Designing Assignments to Wrap-Up PBL Problems Workshop at Marymount University May 9, 2003 Courtesy of Hal White

PBL Problem Assignments Why consider a PBL assignment separate from a PBL problem? Isn’t the problem the assignment? You have drafted a PBL problem for your course. It addresses important concepts in a substantive context. Students will learn, understand, and remember.

Why Assignments?...Accountability What does it mean when a student says, I understand?.... Does it mean the same thing to that student that it does to another student or to you, the professor?..… How can students demonstrate their understanding to you and others?

…and Closure PBL problems are typically open-ended. Student within a single group often pursue different learning issues. Students frequently have difficulty knowing what the instructor thinks is important. Assignments focus on central issues and bring closure to PBL problems.

Activity for Everybody Consider some of the PBL problems you have encountered to date. What are some examples of student assignments from these problems? You may contribute examples from other sources as well.

Activity for Groups Based on these examples and others, generate a list of considerations that would be appropriate when designing an appropriate assignment to wrap-up a PBL problem.

Considerations for PBL Assignments Individual or group response? Course/problem content objectives? General education and PBL goals? Graded or not? Difficulty? (Bloom’s Taxonomy) Interest level for students? Form of the response?

PBL Problem Assignments Written assignments Write a 2-3 page paper on a learning issue you researched. Critique this recent magazine article in terms of the problem you have just finished. Transform an experiment described in this article into a laboratory exercise appropriate for undergraduates. Who is the audience in each case?

PBL Problem Assignments Written assignments Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper on this issue. Compose a 200 word abstract for the article you have just read based on the Guidelines for Authors in JBC. Research a topic related to the course and write a PBL problem for this course based on that topic. Who is the audience in each case?

PBL Problem Assignments Written and visual assignment Create a website appropriate for high school students on this topic.

PBL Problem Assignments Written, oral, and visual assignments Prepare a case for your position and present it to the class as a debate. Prepare a 15-minute informative talk on this topic using PowerPoint slides.

PBL Problem Assignments Visual Assignment Prepare a concept map incorporating the major issues related to this problem.

Concept Mapping: What is a concept map? What are the features of a concept map? How do you construct a concept map? How do you use concept maps? An Instructional Tool to Organize Content and Assess Student Learning

What is a Concept Map “a general method with which one can clarify and describe people’s ideas about some topic in a graphical form” Katsumoto 1997 a pictorial representation that shows the relationships between and among a connected set of concepts and ideas

Purposes for Concept Mapping Generate ideas (brainstorming) Design complex structures (long texts, web- sites) Communicate complex ideas Aid learning by explicitly integrating new and old knowledge Assess understanding or diagnose misunderstanding

Arrange the following three terms and connect them with arrows and linking phrases BacteriaPneumoniaAntibiotics Short Assignment

BacteriaPneumonia Antibiotics Caused by Treated with Kill A Mini Concept Map

Concept Maps Ideas Propositions Concepts Research & Assessment Tool Misconceptions Feelings & Values Affective Objectives Learning Interest Enjoyment Motivation Learning Effectiveness Learning Processes Metacognition Study & Revision Aid Linear Text Classroom Teachers Adapted from K. S. Taber (1994) Physics Education 29(5) of increasing may increase awareness of may develop used as alternative to relate related by consists of suitable for reveals may address used as to assess to do with such asincreasing improving CONCEPT MAP OF CONCEPT MAPPING

Problem-Based Learning Cooperative Learning Groups Concept Mapping Process Skills Content Objectives Learning Goals Library & Internet Resources Real World Open-ended Complex Individual Learning Leadership Communication Conflict Management Sharing Information Accepting Information Peer Evaluation Writing Assignments Divide and Conquer Strategies Scholarly Synthesis Organization Disciplinary Rhetoric Student Voice Term Papers PBL Problems Case Studies Individual Accountability Grades Problems Revision Faculty Students Society Academic Dishonesty Examinations uses working on that are to promote depends on reflected in tied to expected by has Group Accountability including Peer Evaluation based on Group Assignments need achieved with should limit seen in such as including such as that display that access that address and minimize that incorporate Peer Feedback informed by reflected in Where does Concept Mapping Fit Into PBL?

A Concept Map Based on the Proposition: Without the industrial chemical reduction of atmospheric nitrogen, starvation would be rampant in third world countries. FOOD Human Health and Survival Contains Required for and Requiring more Essential Amino Acids Animals Used for Such as Made by Plants GrainsLegumes Required for growth of Symbiotic Bacteria “Fixed” Nitrogen Possess That produce Agricultural Practices Population Growth Politics Economics Distribution Climate Starvation and Famine Malthus 1819 Eastern Europe India Africa Deprivation leads to Can be limited by and Such as in PesticidesHerbicidesGenetics & Breeding Irrigation Fertilizer Which significantly supplements naturally Such as Predicted by Can be increased by NH 3 Haber Process Atmospheric N 2 Protein Includes Eaten by Used by humans as

Stages in the Construction of a Concept Map Brainstorming Stage Organizing Stage Layout Stage Linking Stage Revising Stage Finalizing Stage

Designing Assignments to Wrap-up PBL Problems Assignments are an integral part of PBL problems. PBL assignments address issues of accountability and closure. In writing PBL problems, consider the assignment carefully. PBL assignments can have many forms.