problem based learning nancy allen, ph.d. college of education office of faculty development qatar...

Problem Based Learning

Nancy Allen, Ph.D.College of Education

Office of Faculty DevelopmentQatar University

Session Objectives

Explain the theory and practice of Project Based Learning (PBL).

Engage faculty in considering PBL as an instructional strategy.

Discuss how to plan and conduct effective PBL .

Learning Outcomes

Give an operational definition of Problem Based Learning (PBL).

Describe how to construct a PBL experience. Give examples of how PBL can be used in

instruction. Evaluate PBL designs. Construct a PBL experience for a course you

teach.

I have a problem.

I don’t know you.

Can you help me?

First: Organize yourself into working groups. Group Manager Recorder Reporter Resource Manager

As a group…

First, clarify the question.

What is the problem?

What constitutes successful completion? In one hour’s time, your group will present

what you believe is an accurate and helpful profile of the participants in this workshop.

You will have a maximum of five (5) minutes to present.

Everyone in the group is expected to take part in the research and in the presentation.

Decide what you know, what you need to know, and how you can find out.

As a group…

KnowNeed to Know

How we can find

out

Who is responsible

What resources do you have?

What resources do you need?

Knowledge and Skills

"The basic principle supporting the concept of PBL is older than formal education itself; namely, learning is initiated by a posed problem, query, or puzzle that the learner wants to solve" (Duch, Groh, & Allen, 2001).

Once Kind of Active Learning

PBL overlaps with other active learning models such as groupwork and case studies, but is distinguished by the focus on having students delineate, research, and solve a realistic problem.

Why Use Problem-Based Learning

PBL better prepares students to apply their learning to real-world situations.

PBL enables students to become producers, rather than consumers, of knowledge.

PBL can help students develop communication, reasoning and critical thinking skills.

Research review

Review of research

1. Learning in a PBL format may initially reduce levels of learning (this may be due to the difficulty in determining what students learned using traditional competence measures), but may foster, over periods up to several years, increased retention of knowledge;

2. Some preliminary evidence suggests that PBL curricula may enhance both transfer of concepts to new problems and integration of basic science concepts into clinical problems;

3. PBL enhances intrinsic interest in the subject matter; and

4. PBL appears to enhance self-directed learning skills (metacognition), and this enhancement may be maintained (Norman & Schmidt, 1992, in Evensen & Hmelo, 2000).

Goals of PBL:

PBL is used to engage students in learning. This is based on several theories in cognitive theory. Two prominent ones are that students work on problems perceived as meaningful or relevant and that people try to fill in the gaps when presented with a situation they do not readily understand.

Teachers present students with a problem set, then student work-groups analyze the problem, research, discuss, analyze, and produce tentative explanations, solutions, or recommendations. It is essential to PBL that students do not possess sufficient prior knowledge to address the problem. In the initial discussion, students develop a set of questions that need to be addressed. These questions then become the objectives for students' learning.

Norman and Schmidt (1992) state there are three roles for PBL. The first is the acquisition of factual

knowledge, the second is the mastery of general principles or concepts that can be transferred to solve similar problems, and third, the acquisition of prior examples that can be used in future problem solving situations of a similar nature.

Acquiring Factual Knowledge:

Activation of prior knowledge facilitates the subsequent processing of new information. Small group discussion helps activate prior knowledge.

Elaboration of knowledge at the time of learning enhances subsequent retrieval.Matching context facilitates recall. This means that retrieval of information is facilitated by retrieving under the same conditions in which the information was learned.

Transfer of Principles and Concepts

To insure successful transfer, students need to get the problem cold. Any advance organizer that identifies the problem in advance appears to detract from the PBL process. It appears important that students learn and acquire concepts while wrestling with the problem.

Activation of prior knowledge, taking place while a problem is initially discussed, may have a stage-setting function for new knowledge that facilitates students processing it.

How does problem-based learning work?

What instructors do:

Develop real-world, complex and open-ended problems such as might be faced in the workplace or daily life.

Act as facilitators, making sure students are staying on track and finding the resources they need.

Raise questions to student groups that deepen the connections they make among concepts.

Strike a balance between providing direct guidance and encouraging self-directed learning.

What students do:

Address the problem, identifying what they need to learn in order to develop a solution and where to look for appropriate learning resources.

Collaborate to gather resources, share and synthesize their findings, and pose questions to guide further learning tasks for the group.

Generate and defend plans or solutions based on their research.

How do I get started with PBL?

Develop problems that:

Capture students’ interest by relating to real-world issues.

Draw on students’ previous learning and experience.

Integrate content objectives with problem-solving skills.

Require a cooperative, multi-staged method to solve.

Necessitate that students do some independent research to gather all information relevant to the problem.

Examples of Problems

Biology: Students examine the health claims of a widely advertised dietary supplement

Art History: Students weigh competing evidence to determine whether a museum acquisition is real or forged

Environmental Science: Students develop a preservation plan for a local forest

Center for Instructional Development and Research (2004). Retrieved on January 22, 2008, from http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/Bulletin/PBL.html

Design assessment tools that:

Account for process (e.g. research, collaboration) as well as content skills.

Are closely tied to course learning objectives. Balance group performance.

What kinds of classes can PBL be used in? PBL has successfully been used in disciplines

ranging from engineering to art history.

When adapting PBL for your course, consider the following: An entire course can be PBL based, or PBL can

be used for part of a given unit.

Depending on your learning goals, it is possible to design problems with a narrow range of correct solutions (such as medical diagnoses) or with a wider range of creative possibilities (such as architectural designs).

Though usually based in groupwork, PBL can also have individualized components, provided that students are required to come together to discuss their findings.

Problem-Based Learning: The Process1. Identify objectives/learning outcomes to be

addressed.2. Decide what activities/artifacts will demonstrate

mastery. Identify/design assessment instruments.

3. Decide how much time you have/can give to the activity and set the time apart.

4. Find/design the problem situation.5. Identify and obtain necessary student

resources.6. Form groups.7. Begin project.8. Constantly monitor and coach.

Problem-Based Learning: The Process

1. Present the problem situation.

2. List what is known.

3. Develop a problem statement.

4. List what is needed.

5. List possible actions, recommendations, solutions, or hypotheses.

6. Present and support the solution.

Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education (2005).

PBL Planning Guide

Resources Needed Support materials for students:

Problem situation statement Supportive documents Web track Expert list Print-based resources Opportunities for research

Assessment Instruments Presentation Resources


The Unit in Action

Remember: The Goals of PBL include: Course objectives and learning outcomes General research skills Higher level thinking Collaborative work skills


The Unit in Action

Present the problem situation to students. They will:



3. List what is needed to solve the problem.




1. Present the problem statement. Introduce an "ill-structured" problem or

scenario to students. They should not have enough prior knowledge to solve the problem. This simply means they will have to gather necessary information or learn new concepts, principles, or skills as they engage in the problem-solving process.



Student groups list what they know about the scenario. This information is kept under the heading: "What do we know?" This may include data from the situation as well as information based on prior knowledge.



A problem statement should come from the students' analysis of what they know. The problem statement will probably have to be refined as new information is discovered and brought to bear on the situation. Typical problem statements may be based on discrepant events, incongruities, anomalies, or stated needs of a client.


4. List what is needed.

Presented with a problem, students will need to find information to fill in missing gaps. A second list is prepared under the heading: "What do we need to know?" These questions will guide searches that may take place on-line, in the library, and in other out-of-class searches.



Under the heading: "What should we do?" students list actions to be taken (e.g., questioning an expert), and formulate and test tentative hypotheses.



As part of closure, teachers may require students to communicate, orally and/or in writing, their findings and recommendations. The product should include the problem statement, questions, data gathered, analysis of data, and support for solutions or recommendations based on the data analysis.



Students are encouraged to share their findings on-line with teachers and students in other schools, within the district, region, state, nation, or internationally. Teachers will find that students pay more attention to quality when they have to present or show their written products to students in other schools.


Planning Guide

Course Objective Matrix

ObjectiveMeasured by…

Read different kinds of text for understanding

Research log Final report

Planning Guide

Time Allowance Total time: 2 class periods separated by two weeks’

out-of-class research time Assigned: October 15 Presentations: October 29

Planning Guide

Problem situations Invent or find Search key words

Discipline or topic + PBL Discipline or topic + Problem-based Learning Discipline or topic + Problem based learning

For example, “environmental science PBL”

http://www.cse.emory.edu/sciencenet/links/coll_curr/pbl_links.cfm

Planning Guide

Problem situations

As you explore the civilizations of the ancient world, you will try to answer questions about how people lived thousands of years ago. It may be hard to answer every question because sometimes there is not enough evidence to support a conclusion. Historians may also look at the same evidence in different ways. Sometimes the experts have to change their answers as new artifacts are discovered.

In this activity, you will study the structures of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China. As you learn about these wonders of the ancient world, remember that there are many different ideas about why and how they were built.

Some people think that ancient people learned how to build these awesome monuments by aliens from outer space who were more advanced than earthlings. Others believe that one culture may have borrowed from other people on earth who already knew how to build. Still others think that people in these cultures created the monuments totally on their own without any outside contact.

Planning Guide

Problem situations Math

http://www2.insa.edu/programs/pbin/problems Language Arts

http://www.chemistry.emory.edu/faculty/ram/Sherlock/includes/case1p1.html

Science http://www.udel.edu/pbl/courses.html Collection

http://ldt.stanford.edu/~jeepark/jeepark+portfolio/PBL/example2.htm

Planning Guide

Support materials for students Text-based references Web tracks or access to web Prepared files, maps, reports, etc. Instruments and/or instructions for gathering

original data Access to experts

Give support

Clear directions Time Frame Check List http://pblchecklist.4teachers.org/testing.php3

?idunique=3&max=6&checklist=9

Planning Guide

Assessment Research report Portfolio Debate Presentation Website

Defining Assessment

“An assessment is an activity, assigned by the professor, that yields comprehensive information for analyzing, discussing, and judging a learner’s performance of valued abilities and skills.”

- Huba and Freed, Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses: Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning, 2000

Assessment is more than assigning grades: it implies ongoing interaction and communication between instructor and student.

Key Questions

What do I want my students to learn?

How will I know if they’ve learned it?

How much do I value that learning?

Learning objectives Content knowledge Process skills

Assessment strategies Summative Formative

Look at what counts towards the grade

Types of Assessment

Summative assessment Traditional grading for accountability Usually formal, comprehensive Judgmental

Formative assessment Feedback for improvement/development Usually informal, narrow/specialized Suggestive

Assessment and Learning Objectives

Content Knowledge Process Skills

Assessment

Bringing content and process together

Bloom’s Cognitive Levels

Evaluation - make a judgment based on criteria

Synthesis - produce something new from component parts

Analysis - break material into parts to see interrelationships

Application - apply concept to a new situation

Comprehension - explain, interpret

Knowledge - remember facts, concepts, definitions

Evaluating Learning through Rubrics

Rubric: a set of specific criteria against which a product is to be judged

Criteria reflect learning objectives for that activity Several achievement levels are identified for each

criterion Benchmark features indicating quality of work at each

level are clearly described for each criterion

Rubrics can be used for both formative and summative assessment.


Rubric Design

Achievement Levels

Criteria

Objective 1

Objective 2

Objective 3

Excellent Good Needs Work Not acceptable

Accepted Minor Major Rejected

revision revision

Expert Advanced Intermediate Novice

6-5 4-3 2-1 0

Achievement Levels

Criteria Excellent Good Needs Work Not acceptable

State an objective

Describe characteristic features of each level of achievement

Rubric Construction

Rubric to Evaluate PBL Problems

Descriptors

Criteria 321

Realism Based on an actual or fictionalized real-world situation linking topic to learner.

Contrived or contains unrealistic elements that decrease credibility.

Unrealistic, lacking relevant context.

Content Addresses significant conceptual issues; directly related to major content goals.

Encourages superficial rather than in-depth understanding concepts.

Relevance of topic peripheral or not apparent.

Engagement Stimulates discussion and inquiry through its relevance and presentation.

Generates limited or superficial discussion; provokes little curiosity.

Lacks a “hook”; obscure or pedantic presentation.



Descriptors

Criteria 321

Complexity Appropriately challenging; group effort and cooperation required; some ambiguity appropriate; integrates multiple concepts.

Difficult but may encourage a “divide and conquer” approach. Concepts not well integrated.

Solution accessible to most students working alone; focused on single concept.

Resolution Open to multiple resolutions or multiple pathways to solution, depending on student assumptions and reasoned arguments.

Resolution is more obvious but allows reasonable opportunity for judgment and discussion.

One right answer is expected; limited opportunity for analysis and decision making.



Descriptors

Criteria 321

Structure Progressive disclosure via multiple stages, builds on existing student knowledge.

Staging does not flow well; transition could be improved.

Too much or too little information provided at once; short cuts thinking/research.

Questions Limited in number, short, and open-ended; encourage deeper understanding.

Most are directive; preempt student-generated learning issues.

Lead to “yes-no” answers rather than thoughtful discussion.

Research Promotes substantive research using multiple resources.

Research limited to textbook material.

Limited necessity for research.


Advantages of Rubric Use

Clarifies expectations Efficient, specific feedback concerning areas of

strength, weakness Convenient evaluation of both content and

process learning objectives Encourages self-assessment: use as guideline Minimizes subjectivity in scoring Focal point for ongoing feedback for

improvement


Other Ideas for Rubric Use

Have students participate in setting criteria, performance descriptions

Use old student work and let students practice with the rubric prior to the assignment

Have students use rubric to rate own work or peers’ work; submit rating with assignment


Planning Guide

Student resources Problem statement Research progress sheets Checklists Presentation Website


Conclusion

The best education reflects life and helps students acquire the knowledge and skills to live life to its fullest. PBL is NOT easy. It is difficult and complex. As is life.


References cited

Duch, B; Groh, S.; & Allen, D. (2001). The power of problem-based learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus. Available online at http://books.google.com/books?id=-78ZnGLRacAC

Evensen, D. & Hmelo, C. (Eds). 2001). Problem-based learning: A research perspective onlearning interactions. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Center for Instructional Development and Research (2004). Retrieved on January 22, 2008, from http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/Bulletin/PBL.html

Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education (2005). PBL Clearing House, University of Delaware. Available from the Internet at http://www.udel.edu/pbl/.

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