Instructional strategies employing complex problem-solving examine how learners represent the problem space and argue for decisions. Unlike problems with few solutions (e.g., multiple choices), instructors struggle to evaluate solutions to ill-structured problems quickly and consistently across students. This prevents instructors to provide timely…

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to determine when students deepen their conceptual understanding of mathematical modeling during a one-semester course in biomedical engineering that uses the constructivist problem-based learning (PBL) framework. The study hypothesizes that concept maps, as a form of assessment, would show increased complexity…

This open access book maps the role of challenge-based learning (CBL) in the transformation of higher education pedagogy, towards being sector-informed as well as student-driven. CBL democratises the process of learning by repositioning students as drivers, who are empowered to make decisions on course content, assess needs in the real world and…

Purpose: Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) that can be extended and modified in various ways, is a practical and realistic type of problem and forms the basis for the visual and spatial solution of many optimization problems. In this study, 15, 25 and 35 nodes Travelling Salesman Problems were solved by secondary school, high school and…

Even though using group examinations aligns well with the epistemology of problem-based learning (PBL), the dilemma of using joint learning while simultaneously fulfilling individual assessment requirements in higher education make group examinations difficult to use. In this study, the aim was to explore whether an individual reflection paper…

Teaching programming efficiently to students in the first year of computer science education is challenging. It is especially cumbersome to retain the interest of both groups, when the student group consists of novice (i.e., those who have never programmed before) and expert programmers in the same crowd. Thus, individualized teaching cannot be…

In response to the increasing implementations of online problem-based learning (PBL), this paper presents a new framework, 4S PBL, with a wide range of strategies and technologies to empower instructors and learners. Based on a critical synthesis of research on and practice of PBL, self-regulated learning (SRL), socially shared regulated learning…

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…

Because of the lack of tools available to assess problem-solving skills, teachers often revert to more traditional instructional approaches (e.g. lecture-based, memorization) that fail to prepare learners for the complexity of dynamic work environments. To overcome this challenge, technology solutions are needed that accurately and efficiently…

In this paper, the dissolution of the silos between geography and business faculty to form a teaching partnership with a common set of questions and goals and how that partnership changed their academic perspectives will be explored. Faculty deepened the challenges for students, re-thought pedagogical models, and re-thought grading and evaluation.…

Active learning is the outcome of a series of higher education policy reforms conducted in the late 2000s and early 2010s in Japan. This approach gained momentum after it was prioritised in a comprehensive report produced by the Central Council of Education (an advisory board of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology).…

The article explores the idea of change in the higher educational process that is implemented via the problem-based learning strategy. Problem-based learning (PBL) is widely understood as an epistemological transformation in higher education. It is emphasized that the transformation should take place throughout the educational process, and…

COVID-19 outbreak brought about many challenges including the shifting of university assessments to conduct in online mode. This research study tries to explore the impact of newly designed online formative assessments on students' learning, in a Plant Physiology course. The designing of assessments were carried out focusing on constructive…

Research indicates that STEM-integrated curricula and pedagogies have the potential to support student learning, nurture interest in STEM disciplines, and prepare students for future careers (Apedoe et al. 2008). Through engagement in these fields, students can develop the ability to think critically, solve intricate problems, and drive…

Transitioning from K-12 to college poses significant challenges due to the shift from guided learning to self-directed engagement. Traditional pedagogies such as inquiry-based learning and flipped classrooms have not fully resolved issues like poor retention and low graduation rates in STEM fields, which are critical for economic growth and…