1. Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
A vision for learning

2. What is PBL?
Problem-based learning is a pedagogical strategy for posing significant, contextualized, real world situations, and providing resources, guidance, and instruction to learners as they develop content knowledge and problem-solving skills (Mayo, Donnelly, Nash, & Schwartz, 1993).

3. What is Learning?
Learning (is) a process that culminates in the ability:
to ask the right questions and frame good problems,
to acquire information and evaluate sources of information
to critically investigate and solve problems,
to make choices among many alternatives
to explain concepts to others (both verbally and in writing) and
to generalize to new situations." Ganter & Kinder, 1998)

4. Subject Based Learning
Given problem to
Illustrate how
to use it
START
Told what we
Need to know
Learn It

5. Problem Based Learning
Apply It
Learn It
Start
Problem Posed
Identify what we know
And what we need
To know

6. WHY PBL?
Corporations and employers have frequently and publicly complained about the lack of professional awareness and low level of communication and teamwork skills in engineering graduates

7. Required Skills (ABET Criteria 2000)
Independent and Interdependent learning; Lifelong learning skills
Problem solving; Critical thinking and; Creativity
Interpersonal/Group/Team skills
Communication skills
Assessment and self-assessment skills
Integration of disciplinary knowledge
Managing change

8. Why PBL Continued
Engineers are called to know vast amounts of information that is increasing more rapidly than the ability of the engineering curricula to cover it
Most of engineering is done cooperatively
Numerous surveys in industry place communication and teamwork at the top of their list of desirable skills for new engineering graduates

9. Why PBL?
Engineers are increasingly finding more non-traditional type employment
Cooperatively taught students tend to have:
Better and longer information retention
Higher grades
More highly developed critical thinking and problem solving skills
Better interpersonal and communication skills
Higher self-esteem
Lower levels of anxiety

10. Eight Tasks in PBL
Explore the problem, create hypotheses, identify issues, elaborate
Try to solve the problem with what you currently know to see what pertinent information you already know
Identify what you DO NOT know and therefore what you need to know because of your lack of knowledge is impeding the solution to the problem

11. Eight Tasks continued
Prioritize the learning needs; set learning goals and objectives; and allocate resources so that you know what is expected of you by when. For a group, members can identify which tasks each will do
Self-study and preparation

12. Eight Tasks continued
For a group, share the new knowledge effectively so that all the members of the group learn the information
Apply the knowledge to solve the problem
Give yourself feedback by assessing the new knowledge, the problem solution, and the effectiveness of the process used. Reflect on the process.
Woods, D. R. (1994). Problem-based Learning: How to Gain the most from PBL. Hamilton, Ontario: McMaster University

13. BENEFITS OF PBL? More effective learning of the subject
Knowledge stored in LTM as improved structure
Chance to develop “lifelong learning skills”
Coping with change
Problem solving
Communication
Interpersonal
Self-assessment

14. CHALLENGES May be uncomfortable with PBL
Amount of information learned in each case may be less that what we would like to know (need vs. want)
Seems that it takes longer to learn the same subject knowledge
Need to develop problem solving skills and awareness of our learning process

15. What is the most meaningful insight that you have gained about PBL?