In this article, we explore Terry Wood's participation in the Purdue Problem-Centered Mathematics Curriculum Project, along with the rich and enduring personal and professional friendships that she built with the classroom teachers who were so important to the project. We highlight connections between these working relationships and the research…

Investigating the optical properties of various chemical compounds using UV-vis spectrophotometers is an essential part of education in chemistry. However, commercial spectrophotometers are usually treated as "magic black boxes", where the dominant majority of optical elements are hidden "under the hood". This often limits…

Path analysis is used to provide estimates of the magnitude and significance of hypothesized causal connections among sets of variables displayed using path diagrams. It is an extension of multiple regression analysis and holds strength as a methodology as it allows researchers to assess both direct and indirect effects of multiple independent…

Computer programming and municipal engineering (ME) students' specialised knowledge are still poorly integrated, leading to limited improvement of students' programming abilities. This paper describes an effective attempt in ME at Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology (XAUAT). Students were divided into several teams and required to…

Purpose: The integration of ESD is a complex problem. It calls for an innovative, student-centred curriculum, as well as professional learning and agency, by which university teachers feel empowered to change their practice and direct their peers and institutions towards ESD. This study aims to explore what university teachers consider to be the…

This study seeks to analyse the incorporation of problem-based learning (PBL) in strengthening students' interpersonal communication skills, as well as the level of proficiency of students' interpersonal communication skills and the obstacles they face in acquiring them. This study was a cross-sectional survey conducted in May 2023 with 315…

This paper explores how the concept of "the facilitator as a fool" can be used as a guiding principle for supervising students at universities adhering to problem-based learning pedagogies. With the example of students enrolled at spatial planning studies, the paper argues that students should learn how to face uncertainty and take…

Even though using group examinations aligns well with the epistemology of problem-based learning (PBL), the dilemma of using joint learning while simultaneously fulfilling individual assessment requirements in higher education make group examinations difficult to use. In this study, the aim was to explore whether an individual reflection paper…

A first-class syllabus can help promote effective, efficient and engaging learning, but traditional syllabi too often fail to attain this purpose. This paper describes and illustrates a syllabus review check-list that was designed to assist faculty at a major university to adopt a problem-centered approach to their courses. The check-list enables…

This article highlights the foundational challenge of rapid interprofessional student team formation and the potential challenges that groupthink poses for newly formed teams participating in collaborative problem based learning activities. This article describes a mixed-methods study that addresses groupthink by introducing a generative…

Critical thinking plays a crucial role in the learning process. Critical thinking should become the focus of learning since it encourages the development of knowledge and includes the act of contemplating subjects, content, and problems. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Digital Mind…

To assume the productivity of students in the workplace, the higher educational institutions would be faced by a challenging reality that of how to keep focus on technicalities while improving the set of soft skills. Therefore, the main aim of this research is improving students' soft skills and thus their cognitive skills in parallel, to prepare…

The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential explanatory study is two-fold. It is intended first, to determine the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on problem-solving skills, and second, to reveal student opinions regarding PBL. A quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test control group was preferred in the quantitative…

Background: This study aims to integrate the theories of social presence and social identity to examine the effectiveness of group-based problem-based learning (PBL) in learning communities. Social presence is a critical factor in determining the success of collaborative learning in group-based PBL activities. Although several studies have…

This study aims to describe a learning model of sociology education based on case studies of banking crimes for university students. Sociology learning is considered one of the most important studies for students at the Faculty of Social Sciences. That is why this study can examine the interactions and cases that occur from the perspective of the…