PBL and educational innovation Problem based Learning in Engineering and Science – Development of Facilitator PBL and educational innovation Lars Peter Jensen Associate profesor Department of Control Engineering lpj@es.aau.dk Xiangyun Du Associate professor Department of Education, Learning and Philosophy xiangyun@learning.aau.dk

Overview Reflection on university teaching and learning Why PBL - Challenges and changes PBL history and related theories Diversity and ongoing change Reflection and discussions

Reflection on own learning stories

The way I was educated Big class, little room for individual ideas ’There is still one more seat in the wall’ http://www.cnsphoto.com/

Same materials year after year…

Memory is more important than application skills for high scores…

Transferred knowledge will be returned after exams

Your learning stories Please spend 3 minutes sharing your learning stories with your neighbours

Am I teaching the same way I was taught? Need for Innovation in Engineering Education

Room for innovation?

Can innovation be facilitated in this way? http://eby.cc/p/1961.htm

5 minutes’ discussion What is your understanding of learning? Based on your own experiences, what are the roles of university teaching in relation to learning?

Teaching = Learning ?

Yes, it’s actually true – you can get a degree by repeating everything the teacher says. Teaching = learning? ”We pretend that there is co-incidence between what is being taught and what is being learned” (Knud Illeriis, 1998)

Teaching = Learning? “Teaching does not mean transferring knowledge but creating opportunities for …producing and constructing it.” (Paulo Freire) (Karl Smith, UMN)

Learning – is it only about how brain works?

Theories related to PBL Constructivism Knowledge and learning is created by the students – not given to them

Life Long Learning and professional identity development Learning to become Original figure in Wenger 2004

Learning in Communities of Practice Participation Informal Unintended Knowledge sharing

Experiential learning - Kolb’s learning cycle Concrete Experience Active Experiment Reflective Observation Abstract conceptualisation Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experiences - David Kolb 1984

Experiential learning – the Cowan loopy diagram on action Reflection for in Time

Blooms taxonomy 1956 Competence Skills demonstrated 1. Knowledge Observation and recall of information (describe, identify, who, when, where) 2. Comprehension Understanding information Translate knowledge into new context 3. Application Use information, methods, concepts, theories in new situations 4. Analysis Seeing patterns, organization of parts, rcognition of hidden meanings 5. Synthesis Use old ideas to create new ones. Generalize from given facts. Draw conclusions 6. Evaluation Compare and discremininate between ideas. Assess value of theories. Make choices based on reasoned arguments. Verify value of evidence

PBL Learning Principles Learning Principles (Graff & Kolmos 2003)

A conceptualisation of PBL PBL can be conceptualised as three central dimensions or processes that are stretched between teacher and participant control: Problem – who defines and re-formulate? Work Process – who chooses theory, methods and ways of working? Solution – who owns the solution?

Why change? Why PBL ? – NEW Competencies Scientific knowledge Process and professional competencies Project management Communication Teamwork Organization Technical competencies

Need for change: accreditations Globalized context Interdisciplinary knowledge Lifelong learning Effective communication Analytical skills Designing and conducting experiments Application of mathematics and science knowledge Diverse capabilities Intercultural competencies Team work Identity and solve applied science problems Project management Social, environmental, and ethical concerns Characteristics of a communities of practice are cultivated in the historical, social and cultural context. Learning as personal growth and development process – being and becoming through interaction with others in the social context National Academy of Engineering, The Engineer of 2020, 2004 EUR-ACE (Accreditation of European Engineering Programmes and Graduates, http://www.feani.org/EUR_ACE/EUR_ACE_Main_Page.htm - ABET: http://www.abet.org/  

Need for change: industry expectations Comparaison of capabilities taught at universities and required in professional life by young profesionals - Germany (Becker 2006)

Ranking of capabilities important in professional life by young electrical engineers five years after graduation - Germany (Becker 2006)

Change of profession and interdisciplinarity Changes in the medical education system in many countries have been endorsed aiming to reduce the volume of factual knowledge taught didactically and to increase students` abilities to direct and maintain their own learning through methods such as Problem Based Learning

Educational changes in Denmark New study programs: enriched engineering disciplines New expectations: broadened engineering skills and competences New study forms: implementing student centred and work place-imitated learning environment (for example, PBL as an educational strategy) New challenges and tasks for educators

PBL as a strategy for change: development and diversity of practice McMaster 1968 Maastricht 1972 Linkoping 1972 Roskilde 72 Aalborg 74 Problems as focus and stimulus for learning Self directed learning Student-centred and tutors as facilitators/guides Team work Problem orientation Interdisciplinarity Exemplary learning Participant directed Group work

PBL literature & theories Objectives of PBL (Barrows 1986) Structuring of knowledge and clinical context Clinical reasoning Self directed learning skills Intrinsic motivation Motivation and drivers (Barrows 1996) Failure of conventional teaching methods in improving students’ the clinical reasoning and problem-solving ability Students’ dissatisfaction Need for involving medical practice into curriculum PBL literature & theories Five major characteristics (Vernon and Blake 1993,550-551) real or hypothetical clinical cases small discussion groups collaborative independent study hypothetico-deductive reasoning Focus on group process rather than provision of information Evaluation (quantitative studies) Effectiveness (Albanese and Mitchell 1993, Vernon and Blake 1993) Norman and Schmidt (1992), Barrows (1996), Norman and Schmidt (2000), Colliver (2000), Enarson and Cariaga-Lo (2001) Academic achievement Academic process Clinical functioning Concerns (Colliver 1993, 2000, Newman 2000, Morrison 2004) Basic medical science knowledge cost

Some who claim to be doing might not be What is/are PBL(s)? What do people do… Some who claim to be doing might not be Some are doing without realizing http://www.cnsphoto.com/

PBL Learning Principles Learning Principles (Graff & Kolmos 2003)

Variation Ways of implementation Problem solving techniques in the lecture Problem Based Learning in subjects / at institutional level Project Based Learning in subjects / at institutional level Problem and Project Based Learning Inquiry Based Learning Outcome Based Learning Modes of practice Senario Case Transdisciplinary Intercultural projects Mega project Individual / team Online Based / Face to face

DIVERSITY OF PRACTICE: PBL & curriculum relations Tadahiko (2008) PBL Lectures Lectures PBL Lectures + PBL PBL track Hybrid track Partial attachment

Diversity of PBL practice Implementation Moesby, E. 2004. "Reflections on making a change towards Project Oriented and Problem-Based Learning (POPBL)”, World Transactions on Engineering Technology Education (WTE&TE), UICEE, Monash University, Australia. Volume 3, No. 2, December 2004.

Problem solving skills in the lecture Lectures Literature Questions Answers Seminars

Project Based Learning Subject 1 Project 1 Subject 2 Project 2 http://www.cnsphoto.com/ Moesby 2004

Innovations Subject 1 Subject 1 Subject 2 Subject 2 Subject 3 Project Moesby 2004

PBL at institutional level Problem and Project Based Learning - An innovation of the Aalborg Model Study courses 7,5 ECTS 50% courses Project courses 7,5 ECTS One semester Group examination Individual examination 50% project Project 15 ECTS Model from The Aalborg PBL model - Progress, Diversity and Challenges Anette Kolmos, Flemming K. Fink & Lone Krogh 1 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) = 30 working hours

Evaluation from Danish industry on graduates

Employers judgement of innovation, IDA, 2008 (N=209) 43

Overall assessment of Danish Engineering Institutions. IDA, 2008

DIVERSITY OF PRACTICE – ‘MODELS’ Problem Process Team Assessment Role of teaching Aalborg One semester Problems(5 months) - open and narrow Project Management and process skills 4-7 Ss Self-form, Discussing, writing and together, Individual judgement in a team based exam Facilitation based – Consultancy (low level Of nstruction) Maastricht One week - Case based Seven jumps 5-10 Ss Discussing together exam progress Testing based –tutoring (low level of instruction) Republic Polytechnic One day -structured 3 meetings a day – Solving process 5 Ss Quiz and Written reflection Problem giver and instruction

Major changes of PBL curricula 1969 1965 1983 2005 Stage 3 2005 – now COMPASS curriculum (concept-oriented, multidisciplinary, problem-based, practice for transfer, simulations in clerkship, streaming). Challenges: insufficient assimilation of fundamental basic science concepts, insufficient attention on behavior and population perspectives, professional competencies, etc. Stage 2 1983 - 2005 Curriculum focused on population problems. Aiming at essential knowledge, fundamental skills, personal qualities, values, and attitudes to becoming physicians. Challenges: students required a broad-based basic medical science foundation before they could begin problem solving. Stage 1 1969 -1983 Curriculum focused on Biomedical problems. Aiming at skills of self-directed learning for information explosion, critical appraisal, self-assessment, etc. (Neville et al 2007)

Major changes of PBL curricula 2005 2004 2008 2006 2009 2010 Stage 3 2009-2010 Integrated courses of basic medical sciences Stage 2 2006-2008 increased number of courses and PBL percentage in overall curricula Stage 1 2004-2005 11 basic medical courses and 12 clinical courses (100%, over 50%, and less than 50% of curriculum)

The case PBL model in medicine at AAU

Bachelor program (project-oriented PBL in green) otherwise case-based PBL – all shared with medicine 49

Comparison of the three models Students number /year Starting time of PBL Drivers for change Curriculum model McMaster 3 year master Around 140 1969 Altanative teaching and learning Problem Based Learning (COMPASS) AAU 5-6year master 50-70 1974 AAU Project Based Learing, 2006 medicine PBL AAU tradition? Case + Project based Learning CMU 7 years master More than 1000 200年 GMER Hybrid PBL Shoestring model (Savin-Baden 2009)

Comparison of the three models History, backgrounds, goals Students and staff resources Curriculum design in relation to educational philosophy and theories (How much percentage of the curricula) Assessment and evaluation Educational/Staff development

Questions and discussions