Many different versions of Problem-based Learning (PBL) are used today. To be consistent in evaluating the effectiveness of PBL, the focus in this paper is on what Howard Barrows called authentic PBL (aPBL). In aPBL students are empowered with the learning process; key distinguishing features are that the students teach each other the new…

Accreditation agencies have outlined professional skills that should be possessed by engineering graduates. The question this paper addresses is "What professional skills do our recent graduates actually use and value as being important?" Young engineering professionals, as well as professionals in many different professions, were asked…

Examines a report, The Assessment of Performance in Design and Technology, that attempts to assess problem-solving abilities in the field of design. Describes pilot projects, an extended project, and some test projects. Summarizes a research project on identifying when and where design appears in the school curriculum and discusses developing…

Explains that, to teach students how to solve problems, defining the problem should be the focus, and the skills to solve the problem should be analyzed. Differentiates between exercises and real problems. (PR)

Explains the principles of assessment, lists goals and criteria for problem solving, and provides forms of evidence to evaluate students' understanding of the subject knowledge and ability of problem solving. (Contains 43 references.) (Author/YDS)

Carries on from an article about the context for assessment of problem solving skills. Describes other forms of evidence in problem solving skill besides the options given in the previous article. Lists eight forms of evidence related more directly to the problem solving process. Analyzes the relationship among some of these suggested forms of…

Discusses definitions of problem solving, various theories related to teaching problem solving, and how they relate to teaching problem solving to engineering students. (MLH)

Reviews two publications coauthored by David N. Perkins. "Teaching Thinking: Issues and Approaches" deals with developing a framework for nurturing forms of thinking that foster learning, understanding, and critical and creative thought. "Are Cognitive Skills Context-Bound?" traces the 30-year evolution of this topic. (JRH)

Reviews the book "Medical Problem Solving: An Analysis of Clinical Reasoning," a seminal book whose conclusions on problem solving in medical fields are still valid today. Discusses major problem-solving findings of this book, the application of the findings to education, and relating knowledge to problem-solving skills. (JRH)

Provide guidelines for teachers to help students develop interpersonal skills. Asserts that an enhancement of these skills will in turn help students develop problem-solving skills. (ZWH)

Describes Noel Entwhistle's book "Styles of Learning and Teaching," detailing how it can be used to help students learn and store knowledge. Also describes a course on the theory and practice of cognitive processes taught at Carnegie Mellon University. (DH)

Describes the nature and use of a "strategy", an organized approach that breaks down the overall mental task of problem-solving into stages, providing details of the McMaster Six-Step Strategy. Also provides instructions for working through a Whimby pair series of problems and the Schoenfeld management approach. (JN)

Discusses research into problem-solving skills that have caused the theoretical methods of teaching and learning problem solving to evolve rapidly. Presents issues and questions that still need to be explored. (PR)

Describes challenges to presenting a course in problem solving. (SL)

Discusses activities involved in a six-hour workshop program on creativity. Also describes: (1) sources of background information on creativity; (2) ways to evaluate skills in creativity; (3) articles and ideas on creativity and problem-solving, including predictors of problem-solving success; and (4) how to find time to teach problem-solving. (JN)