Teaching methodologies, such as Problem Based Learning (PBL), have arisen in response to educational research that has found evidence that even though lecturing may be the most prevalent teaching tool it is arguably the least effective way to facilitate student learning. It is important then, for methods instructors to give preservice teachers…

The ability to understand and frame problems encountered in practice is a critical skill for school leaders. This paper reports on a study that inquired about the teaching and learning of problem-framing skills in the Prospective Principals Program at Stanford University, a preparation program for school administrators that relies on problem-based…

While increasing teachers' scientific knowledge base has been identified as a challenge for teacher education (e.g., NCES, 1996), the skills used to identify a need for knowledge and the skills necessary to search for that knowledge have been less discussed. Yet, the ability to learn for oneself is really the goal of lifelong teacher education. In…

A study investigated student use of a collection of self-directed anatomy learning modules designed to help students prepare for tutorial discussions of health care problems. The surveyed students (n=80) reported that module use depended on program level and premedical background in biology, not on tutor or preceptor requirements. Students who…

Examined faculty attitudes toward a new problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, surveying 115 participants in the new curriculum and 96 nonparticipants. Participants judged the PBL curriculum to be superior in most respects to the old curriculum, whereas nonparticipants judged both to be about equal. (MDM)

Research reveals that successful problem solvers must possess comprehensive knowledge, and more importantly, have appropriate knowledge organization and understanding. A new taxonomy of medical problems is recommended, and it is suggested that the traditional hypothetico-deductive strategy for problem-based learning be replaced by scheme-driven…

Undergraduates in clinical placement formed a team within a larger clinical team and attended problem-based tutorials. Data from exit interviews, surveys, and team conferences revealed discomfort with the preceptors' role, peer support among students, improved communication styles, and mutual learning between students and professionals. (SK)

Community tools are technologies to foster social processes of learning through active inquiry, project-based learning, and related collaborative pedagogical approaches. Identifies current research and development trends moving towards sociotechnical systems that address learning in relation to specific domains of knowledge or activity, and social…

Explains the evaluation procedure of extended matching multiple-choice questions (EMQs) which are problem-oriented, case-based questions. (Author/YDS)

Examined mid-career professionals' perceptions of their long-term learning in a master's leadership program centered on problem-based learning (PBL). Found that students perceived their most valuable learning was related to two main areas: group process and self-knowledge (including sub-themes of learning to understand different perspectives, to…

Use of fictional or "virtual" families in problem-based learning scenarios was assessed by 17 first-year and 14 third-year nursing students. Virtual families enabled longitudinal study of health care and family dynamics, a holistic approach, and integration of learning across the curriculum. (Contains 20 references.) (SK)

Part 1 explains a methodology for studying problem-based learning (PBL) in nursing education that combined hermeneutic phenomenology with e-mail sampling and video interviews. Part 2 describes themes identified by 10 tutors related to when and how to intervene in PBL. Part 1 contains 30 references; part 2 contains 41 references. (SK)

Field testing of a series of group-learning units in pharmacology based on a patient-oriented problem-solving approach found that the units were well crafted and that students had higher scores on tests of their knowledge of pharmacology after they had used the units. (Author/DB)

Questions are raised about the effectiveness of the traditional lecture method in meeting the objectives of optometric education, and the use of problem-based learning as an alternative approach is examined. (MSE)

Describes the implementation of the innovative Guided Discovery Curriculum at the National College of Chiropractic. Emphasizes the relevance of biochemical principles to clinical practice through the selection of two clinical cases. (DDR)