Bioinformatics has emerged as an important research tool in recent years. The ability to mine large databases for relevant information has become increasingly central to many different aspects of biochemistry and molecular biology. It is important that undergraduates be introduced to the available information and methodologies. We present a…

Problem-based service-learning projects are complex and ambiguous learning environments. New thinking about assessment must occur to be able to assist the learning from this type of project. (Contains 1 table.)

This article describes the author's experience of adopting a child-centered approach to his pedagogy. The approach has created many teachable moments for his students and has improved the quality of their musical interactions. The article also presents ideas and strategies about child-centered, problem-based learning applied to the elementary…

Citizens Working for Intersection Safety (CWIS) sought designs for improving dangerous intersections in the local area. It is proposed that when the teacher suggests the real world problem to students, the project or case study guarantees true student learning.

This article describes an approach to teaching a required preservice course in special education using problem-based learning (PBL). PBL is an instructional method informed by constructivist theory. Pre-service teachers engage in solving problems that are representative of actual situations they may encounter in their teaching practice. They are…

Lance and Loertscher warn that it is possible to use high-quality information resources and still create ineffective learning experience for K-12 students. To illustrate, they discuss the ?bird unit,? the type of research activity where students search for information in order to fill in worksheets that they transform into essays and…

The authors discuss potential shortfalls of assistantships and internships in preparing students for practical career application of professional degrees and describe the benefits to overall development of courses eliciting performance in authentic scenarios. This article explores what is necessary, not only to teach, but also to learn, human…

Problem-based learning experiences that extend at least two weeks provide an opportunity for students to investigate a real-world problem while learning science content and skills in an exciting way. In this article, students are challenged by the president of the United States to serve as employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to…

Research on Problem-Based Learning in medical education has undergone an evolutionary process from initial proof of concept studies through critiques of the original methods and beyond. Initial studies focused on whether or not the instructional method was effective for medical students and the goals of medical education. Despite much movement…

This article describes four doctoral students' process of coming together to support each other's work. What emerged was a powerful space of learning and a framework on research for social change. The authors hosted a 2-hour reflection session, which was recorded and transcribed. Text of that session appears in this article along with discussion…

What kinds of ideas and issues do teachers, students, and citizens in general need to think about at this time in the history of society? And how can we in higher education address these important matters? This article offers one means by which such issues might be approached, in and through teacher education. Drawing on the critical work of Paulo…

This practicum report describes the development of an instructional unit for educating faculty and clinical instructors in the role of tutor in problem-based learning, as applied to two courses in occupational therapy. Emphasis is on the specific content of the unit and appropriate instructional strategies and delivery methods. A search of the…

Described is the development of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the problem-based curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Limburg. The principles of a structured program are outlined and practical guidelines for the organization of skills exams for large numbers of students are formulated. Reliability data on…

This paper reports the results of a 5-month study of 4, self-selected Problem-Based Learning (PBL) teams taking a leadership capacity-building course in the Educational Leadership Program in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. Twenty-six students in the course were divided into five teams of five to eight members…

Discusses the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) in traditional large undergraduate courses and describes the STEP PBL system, a Web-based system that supports teaching assistants in their work as PBL tutors and creates a viable model for preservice teacher education. (LRW)