Describes the historical and philosophical base of an approach to teaching and learning known as Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Argues that the adoption of the PBL approach should be carefully considered. Cites problems that have occurred in settings using PBL. (DDR)

Use of problem-based learning in a large upper-division general education class at McMaster University (Canada) provides opportunities for students to identify and practice skills for inquiry into societal problems and solutions. Classroom techniques and processes preserve the essence of problem-based learning despite the fact that the class is…

Describes problem-based learning at South Africa's University of Transkei (Unitra) medical school, including the curriculum's design and instructional strategies in use. Reports a survey of 20 faculty and 35 students studying to be medical doctors (MBChBs). Results indicated a majority of faculty and students agreed on the effectiveness of the…

In literature on problem-based learning (PBL), it is often difficult to determine whether the educational approach being described is actually PBL. Provides planners and assessors of PBL curricula with a framework for analysis. Educational activities can be categorized as PBL according to three core principles and four criteria concerning their…

Describes how the World Wide Web was implemented in a graduate course that focused on technology-based learning at the University of Wollongong (Australia). The interactions that took place among students, and between students and the instructor illustrate how problem-based learning strategies can be supported by the Web. (Author/LRW)

The reasons to introduce formats of active learning in engineering (ALE) such as project work, problem-based learning, use of cases, etc. are mostly based on practical experience, and sometimes from applied research on teaching and learning. Such research shows that students learn more and different abilities than in traditional formats of…

This paper presents the application of the problem-based learning (PBL) method as an innovative approach to teaching engineering. This paper supports the idea that the PBL method is aptly suited to teaching the engineering disciplines, as its methodology nurtures critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are central to a graduate's…

This paper presents the student evaluation of a problem-based learning (PBL) implementation in the postgraduate engineering curriculum of a public university in Brazil. This investigation adopts a qualitative and collaborative design, as suggested when the research objective is to study phenomena in their natural settings in terms of the meanings…

For the thirty-sixth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Anaheim, California. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…

Problem Based Learning (PBL) has been used with increased frequency in Higher Education settings since first introduced by Barrows and Tamblyn during the 1980's. Since this time PBL has been used in medical, engineering and education faculties to support pre-service students in the acquisition of skills and content knowledge relevant to their…

Pharmacology is taught on a dedicated module for nurse prescribers who have a limited physical science background. To facilitate learning a problem-based approach was adopted. However, to enhance students' knowledge of drug action a PharmaCALogy software package from the British Pharmacological Society was used. Students were alternately given a…

The study describes a teaching action undertaken in the belief that the use of methodologies based on active and cooperative learning could obviate some of the most worrying deficiencies in current scientific teaching, while at the same time supporting the validity of the constructivistic theory that prompted them. A teaching action on genetically…

The computer-supported Project Work classroom learning environment discussed in this paper represents a paradigm shift from teacher-centered to student-centered teaching and learning in Singapore schools. Besides the face-to-face weekly lessons in existing Project Work classrooms, the students engaged in computer-supported online forum…

Altering the age of a patient in a problem-based curriculum should encourage students to explore ethical issues related to human development. To assess the influence of a patient's age on problem-based tutorial discussion, the relevant discussion categories and the numbers of age-related discussions were compared. Subjects were four groups of six…

An allied health occupations education program undertaken for the first time at a Dutch university and characterized by an interdisciplinary, problem-oriented approach is described. Its first year of operation is evaluated in terms of staff and student time requirements and administrative organization. (MSE)