Positive Outcomes of PBL Dr. Jenny Chung Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Overseas findings: PBL promotes: n retention of knowledge ( e.g. Albanese & Mitchell, 1993) n independent learning (e.g. Norman & Schmidt, 1992) n reflective thinking (e.g. Boud & Feletti, 1991) n problem-solving skills (e.g. Barrows, 1990) Life-long learner Reflective clinical practitioner

Learning culture in HK Respect teacher & knowledgeParents’ expectation (Chan, 1999)(Stevenson & Lee, 1996) Rote learners Exam-driven Previous teaching-learning methodsexperiences (Biggs, 1991)

A question What are the values of PBL for local students?

Implementation brief n PBL is adopted in a year I subject (2 nd semester) of the B.Sc. (Hons) Occupational Therapy program. n Two teaching staff (tutors) are involved for the teaching of a class of 80 students. n Students work in small teams of 5-6.

Problems to facilitate learning n Ill-defined and open-ended problems in real life context.

Learning resources to support learning n Study handbook n video cases n resource materials n web-site as a platform to share and discuss information

Qualitative data from reflective journals and focus-group interviews Positive learning outcomes n learning context n learning environment n learning skills n learning attitudes

Learning Skills “Though brainstorming is not new to me, but I seldom participated actively in the past. In the PBL tutorials, we are encouraged to use the technique ‘think aloud’ to generate issues about the problem. It helps me to think more divisively and flexibly.” “PBL facilitates us to identify learning objectives, and search for information to acquire knowledge and develop well-organized presentations through teamwork.”

Learning Context Creative and challenging “PBL is more creative than traditional teaching- learning methods. My motivation to learn increases because of a sense of achievement.” “The learning process is challenging; I need to define what I should learn, how to integrate and analyze information, and how to present the information to my peers.”

Learning Environment Nurtured collaboration and teamwork skills “What I like most is the opportunity to work together with peers. This may not happen in other subjects. …I learn to work with others who have different characters and learning attitude. …I also learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

Learning environment n Benefit from giving and receiving feedback “Giving feedback to and receiving comments from fellow classmates are not easy and sometimes unpleasant, but I learn reflecting upon my learning experiences and coping with negative comments.” n Improved skills of communication, negotiation and decision making n Develop trust and friendship “During the learning process, we not only learn the method of division of labor, but we also develop a trustful peer relationship with each other.”

PBL groupwork matches with learning styles of Chinese students n Chinese’s conception of collectivism (Stokes et al., 1997) n a good social network an important attribute to career success n students use group learning and collaborative work to achieve good results (Biggs, 1991)

Learning Skills Acquisition skills of: n searching, organizing and analyzing information n oral presentation “…we improve our presentation skills. …Initially, we just read out the materials, then we used transparencies, and then Power Point with images and sound.”

Improvement in study skills: n organizing and integrating information n critical evaluation of information n lateral thinking n independent in learning and thinking n take responsibility of own learning “I sit for lecture in other subjects. In PBL, I participate actively and decide what to learn and how to learn.” Learning Skills

n Transfer of skills to other subjects “Since I did so much searching in this subject, I did the same for other subjects. …we searched for information before we did the assignment. …It may be due to the habit that we developed in PBL. We did not think whether we should or not, we just go and search for information.”

Learning Attitude “I quite like the learning process, and what I discovered throughout… PBL facilitates me to learn to take responsibility of my study.” “Giving feedback to and receiving comments from fellow classmates are not easy and sometimes unpleasant, but I learn reflecting upon my learning experiences and coping with negative comments.”

Major limitations n PBL applies only to one subject of the whole curriculum n No comparison of a control group  positive outcomes obtained might not be wholly accountable by PBL