This book is designed for medical teachers who wish to consider problem-based learning as an educational method to be used in their courses or curriculum in medical school. The first six chapters elaborate the background for a well-designed problem-based learning curriculum by considering the goals of undergraduate medical education, the challenge patient problems present, the nature of the physicians' clinical reasoning process, how that process is associated with knowledge needed to care for patients, and the importance of self-directed learning for an effective career in medicine. The remaining chapters deal with the design of an effective problem-based learning curriculum including: the educational objectives addressed, the curricular requirements, the practice-based learning sequence, the authenticity of problem-based learning, common concerns of medical teachers, integrating other methods, variables that can alter the effectiveness of practice-based learning, assessment, applying practice-based learning to the clerkship years, converting to practice-based learning, choosing problems, evaluating the effectiveness of problem-based learning as an instructional method, and criteria for analyzing a problem-based learning curriculum. Contains 70 references. (JRH)