This study reports on a pilot study of a public speaking class in which problem-based learning and service-learning were combined in a freshman engagement course. The paper describes how the two elements were combined and provides assessments that used the University of California-Berkeley Service-Learning Attitudinal Survey, narrative responses…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional strategy for preparing administrators whose basic unit of instruction is a project. Students are organized into teams and work on these projects to grapple with the problem and to achieve the learning objectives that are embedded in the project. In this PBL project, students design and prepare a…

This monograph, the second in a series intended as a resource for middle-level leaders, highlights three successful approaches that support student involvement in learning: problem-based learning, service learning, and student-led conferencing. Each approach is reported to have its roots in constructivism, which allows students to apply classroom…

Problem-based learning is an approach to professional education that stresses the use of real life problems in education. This paper focuses attention to the commitment of students to engage in the problem-based learning process. Subjects, approximately 1,300 undergraduates in a health sciences curriculum, completed a questionnaire covering…

Problem-based learning (PBL) as a professional development model is an authentic means of stimulating reflective, insightful, professional growth. This paper describes a conference session that modeled the PBL professional development model as participants engaged in an actual PBL and created their own PBL professional development model. The…

Describes the adoption of problem-based learning (PBL) techniques in a general psychology course. States that the instructor used a combination of techniques, including think-pair-share, lecture/discussion, and PBL. Notes means and standard deviations for graded components of PBL format versus lecture/discussion format. (Contains 18 references.)…

Reports on the project Join Underrepresented in Science and Technology (JUST) which aims to increase the enrollment and completion of minority students in math and science courses. Uses a problem-based teaching approach in both science and mathematics education and includes parents, communities, and institutions of higher education as participants…

Evalutes modules based within alternative learning environments developed to provide students with experiences outside traditional medical, scientific, or academic cultures. (DDR)

Examines problem-based learning and suggests advantages and disadvantages of this method of instruction. Looks at barriers to implementation and the changes in teachers' role and adjustments needed for assessment. Includes implications for family and consumer sciences educators. (Contains 27 references.) (JOW)

Reactions of 100 nursing students to a 4-week problem-based learning (PBL) activity indicated changes in their self-perceptions and relationship of learning to clinical practice. PBL promoted critical thinking, problem solving, self-directed learning, and synthesis of knowledge. (Contains 20 references.) (SK)

Investigates the transformation of a developmental mathematics curriculum from a 30-year-old, non-applied passive learner environment to a curriculum that engages students in active learning situations rich in meaningful health-related applications using problem based learning (PBL). Describes the purpose of the Fund for the Improvement of…

Nursing education needs a new model of professional education that combines the liberal and vocational traditions--both knowing that and knowing how. Problem-based learning provides a framework for linking theory and clinical practice in a meaningful way. (SK)

Discusses the link between the theoretical principles of constructivism, the practice of instructional design, and the practice of teaching. Defines constructivism, lists three primary principles of learning and understanding, identifies eight instructional principles needed for the design of constructivist learning environments, and presents a…

Educators at the Center for Problem-Based Learning at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy examined the professional development needs of teachers of problem-based learning. Surveys of and interviews with teachers participating in partnership activities provided data on teacher role, problem-based learning's impact on students, and the…

Nursing students (n=45) using problem-based learning (PBL) strongly felt increased tension both in making the transition to PBL from traditional forms of education and in the conflict between students' desire for knowledge acquisition and the less concrete outcomes of PBL. (SK)