Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an increasingly popular interdisciplinary pedagogy. In this chapter, we discuss its roots, benefits, and potential trade-offs and give practical advice applicable to a variety of academic disciplines.

In problem-based learning (PBL), students working in collaborative groups learn by resolving complex, realistic problems under the guidance of faculty. There is some evidence of PBL effectiveness in medical school settings where it began, and there are numerous accounts of PBL implementation in various undergraduate contexts, replete with…

This article discusses how the author used an integrated course design model to create new learning activities in her course on federal taxation. The shoebox case--a simulation where students are given realistic documents to use in preparing a tax return--gave her students an opportunity to construct new knowledge. This activity supported the…

Problem-based learning is an approach that can be used to increase student participation while promoting the development of skills for lifelong learning. In solving problems learners acquire two types of knowledge--knowledge of concepts, principles and facts; and procedures for how to use them. (Author/MLW)

Suggests that as professors contemplate designing and implementing problem-based learning, they are likely to encounter many obstacles that may persuade them to abandon their efforts. To help alleviate these problems, this article provides insights into how professors overcome these obstacles. (SWM)

Suggests that the design of a Agood@ problem is imperative if problem-based learning is to be educationally productive. The article further suggests that in designing a good problem, professors should consider their problem around numerous characteristics that will likely promote critical thinking among students. (SWM)

Asserts that attempting to use problem-based learning for the first time can be daunting and unsettling for many professors. The article further asserts that these professors may benefit from the experiences of a professor as he tackeled the issues of designing and implementing problem-based learning. (SWM)

Suggests that when students are working in the field, the problems that they face are no longer limited by the artificiality of classrooms. This article also asserts that problems in the field are often large and ill-structured and that professors should have a repertoire of strategies for helping students analyzing and solving problems. (SWM)

Applying reading and writing theory to cases in composition, this chapter troubleshoots assignments that produced disappointing results and illustrates how the model of the "ill-structured problem" can help writing instructors craft assignments that foster the cognitive and affective maturation essential to college-level literacy. (Contains 2…

Asserts that the processes of becoming educated and developing problem-solving skills are parallel and related. The article further asserts that professors must engage students in problem-based learning because to ignore problem-solving skills is to undermine the academy's responsibility to develop educated individuals. (SWM)

Defines heuristics as cognitive "rules of thumb" that can help problem solvers work more efficiently and effectively. Professors can use a heuristic model of problem solving to guide students in all disciplines through the steps of problem-solving. (SWM)

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…

A new approach to introductory accounting at the University of Southern California teaches students to view issues from varied perspectives, broadens exposure to unstructured problems with more than one solution approach, and places accounting in real-world context. It has increased enrollment and persistence and attracted new students to the…

Suggests that facilitating effective collaboration among students requires more than urging students to work together well. This article further suggests that professors should carefully consider their method of forming groups and their process of training students to work effectively within groups. (SWM)

Suggests that professors may want to help students think carefully about their own thinking. This article offers a practical approach that professors can use to help individual students and students within classrooms think metacognitively about their problem-solving efforts. (SWM)