Practical Aspects of Teaching via the Group-Based Learning Environment

Today’s sprouting medical technology demands that students are more innovative in their approach towards medical practice. Problem based learning (PBL) has proven to be one of the most efficacious disciplines aimed at improving problem-solving skills and self-directed learning. The objective of this study was to review students’ perspectives on the implementation and effectiveness of PBL at Avalon University School of Medicine (AUSOM). A cross-sectional questionnaires survey was conducted among basic science students with qualitative and quantitative questionnaires. The response recorded and the data analysed using Stata-15 (StataCorp LLC). Most students believed PBL was beneficial to learning. 82.18% (n=83) agreed that they benefited from PBL and 91.09 % (n=92) were in concordance PBL provided a positive learning environment to enhance their understanding. The most important objectives of PBL identified by the students were to improve the presentation skills, enhance depth of understanding and develop critical thinking. PBL is helpful in improving students understanding of the basic medical science courses, allowing for self-improvement. PBL allows students to actively engage in the collaborative active learning process. It is imperative PBL should be introduced early in pre-clinical years and implemented effectively to enhance the learning environment with the favourable outcome.

Globalization of Problem-based Learning (PBL): Cross-cultural Implications

Problem-based learning: the story continues to unfold.

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been shown to be effective for promoting student competencies in self-directed and collaborative learning, critical thinking, self-reflection and tackling novel situations. However, the need for face-to-face interactions at the same place and time severely limits the potential of traditional PBL. The requirements of space and for meeting at a specific location at the same time create timetabling difficulties. Such limitations need to be tackled before all potentials of PBL learning can be realized. The present study aimed at designing and implementing an online PBL environment for undergraduate speech/language pathology students, and assessing the associated pedagogical effectiveness. A group of eight PBL students were randomly selected to participate in the study. They underwent 4 weeks of online PBL using Adobe Connect. Upon completion of the experiment, they were assessed via a self-reported questionnaire and quantitative comparison with traditional PBL students based on the same written assignment. The questionnaire revealed that all participating students enjoyed online PBL, without any perceived negative effects on learning. Online PBL unanimously saved the students travel time to and from school. Statistical analysis indicated no significant difference in assignment grades between the online and traditional PBL groups, indicating that online PBL learning appears to be similarly effective as traditional face-to-face PBL learning.

Productive use of learning resources in an online problem-based learning environment

Purpose: Konkuk medical school has tried to improve its problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum.In this study, we evaluated the serial changes of student satisfaction of this PBL curriculum.Methods: Student satisfaction for the PBL curriculum was assessed using the same questionnaire for 3 years, from 2005 to 2007.Twenty individual questions were classified into five categories: individual learning, group learning, tutoring, module, and learning environment.Scores of the individual items and categories were compared.Results: For the first 3 years after the introduction of a graduate medical school, scores for the individual learning, group learning, and tutoring categories were higher those for the module and learning environment categories.Satisfaction of the learning environment, however, gradually improved. Conclusion:In general, satisfaction of the PBL curriculum was good for the first 3 years after the introduction of the graduate medical school.However, further investment in improving the PBL module and learning environments was necessary for the success of the PBL curriculum.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy available to MPA professors who seek to provide students with a learning environment and skills that allow students to solve complex, real-world problems, think critically, learn to collaborate with others, and assume responsibility for their learning. Although problembased learning is best associated with medical schools, its methods and learning style are beneficial to MPA programs. This article discusses PBL and its methods and evaluates the implementation of PBL in an MPA setting. The findings indicate that PBL helps students enhance collaboration and decision-making skills.

This report describes the module “Mediendidaktik” in detail, which has been developed at the chair of Empirical Pedagogy and Educational Psychology of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich. The Module is part of the Virtual University of Bavaria. The target group for this programme are students from the field of teacher education which participate in the further education study programme “Medienpadagogik”. The module is designed as a blended-learning scenario with face-to-face and virtual phases. The basis element of this module is a virtual learning environment, which has been designed according to the principles of problem-based learning. It consists of five authentic cases on the implementation of problem-based learning to school learning environments. The participants analyse the goals and discuss whether and to what extend the principles of problem-based learning environments have been realized, individually or in small groups. Further more the students have access to a theoretical chapter on problem-based learning.

This paper contains the results of an experimental study in which students used a collaborative learning tool in the time between regular meetings of a tutorial group in problem-based learning. The analysis of the learning situation for which this tool was developed, as well as the evaluation of the experiment, is based on a model of collaborative learning that covers three sections. The first is the learning environment that mediates the second section learning behaviour and the third section learning mechanisms . From the perspective of the stimulation of productivity in collaborative learning, the relation between characteristics of the problem task (learning environment) and interactions (learning behavior) was explored. In problem-based learning students formulate learning issues after a brainstorm discussion in the group. Students formulate theoretical and practical learning issues. Two research questions are presented in this study: What types of learning issues generate most interactions? and What types of learning issues generate the highest level of information processing? The first question is concerned with an analysis of the number of interactions and the second with the quality of these interactions. Practical learning issues generated more interactions, as well as a higher level of information processing. These results are discussed in the context of social factors in learning.

Modern pedagogy needs to prepare an innovative type of students than those fostered all the way through. Technology Scaffolding in Problem-based Learning (PBL) environment is a learner-centred approach that has the potential to foster student’s independent study through effective communication, collaboration, and student student-teacher interaction. These instructional activities can reorganize the conventional learning approach, enhance the leaning experience and entire learning process. Hence, The importance of intergrating scaffolding strategies to facilitate PBL for effective instruction in a diverse field of education cannot be overemphersized. This review highlihgts the benefits available through the utilization of technology-based scaffolding in PBL that could benefit vocational education. The review employed a systematic search of relevant databases including Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and others. Twenty two (22) full articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected and analyzed. The analysis showed that PBL with online scaffolding enhances positive students experience, promotes effective collaboration, facilitates learning, and ease in dealing with communication of new ideas in a learning setting. additional findings showed that if question prompts in PBL is provided in a complicated or difficult manner, they could hinder rather than promote learning.

World Wide Web (Web)-based learning (WBL), problem-based learning (PBL), and collaborative learning are at present the most powerful educational options in higher education. A blended (hybrid) course combines traditional face-to-face and WBL approaches in an educational environment that is nonspecific as to time and place. To provide educational services for an undergraduate second-year elective course in acid-base physiology, a rich, student-centered educational Web-environment designed to support PBL was created by using Web Course Tools courseware. The course is designed to require students to work in small collaborative groups using problem solving activities to develop topic understanding. The aim of the study was to identify the impact of the blended WBL-PBL-collaborative learning environment on student learning outcomes. Student test scores and satisfaction survey results from a blended WBL-PBL-based test group (n = 37) were compared with a control group whose instructional opportunities were from a traditional in-class PBL model (n = 84). WBL students scored significantly (t = 3.3952; P = 0.0009) better on the final acid-base physiology examination and expressed a positive attitude to the new learning environment in the satisfaction survey. Expressed in terms of a difference effect, the mean of the treated group (WBL) is at the 76th percentile of the untreated (face-to-face) group, which stands for a "medium" effect size. Thus student progress in the blended WBL-PBL collaborative environment was positively affected by the use of technology.

Evaluating the effects of redesigning a problem-based learning environment

Problem-based Learning (PBL) has been utilized by educators for almost half a century as a powerful and engaging student-centered pedagogy. PBL has also been employed across a wide range of disciplines and areas in education primarily medical, engineering, and business. The pedagogy that has been practiced for decades using the traditional face-to-face activities largely benefited from all the online technologies in empowering the learners in a non-classical structure. Computer technologies were exploited by researcher and educators at different capacities in order to add a value to PBL. Online implementations ranged from using basic communication tools to building fully-fledged systems and websites. Several research projects succeeded in building comprehensive, feature-rich, PBL-tailored learning environments. On the other hand, some implementation were either partially useful or inherently deficient. Although many attempts achieved attractive results, they either ended up unused or unsupported by the institution. The reasons in many cases were purely technical and not related to the suitability of the environment to the pedagogy. This paper describes the need, design, and implementation of a conceptual model to allow students to effectively collaborate using a customizable framework for PBL courses. In this paper, we present ePBL , an online environment for PBL suitable for educational institutions at any level. We also share our experiences and recommendations for developing similar pedagogy-specific solutions. We also describe the details of implementing and testing of ePBL at Qatar University. Analysis of students activities along with their feedbacks is also detailed in this paper.

[No Abstract Available].

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an important and effective learning technique. The increasing speed and capacity of computing and wireless communication and the decreasing costs of hardware components has made mobile personal computing a viable platform solution to the barriers incurred in the typical PBL process. Wireless infrastructures are becoming a standardized commodity. This paper deals with the development of various design principles, and methods that emphasize the effective integration and utilization of mobile solutions to construct efficient, robust, and reusable software modules in the context of a university's learning environment in computer engineering. A mobile personal software system framework has been developed and prototyped. The system framework supports several important factors involved in a PBL environment, such as resource sharing, cross-functional teamwork, and efficient information distribution. A mixture of modern personal pocket and tablet PCs, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology is used for the platform