This quasi-experimental research aimed at investigating the effect of ProblemOriented Project-Based Learning (POPBL), Student Team Achievement Division (STAD), POPBLSTAD integration, and conventional learning on students' critical and creative thinking skills. Essay tests conducted to 129 students. The results of the test assessed using a relevant…

Although problem-based learning (PBL) is not new, the ways in which homeschool teachers use attributes of PBL with their students with special needs is unknown. Posts were collected from 20 homeschool teachers' blogs. After I coded 87 blog posts, results showed that homeschool teachers provided a variety of opportunities for their students to…

To support our understanding of how we might support the use of modeling in PBL activities for classroom use, this study explores how to scaffold collaborative scientific modeling activities. It draws on prior work with scientific modeling centered on the use of the Component-Mechanism-Phenomenon (CMP) conceptual framework (Hmelo-Silver et al.,…

Purpose: Various studies around the globe indicate lack of soft skills in engineering students, graduating from universities, although the bulk of studies in various disciplines indicate an improvement in various skills through implementation of a problem-based learning (PBL) approach. The purpose of this paper is therefore to identify and…

Arguably, constructive alignment has been the major challenge for assessment in the context of problem-based learning (PBL). PBL focuses on promoting abilities such as clinical reasoning, team skills and metacognition. PBL also aims to foster self-directed learning and deep learning as opposed to rote learning. This has incentivized researchers in…

Despite the wide-spread discussions describing makerspaces and making in school library practitioner publications and conferences, there is a lack of research related to making, makerspaces, and fablabs in PreK-12 school libraries in the United States. (Mersand, 2020). This study examined current virtual makerspaces to discover insights into…

Pedagogies of engagement (i.e., Peer-Led Teaming Learning, Problem-Based Learning, and Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) are active learning approaches used in postsecondary chemistry courses. In this study, we use data from a national survey of postsecondary chemistry instructors in the United States to estimate use of three pedagogies in…

Model Eliciting Activities (MEAs) are pedagogical approaches that allow teachers to integrate multiple subjects into creative multi-day learning experiences that captivate students' curiosity and engage them in real-life problem solving. MEAs are known in the fields of mathematics and engineering (Gilat and Amit 2014), but despite their ability to…

For several decades, scholars have studied the role of cooperation and its outcomes in educational contexts. Yet we lack a complete understanding of how different instructional strategies impact the relationship between cooperation and learning. In this paper we present results from a field experiment with 82 first-year students in an introductory…

Future global challenges that engineering graduates face have placed demands on engineering education and how graduates develop competency in collaborative problem-solving. Such demand has seen an increase in the use of pedagogies like problem-based learning (PBL) that provide opportunities for developing collaborative problem-solving skills. PBL…

Mathematics teachers develop understandings about instruction across multiple settings, such as classrooms, workshops, and professional learning communities. When teacher teams collaborate, their prior teaching and learning experiences meaningfully inform their sensemaking. However, current research does not explicitly link teacher conversations…

Problem-based learning (PBL) offers a powerful approach to engage students in meaningful learning experiences by connecting classroom content to real-world challenges. This Spotlight explores how PBL can be implemented across K-12 to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. From preparing students for the workforce…

This study describes an intervention that introduced a period of solving non-routine problems into tertiary STEM lectures. The aim was twofold: to attempt to increase student engagement and to introduce them to the kind of domain-free abstract reasoning that involves critical, creative and innovative thinking. The study involved over 600 STEM…

In this paper, we present and discuss an explorative study on the use of a social 360° virtual reality (360VR) for supporting case-based Problem Based Learning (case-PBL) in clinical medical education. In the context of case-PBL, we argue that our social 360VR learning space extends the design and application of cases in medical education by…

Problem-based Learning (PBL) has long been touted as an effective pedagogical approach in higher education to promote students' authentic learning. As a learner-centered pedagogy, PBL is characterized by students working collaboratively in small groups to solve messy, ill-structured problems that mirror real-world problems encountered by expert…