A few medical schools have introduced a significant innovation--the problem-based curriculum. Students meet in small tutorials and consider biomedical problems that they cannot solve without acquiring new information and skills. This experiment at Harvard gives "respectability" to the curriculum. (MLW)

Presents: (1) a list of ideas for teaching problem-solving; (2) a review of a problem-solving book used in medical education; and (3) a discussion of an approach called problem-based learning. (DH)

Several empirical studies are discussed which indicate that adapting the level of support, the difficulty of the learning task, or support as well as difficulty has beneficial effects on learning and transfer test performance. Three conclusions can be drawn from the presented studies. First, both the level of available support and the difficulty…

Reflective thinking skills are important in a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) environment by helping learners engage deeply in the problem-solving process. The research on learners' perceptions of factors prompting reflective thinking in a PBL environment is limited, and it is not clear whether there is a difference in perceptions of these factors…

This book illustrates how problem-based learning (PBL) can enliven curriculum and lesson planning by encouraging students to play a more central role in their own learning process. It provides a framework for efficiently and effectively teaching problem-solving skills, tapping children's interests and previous knowledge, and making the curriculum…

Statistics is generally classified as a difficult course. In this regard, promoting an active learning environment is a popular instructional strategy. However, there is much evidence in the literature of a literal and simplistic interpretation of "active learning environment". This report describes an approach to facilitating introductory…

Case study teaching has gained a strong foothold in science education. The author discusses: (1) variations on methodology, from whole class discussion to the jigsaw approach; (2) an increase in educational resources on the topic; (3) over a thousand studies that show improved learning when case studies are used; and (4) a survey that illustrates…

This guide contains 12 practical tools to help educators link instruction in Creative Problem Solving (CPS) with today's focus on authentic assessment. It offers a variety of practical, reproducible instruments and checklists for use in evaluating students' knowledge of CPS concepts and tools, assessing students' attitudes about CPS and their…

This paper describes a project that was an arena for learning through three years (six semesters) of engineering education in computer technology. Project work accounted for approximately 20% of student work in five semesters, and 50% in the last semester. There were three categories of projects. The first type, in the first semester, had as its…

Mathematics is not only about learning problem-solving methods; it is also about gaining a deeper understanding of their purpose, advantages and disadvantages. Frequently, the same problem can be solved by applying several different methods. Mathematics education should also include clues to those best fitting to the person's aim. To achieve that…

Education has traditionally studied the world by bringing it into the classroom. This method can result in situated learning that appears to students to have no relevance outside the classroom. Students acquire inert, decontextualized knowledge that they cannot apply to real problems. The obvious solution to this shortcoming is to reverse the…

It is common practice in problem-based learning for students to solve cases developed by faculty. Rare is the practice of creating learning environments in which students construct their own cases. This paper examines the design and implementation of a 15-week problem-based learning writing course for graduate students in medical science. The…

Subjects addressed by the 65 papers in this proceedings include: challenges for emerging instructional designers; instructional technology clinical experience; color coding and field dependence; effects of visualization on cognitive development; effects of learning structure and summarization during computer-based instruction; individually-guided…

Describes a sea-water analysis project that introduces qualitative and quantitative analysis methods and laboratory methods such as gravimetric analysis, potentiometric titration, ion-selective electrodes, and the use of calibration curves. Uses a problem-based cooperative teaching approach. (Contains 24 references.) (YDS)

Argues that problem-based learning (PBL) shows students that the best scientists are not those who memorize facts, but rather those who apply facts in a creative manner. Explains that the author, who incorporated group learning into a general education science course, found that PBL led to increased class attendance and participation. (Contains…