1. Shifting Sand: Integrating Problem-Based Learning and Technology in Education
George Watson
with contributions from Deborah Allen, Barbara Duch Susan Groh, Valerie Hans, and Hal White
Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education
University of Delaware
Asia-Pacific Conference on Education National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technogical University Singapore, June 3,

2. Dela where?
Delaware…

4. gigabytes and gigahertz,
The Way It Was
2003
graphing calculators,
laptops,
gigabytes and gigahertz,
ubiquitous computing
Computation

5. 2003 Communication The Way It Was... 1973 e-mail, voice-mail,
chatrooms,
FAX,
pagers,
cell phones, text messaging,
instant messaging,
wireless connectivity
Communication

6. 2003 Collections The Way It Was... 1973 Online Information:
web catalogs,
networked databases,
Britannica Online,
online newspapers,
course websites,
CMS
Collections

7. Education and the Cs of Technology:
Computation and Calculation
Communication and Collaboration
Collections and Connections

8. An important question:
Given the amazing advances in technology
and the dramatic change in the first-year experience,
Can we afford to continue teaching the way we were taught?

9. What I know best I have taught…
…the individuals learning the most in the teacher-centered classrooms are the teachers there. They have reserved for themselves the very conditions that promote learning:
actively seeking new information,
integrating it with what is known,
organizing it in a meaningful way, and
explaining it to others.
Page 35, Huba and Freed, Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses: Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning, 2000

10. Characteristics Needed in College Graduates
High level of communication skills
Ability to define problems, gather and evaluate information, develop solutions
Team skills -- ability to work with others
Ability to use all of the above to address problems in a complex real-world setting
Quality Assurance in Undergraduate Education (1994) Wingspread Conference, ECS, Boulder, CO.

11. Recommendations from the Carnegie Foundation
Make research-based learning the standard.
Build inquiry-based learning throughout the four years.
Link communication skills and course work.
Use information technology effectively.
Cultivate a sense of community.
Boyer Commission Report

12. John Dewey…
“True learning is based on discovery guided by mentoring rather than the transmission of knowledge.”

13. What is Problem-Based Learning?
PBL is an learning approach that
challenges students to “learn to learn,”
working cooperatively in groups
to seek solutions to real world problems.
PBL prepares students
to think critically and analytically, and
to find and use appropriate learning resources.

14. “The principal idea behind PBL is that the starting point for learning should be a problem, a query, or a puzzle that the learner wishes to solve.”
Boud (1985)

15. What are the Common Features of PBL?
Learning is initiated by a problem.
Problems are based on complex, real-world situations.
All information needed to solve problem is not initially given.
Students identify, find, and use appropriate resources.
Students work in permanent groups.

16. PBL: The Process
Students are presented with a problem. They organize ideas and previous knowledge.
Students pose questions, defining what they know and do not know.
Assign responsibility for questions, discuss resources.
Reconvene, explore newly learned information, refine questions.

17. The Problem-Based Learning Cycle
Assessment
(when desired)
Overview
Problem, Project, or Assignment
Mini-lecture
(as needed)
Group Discussion
Whole Class Discussion
Preparation of Group “Product”
Research
Group Discussion

18. The principal idea behind PBL is?
PBL challenges students to learn to learn.
Learning is initiated by a problem.
Student-centered work in permanent groups.

19. “The principal idea behind PBL is that the starting point for learning should be a problem, a query, or a puzzle that the learner wishes to solve.”
Boud (1985)
Testing, let’s way I want to use speaker notes.

20. The principal idea behind PBL is?
A. PBL challenges students to learn to learn.
B. Learning is initiated by a problem.
C. Student-centered work in permanent groups.
Think/
pair/
share

21. Integrating Information Technology and PBL

22. Active Learning Objectives
Courses should:
Be student-centered and encourage students to “learn to learn.”
Provide opportunities to think critically and to analyze and solve problems.
Assist students in developing skills in gathering and evaluating information.
Provide experience working cooperatively in teams and small groups.
Help students acquire versatile and effective communication skills.
Offer a variety of learning experiences.
Apply technology effectively where it will enhance learning.

23. Information Technology Objectives
Students should:
engage in electronic collaboration.
use and create structured electronic documents.
do technology-enhanced presentations.
use appropriate electronic tools for research and evaluation.
use spreadsheets and databases to manage information.
use electronic tools for analyzing quantitative and qualitative data.
identify major legal, ethical, and security issues in information technology.
have a working knowledge of IT platforms.
Adapted from Technology Across the Curriculum, George Mason U.

24. Overlap of Active-Learning Objectives and Instructional Technology Objectives

25. Overlap of Active-Learning Objectives and Instructional Technology Objectives

26. Overlap of Active-Learning Objectives and Instructional Technology Objectives

30. Organizing the Course
Organizing the Course
Utilizing
Online Resources

31. Organizing the Course Web Sites and Syllabus Web Pages Syllabus Groups
Student Reports
and Projects

32. Organizing the Syllabus
Introduction
to PBL
Group
facilitation and
support
Forms for
assessment

35. Introduction
to PBL

36. Group
facilitation and
support

37. Forms for
assessment

38. Examples of supporting information that can be linked from an online syllabus:
Instructor’s instructional philosophy
Detailed course objectives (both content and process)
General education curriculum goals
Motivation and description of PBL
Problem solving process and strategies
Roles and responsibilities of students, peer tutors, and instructor
List of frequently asked questions about PBL and working in groups
Forms for assessment of individual performance in groups
Some thoughts on grading
Anonymous suggestion box and responses to suggestions
Academic Services Center
Policies on academic dishonesty and responsible computing

39. Organizing the Course Web Sites and Web Pages Groups Syllabus Groups
Student Reports
and Projects

40. Organizing Groups Groups Identity: Rosters, photos, addresses
Vehicles for
communication
Vehicles for
collaboration

42. Organizing Groups Groups Vehicles for communication Student to student
professor
Professor to
group
Vehicles for
communication
Student to
group
Professor to
student

43. controlled discussion forums,
Organizing Groups
Groups
bulletin boards,
newsgroups
Group to
group
Egroups.com
chatrooms,
filesharing,
scheduling meetings
Vehicles for
collaboration
CMS: WebCT
controlled discussion forums,
collaborative space,
whiteboarding
Group to
professor

44. Organizing the Course
Utilizing
Online Resources
Utilizing
Online Resources

45. Utilizing Online Resources
Web Sites and
Web Pages
Ingredients for
writing problems
Inspiration for
designing problems
Information for
solving problems

46. Ingredients for
writing problems

47. Inspiration for
designing problems

48. Information for
solving problems

49. Utilizing Online Resources
Web Sites and
Web Pages
Ingredients for
writing problems
Creating images
with scanners,
digital cameras
Background facts
from networked
databases
Borrowing images
from other sites

50. Utilizing Online Resources
Web Sites and
Web Pages
Online regional
newspapers for
local perspective
International
newspapers for
global view
Inspiration for
designing problems
Quack websites
for “raw”
material
Film and TV
sites for scripts
and characters

51. Utilizing Online Resources
Web Sites and
Web Pages
New thinking:
Engage and develop
critical thinking skills.
The Internet Challenge!
Old thinking:
The web is full of
misinformation and
biased representation
Stay away!
Evaluating online
resources critically
Information for
solving problems
Executing web
searches effectively

52. Using a Course Web Site to Organize a PBL Course

53. Using Online Resources to Support a PBL Course

54. Computer Simulations
A wide variety of educational games exist that represent a PBL approach to learning < :
emergency room
virtual hospital
archaeological dig dig.anthro.niu.edu
halls of justice
Interactive Java applets and Flash animations are also an excellent way to bring the power of technology to the PBL classroom.
One of my own is a Flash Circuit Simulator that emulates a laboratory for studying the properties of electric circuits.

55. Trends and Directions in PBL at UD

56. Electronic Dissemination of PBL Materials

57. Characteristics of Good PBL Problems
Relate to real-world, motivate students.
Require decision-making or judgments.
Multi-page, multi-stage.
Designed for group-solving.
Initial questions are open-ended to encourage discussion.
Incorporate course content objectives.
Provide challenges for higher-order thinking.

58. But…where are the problems?
Typical end-of-chapter problems can be solved by rote memorization, pattern-match, and plug-and-chug techniques
Good problems should require students to make assumptions and estimates, develop models, and work through the model.
A source of problems outside the commercial texts needs to be developed.

59. PBL Clearinghouse An online database of PBL articles and problems.
All material is peer-reviewed by PBL practitioners for content and pedagogy.
All problems are supported by learning objectives and resources, teaching and assessment notes.
Holdings are searchable by author, discipline, keywords, or full text.
Fully electronic submission, review, and publication cycle.
Controlled access by free user subscription, students excluded.

64. PBL Clearinghouse www.udel.edu/pblc
Currently there are more than 4500 registered users and 60 PBL problems.
Of the problems available, more than half are in physics, chemistry, and biology, but the number in other disciplines is growing steadily.
We are very interested in publishing adaptations of problems to other cultural/geographical contexts.

65. Problem-Based Learning and Physics: Developing problem solving skills in all students
The project is developing a database of problems, instructional models, evaluation tools, and web-based resources that effectively incorporate PBL across the content framework of introductory undergraduate physics courses. Materials are being collected and reviewed for a wide variety of introductory physics courses, for both science majors and non-science majors, across all levels of instruction and class enrollment.

67. Facilities for PBL

68. Collaborative workspace
Flexible furniture in PBL classroom

72. Wireless Laptop Carts

74. National and International Partnerships

75. 27 engineering educators and deans from northern France

77. Project funded by ALO/USAID
PBL in Peruvian Higher Education: Quality Science and Math Education for Future Public School Teachers
Collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in Lima

79. Website: www.cem.itesm.mx/pbl2004
PBL2004 International Conference
Pleasure By Learning
June 13-19, 2004
Cancun, Mexico
Website:
Hosted by: Instituto Tecnólogico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) Campus Estado de México

80. Miscellaneous Science Semester for Elementary Education Majors
Delaware Math/Science Partnership: Systemic Reform of Math and Science Education in the First State
Preparation of Training Materials for Course in Tutor Facilitation
Moving toward PBL and Distance Education - WebCT

81. Research on PBL at UD

82. PBL Outcomes at UD
Exposure to PBL improves number and quality of student-faculty interactions.
Structured focus groups re: PBL:
increased comfort and inclusion in class.
increased ability to consider, evaluate, and respect different points of view.
improved communication and interpersonal skills.
made course content more interesting.

83. PBL Outcomes at UD Gains in critical thinking skills?
Inconclusive
Barriers to research on PBL at UD?
Many different models of PBL used (hybrids).
Absence of a PBL curriculum track.

84. Shifting Sand: Integrating Problem-Based Learning and Technology in Education
…like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation was on the rock.
…like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and battered that house, and it collapsed, and its collapse was devastating.
Parable of the Two Builders

85. UD PBL online PBL at UD www.udel.edu/pbl
PBL Clearinghouse
Watson homepage
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