The teacher develops a problem long before students see it, specifically choosing the skills and content the problem will emphasize and matching those to curriculum and standards. Though a PBL problem will have no "right" answer, the teacher structures the experience so that specific learning takes place as students generate the problem-solving steps, research issues, and produce a final product. The teacher guides without leading, assists without directing.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical approach that has the capacity to create vibrant and active learning environments in higher education. However, both experienced PBL practitioners and those new to PBL often find themselves looking for guidance on how to engage and energise a PBL curriculum. New Approaches to Problem-based Learning: Revitalising your Practice in Higher Education provides that guidance from a range of different, complementary perspectives. Leading practitioners in the field as well as new voices in PBL teaching and learning have collaborated to produce this text. Each chapter provides practical and experienced accounts of issues and ideas for PBL, as well as a strong theoretical and evidence base. Whether you are an experienced PBL practitioner, or new to the processes and principles of PBL, this book will help you to find ways of revitalising and enriching your practice and of enhancing the learning experience in a range of higher education contexts.

First Published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This volume provides a comprehensive account of project-based language learning (PBLL) which showcases key theoretical approaches, empirical research, technological tools, and research-based frameworks to help further PBLL implementation and research. Taking its cue from the conclusions drawn from project-based learning more broadly, which point to the impact of project-based work on learning and development, discourse socialization, subject engagement, and collaborative skills, the book highlights how these discussions might be extended and enhanced within the context of language learning. The volume begins with discussions of philosophical and theoretical models of PBLL and is followed by case studies from contributors from a range of learning contexts and geographic regions which demonstrate these models in practice, with a focus on the implementation of technology in such instances. The book also introduces resources for aligning projects with government standards in the classroom but also frameworks for researching and assessing PBLL. This comprehensive collection is essential reading for students and researchers in language learning and teaching, language education, curriculum design, and applied linguistics.

Computer science graduates often find software engineering knowledge and skills are more in demand after they join the industry. However, given the lecture-based curriculum present in academia, it is not an easy undertaking to deliver industry-standard knowledge and skills in a software engineering classroom as such lectures hardly engage or convince students. Overcoming Challenges in Software Engineering Education: Delivering Non-Technical Knowledge and Skills combines recent advances and best practices to improve the curriculum of software engineering education. This book is an essential reference source for researchers and educators seeking to bridge the gap between industry expectations and what academia can provide in software engineering education.