Drag racing is just one of the exciting sporting activities that students enrolled in the Parkland College's Engineering Science and Technologies program get an opportunity in which to participate. The college, located in Champaign, Illinois, has provided affordable career-tech and academic education to area residents since 1966. This article…

We describe an undergraduate laboratory experiment that combines the advantages of problem-based learning with the need for biochemistry students to become proficient in practical laboratory skills. It also avoids the need to obtain ethical approval for recruiting volunteers and eliminates any possible biosafety issues with the handling and…

This paper distinguishes among "contextualizing", "conceptualizing", and "problem-centring" as three basic approaches to interdisciplinary curriculum. This typology is based on the type of inquiry that takes place in the classroom. For example, if the guiding epistemology in the interdisciplinary work is that of the humanities, the mode of…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of video and group discussion in problem-based video instruction on learner perceptions of learning and knowledge transfer. To achieve this purpose, this study compared learner perceptions of learning and knowledge transfer in problem-based video instruction (PBVI) with those in two other…

There has been an increasing interest in the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in problem-based learning. One line of research has been to introduce synchronous, or simultaneous, communication attempting to create text-based digital real-time interaction. Compared with face-to-face (F2F) communication, CMC may be a poorer medium…

This study reports teacher and student experiences of problem-based learning (PBL) in three Asian countries. PBL was introduced to provide an education that would allow students to compete successfully in a changing world. Student and tutor experiences were positive and PBL was seen to work extremely well, despite the typical problems that…

Aim: In a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum, tutor's feedback skills are important. However, evaluation studies often show that students rate many tutors as ineffective in providing feedback. We explored whether this is related: (a) to tutors' skills, and hence a teaching intervention might improve their performance; (b) to the formulation…

This article reports on a small-scale research project (n = 56) that investigated student educational gain. For the purposes of this study, gain is defined as an increase in the score that students obtain for pre/post intervention tests. Students received authentic exposure to the process via a web-delivered problem-based scenario. The students…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student centered approach whereby students deal with ill-structured problems while working in small groups. In this study, a path model was utilized to model the relationships among reasoning ability, learning approach, prior knowledge, motivational variables, and achievement in genetics in PBL classes. 126 eighth…

High school teacher Jeff House and his students revamp their study of "The Grapes of Wrath" by creating a class website. Students practice traditional skills such as researching, organizing material, and providing focused ideas while pursuing areas of interest such as music, film, and journalism. The project enhances their understanding of…

The purpose of the study was to determine applicability of e-learning in problem based learning (PBL) by investigating its usage and acceptability among students and its effect on academic achievement. The study was carried out among first year medical students of Akdeniz University, Turkey. A web-based learning environment (WBLE) including…

Wikis are believed to be a powerful tool assisting the development of constructivist learning environments, as their very nature supports collaboration. However, not much research has been done into the types of collaborative interaction that take place in wikis when used for learning. The main purpose of this study is to explore the factors that…

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)

Describes strategies and structures for preparing for professional practice, including different kinds of professional knowledge, self-directed learning, facilitated learning groups, and problem-based learning. (SK)