Changes in Students' Use of Lifelong Learning Skills During a Problem‐based Learning Project

ABSTRACT In a climate of continual change and innovation, lifelong learning is a critical professional development objective which has a direct impact on organizations' effectiveness and ability to compete and innovate. To help learners continually upgrade their skills and knowledge so they can effectively address emerging organizational and professional needs and opportunities, educators must prepare learners for their professions using teaching methodologies that develop learners' capacity for and disposition toward lifelong learning. Problem‐based learning (PBL) is one such method. PBL uses professional problems of practice as a starting point, stimulus, and focus for student activity, and one of PBL's stated educational outcomes is students' use of lifelong learning skills. This study examined the changes in students' use of lifelong learning skills while participating in a PBL project. Twenty‐six undergraduate university computer science students completed a 15‐week C++ programming course. Using guided reflective journal responses as process data, students were observed to increase their application of lifelong learning skills during their PBL experience. Design and research recommendations are shared.     

Problem-Based Learning: What and How Do Students Learn?

Problem-based approaches to learning have a long history of advocating experience-based education. Psychological research and theory suggests that by having students learn through the experience of solving problems, they can learn both content and thinking strategies. Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional method in which students learn through facilitated problem solving. In PBL, student learning centers on a complex problem that does not have a single correct answer. Students work in collaborative groups to identify what they need to learn in order to solve a problem. They engage in self-directed learning (SDL) and then apply their new knowledge to the problem and reflect on what they learned and the effectiveness of the strategies employed. The teacher acts to facilitate the learning process rather than to provide knowledge. The goals of PBL include helping students develop 1) flexible knowledge, 2) effective problem-solving skills, 3) SDL skills, 4) effective collaboration skills, and 5) intrinsic motivation. This article discusses the nature of learning in PBL and examines the empirical evidence supporting it. There is considerable research on the first 3 goals of PBL but little on the last 2. Moreover, minimal research has been conducted outside medical and gifted education. Understanding how these goals are achieved with less skilled learners is an important part of a research agenda for PBL. The evidence suggests that PBL is an instructional approach that offers the potential to help students develop flexible understanding and lifelong learning skills.     

A theory-driven approach to assessing the cognitive effects of PBL

Medical schools are increasingly looking to case-based formats such as problem-based learning (PBL) for their medical students. However, the effects of PBL have not been adequately assessed for an informed decision. An approach to assessment should consider not just the knowledge outcomes expected of all students, but should be tailored to the theoretical goals of PBL: clinical reasoning, integration of scientific and clinical knowledge, and lifelong learning skills. This means that problem-solving processes as well as products need to be measured. In addition, cognitive measures associated with expert performance can be used to assess the extent to which PBL affects the development of expertise. In this study, students taking an elective in PBL were compared with students taking other electives on a realistic pathophysiological explanation task. The problem-solving protocols were examined for coherence, use of science concepts, strategy use, and self-directed learning. The results indicate that cognitive measures can be used to distinguish students who have participated in PBL from their counterparts in terms of knowledge, reasoning, and learning strategies. This suggests that such measures may play a meaningful role in assessment of student learning.     

A Comparative Study of Problem-Based and Lecture-Based Learning in Junior Secondary School Science

The purpose of the study is to compare problem based learning (PBL) and lecture-based learning (LBL) in Hong Kong secondary students’ science achievement. Secondary One students were divided into two groups: group A (n = 37), was taught two topics: “Human Reproduction” and “Density” through PBL; group B (n = 38) was taught the same topics by LBL. Multiple choice questions and short structured response items were used to assess students’ academic performance. Pre and post tests were categorized into three domains: knowledge, comprehension and application according to Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom 1956). The results of this study suggest first that PBL is at least as effective as LBL in gaining the knowledge required to achieve the syllabus’ learning objectives; secondly, the PBL group shows a significant improvement in students’ comprehension and application of knowledge over an extended time. Seemingly, PBL is favored for knowledge retention compared to a more conventional teaching approach, by these early adolescent children in Hong Kong. An ongoing longitudinal study on students’ interactions will further determine whether students taught through PBL develop improved learning in relation to high order skills, in a local situation which still tends to focus on factual recall but where higher skills are being demanded by systemic reform.     

Experimental evidence of the relative effectiveness of problem-based learning for knowledge acquisition and retention

This study investigated the effects of problem-based learning (PBL) on knowledge acquisition and knowledge retention in a controlled experiment in a lab setting. Eighty-eight first-year psychology students were randomly assigned to either a PBL condition, a lecture condition, or a self-study condition. All participants had the opportunity to study the same text. Their knowledge acquisition was tested on both an immediate post-test and a delayed post-test, one week later. The results showed beneficial effects for the PBL group on the immediate and the delayed test compared to the lecture group. There were no differences between knowledge acquisition scores for the self-study condition and either of the other conditions. Moreover, no differences on knowledge retention were shown, because the decline in performance over time was equal in all conditions. In conclusion, the present study provides experimentally based evidence of the disadvantageous effects of instruction through lectures compared to PBL.     

A meta-analysis of the effects of face-to-face cooperative learning. Do recent studies falsify or verify earlier findings?

One of the major conclusive results of the research on learning in formal learning settings of the past decades is that cooperative learning has shown to evoke clear positive effects on different variables. Therefore this meta-analysis has two principal aims. First, it tries to replicate, based on recent studies, the research about the main effects of cooperative learning on three categories of outcomes: achievement, attitudes and perceptions. The second aim is to address potential moderators of the effect of cooperative learning. In total, 65 articles met the criteria for inclusion: studies from 1995 onwards on cooperative learning in primary, secondary or tertiary education conducted in real-life classrooms. This meta-analysis reveals a positive effect of cooperative learning on achievement and attitudes. In the second part of the analysis, the method of cooperative learning, study domain, age level and culture were investigated as possible moderators for achievement. Results show that the study domain, the age level of the students and the culture in which the study took place are associated with variations in effect size.     

Case study: use of problem-based learning to develop students' technical and professional skills

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy that has attracted attention for many biomedical engineering curricula. The aim of the current study was to address the research question, ‘Does PBL enable students to develop desirable professional engineering skills?’ The desirable skills identified were communication, teamwork, problem solving and self-directed learning. Forty-seven students enrolled in a biomedical materials course participated in the case study. Students worked in teams to complete a series of problems throughout the semester. The results showed that students made significant improvements in their problem-solving skills, written communication and self-directed learning. Students also demonstrated an ability to work in teams and communicate orally. In conclusion, this case study provides empirical evidence of the efficacy of PBL on student learning. We discuss findings from our study and provide observations of student performance and perceptions that could be useful for faculty and researchers interested in PBL for biomedical engineering education.     

基于问题的学习(PBL)模式在幼儿园的应用研究

基于问题的学习(PBL)模式是一种通过解决真实的复杂问题获取知识、经验和技能的学习模式。研究者基于学前儿童的心理发展特点,对适用于成人和高年级学生的PBL模式进行修正,使其适用于4～6岁学前儿童。研究发现,接受PBL模式教学的实验组幼儿在知识获得能力、主动学习能力、问题解决能力、合作能力方面的得分均优于对照组幼儿,表明在幼儿园应用PBL模式是可行的,也是有效果的。     

A university’s strategic adoption process of an PBL-aligned eLearning environment: an exploratory case study

Much has been written about the promise and peril of technology in education. This paper presents an empirical study that explores how technology can play a pivotal role in student learning and how teaching staff can adopt innovative technology-based approaches in the creation of interactive online problem-based learning (PBL) resources, allowing students to interact with authentic, complex and realistic problems designed within a framework of PBL methodology. The application of PBL approaches within authentic situated learning contexts has been shown in the literature to deepen student learning outcomes. This paper demonstrates how innovative authoring tools that promote problem-solving skills and the acquisition of domain-specific knowledge were introduced as part of a University-wide elearning strategic blueprint. Overall, student feedback is very positive, with many students commenting on the realism, and even the enjoyment of the online problem simulations. However, major challenges were met in the implementation requiring several support activities across the organisation.     

Effect of problem-based learning in pharmacology education: A meta-analysis

A consensus is emerging for meta-analyses regarding a range of selected topics in pharmacology education. This review provides a critical overview of problem-based learning (PBL) in pharmacology education. Based on several inclusion criteria, databases were searched, and 37 controlled trial studies were identified and extracted. The meta-analysis found that PBL had a positive effect on gaining higher theoretical scores (SMD = 6.77, 95% CI [5.23, 8.31], p < 0.00,001) assessed through examinations. The results of questionnaires for students’ feedback showed that PBL was superior to conventional teaching methods in improving students’ outcomes of self-study, learning interest, team spirit, problem solving, analyzing, scope of knowledge, communication, and expression. These results suggest that PBL in pharmacology education is considered superior to traditional lecture-based learning.     

Designing and implementing a PBL course on educational digital video production: lessons learned from a design-based research

This paper reports on a design-based research (DBR) process for designing, implementing, and refining a problem-based learning (PBL) course on educational digital video (DV) use and production at the University of Lapland’s Faculty of Education. The study focuses on the students’ learning processes and outcomes from the viewpoint of meaningful learning. The research subjects included two pilot students and ten students enrolled in the course. To promote the reliability of the findings, data of various kinds and from multiple sources were used, including video recordings of the PBL tutorial sessions. The results suggest that PBL offers a good model to support students’ knowledge and skills in producing and using educational DV. In addition, the results suggest that DV production can be used as a method to learn about the subject matter of the DVs.     

The Development and Evaluation of an Instrument to Assess the Attitudes of Public School Principals

This study examined the relationship among declarative, conceptual, and procedural knowledge in the acquisition of ruler measurement skills. Sixth-grade industrial arts students were taught how to use a ruler with one of two instructional methods; the fractional method was based on an understanding of fractions, whereas the line identification method required no understanding of fractions. Results indicated that the line identification method was superior overall to the fractional method, both for the initial acquisition as well as retention of skills. This superiority occurred for questions measuring understanding of fractions but not for ruler skills, indicating that students were able to use procedural knowledge to infer conceptual knowledge. Results are discussed in terms of several models of learning that address how declarative, conceptual, and procedural knowledge interact in the learning process.     

Clinical competencies and the basic sciences: An online case tutorial paradigm for delivery of integrated clinical and basic science content

Understanding the relevance of basic science knowledge in the determination of patient assessment, diagnosis, and treatment is critical to good medical practice. One method often used to direct students in the fundamental process of integrating basic science and clinical information is problem‐based learning (PBL). The faculty facilitated small group discussion format traditionally used for PBL is a significant challenge for faculty and facilities with a large class. To provide inductive learning to a large class early in the preclerkship curriculum, a series of online, case‐based tutorials was created using the method of inquiry‐based learning. The tutorial paradigm is designed to challenge students through a guided inquiry process in which clinical skills and basic science information are seamlessly joined. The psychosocial dimension of patient care is added to the documented case presentation of the tutorials in the form of patient/physician history taking and physical examination videos. These videos augment the written case with additional information providing the student with visual exposure in methods of patient communication and appropriate professional patient/physician interactions that address competencies of patient care, communication, and professionalism. The tutorials were made available via learning management system course sites. The study tracked usage of the tutorials by 270 first‐year medical students. Anat Sci Educ 2:238–243, 2009. © 2009 American Association of Anatomists.     

Student‐centered integrated anatomy resource sessions at Alfaisal University

Alfaisal University is a new medical school in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that matriculates eligible students directly from high school and requires them to participate in a hybrid problem‐based learning (PBL) curriculum. PBL is a well‐established student‐centered approach, and the authors have sought to examine if a student‐centered, integrated approach to learn human structures leads to positive perceptions of learning outcomes. Ten students were divided into four groups to rotate through wet and dry laboratory stations (integrated resource sessions, IRSs) that engaged them in imaging techniques, embryology, histology, gross anatomy (dissections and prosections), surface anatomy, and self‐directed learning questions. All IRSs were primarily directed by students. During two second‐semester organ system blocks, forty students responded to a structured questionnaire designed to poll students' perceptions of changes in their knowledge, skills, and attitudes as a result of IRS. The majority (60%) of students felt that the student‐centered approach to learning enhanced their medical knowledge. Most students also felt that the IRS approach was advantageous for formulating clear learning objectives (55%) and in preparing for examinations (65%). Despite their positive feelings toward IRS, students did not view this learning approach as an adequate replacement for the knowledge gained from lectures and textbooks. Students' performance on objective structured practical examinations improved significantly for the two curricular blocks that included IRS compared with earlier non‐IRS blocks. A student‐centered approach to teach human structure in a hybrid PBL curriculum may enhance understanding of the basic sciences in first‐year medical students. Anat Sci Educ 3:272–275, 2010. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

Designing Instructional Text in a Conversational Style: A Meta-analysis

This article reviews research on the effects of conversational style on learning. Studies of conversational style have variously investigated “personalization” through changing instances of first-person address to second or third person, including sentences that directly address the learner; including more polite forms of address; and making the views and personality of the author more visible. Meta-analyses provided mixed support for a model of learning processes; statistically reliable average effects were found on self-reports of friendliness (d?=?0.46) and effective cognitive processing (d?=?0.62), but not learning assistance (d?=?0.16) and interest (d?=?0.15). Statistically reliable average effects on retention (d?=?0.30) and transfer (d?=?0.54) learning outcomes supported conversational-style redesigns across a range of potential moderators; the clearest apparent boundary condition for learning outcomes across the moderators under analysis was instructional time, with small, non-significant effects being found in studies longer than 35 min. Recommendations for future investigations are discussed.     

Enhancing problem-solving expertise by means of an authentic, collaborative, computer supported and problem-based course

Instructional designs, embedding learning in meaningful contexts such as problem-based learning (PBL) are increasingly used for fostering expertise to prepare students for the demands of the future workplace. However, cognitive outcomes of these curricula in terms of expertise outcomes are not always conclusive. Based on the instructional implications resulted from research in the field of expertise development in general and in PBL curricula more specifically, we constructed and implemented a refined PBL design. With this redesign, we aimed for a more advanced level of (a) knowledge acquisition and use, (b) reasoning directionality, (c) diagnostic and problem solving accuracy. The aim of the present research was to compare the outcomes of a ‘traditional’ and a ‘refined’ PBL learning environment. For that purpose we measured the effects of the redesign on the students’ expertise profile. An experiment was conducted in a second year course on International Marketing. In the study 75 students participated. Using a multidimensional coding scheme, constructed on the basis of results of expertise research, we analysed students’ problem-solving performance. The results of this analysis indicate hat the experimental students outperformed the control students in various aspects of expertise when analyzing the problem: The experimental group demonstrated a more extensive use of domain-specific concepts and inferences, more inductive reasoning, and both diagnoses and solutions of higher quality.     

Investigating the link between self directed learning readiness and project-based learning outcomes: the case of international Masters students in an engineering management course

Modern learning approaches increasingly have fewer structured learning activities and more self-directed learning tasks guided through consultation with academics. Such tasks are predominately project-/problem-based where the student is required to follow a freely guided road map to self discovery while simultaneously achieving desired learning outcomes for a particular course. However, many international students struggle to adjust to an Australian higher learning environment where they are being increasingly encouraged to undertake self directed learning (SDL). Thus, this paper proposes the concept that international students who have higher readiness for SDL gain greater learning outcomes from project-based learning (PBL) approaches. To achieve this objective, a questionnaire survey of 26 students (65% of class) completing an engineering management course was conducted. Linear regression analysis provided evidence that SDL readiness was a key enabler for achieving learning outcomes from PBL. In particular, having high self-management skills was shown to be the most significant and reliable predictor for achieving learning outcomes from PBL. Through understanding students SDL readiness at the commencement of their engineering programmes, academics can better tailor PBL support mechanisms to achieve desired learning outcomes.     

Project-Based Learning Communities in Developmental Education: A Case Study of Lessons Learned

This case study tracks the application of project-based learning (PBL) during four separate college terms at Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon. Each term follows a different learning community of first-term college students enrolled in a program of developmental education (DE), reading, writing, math, and college survival and success (CSS) courses. The study documents the journey from a pilot PBL model to the improved model used today, focuses on each term's PBL goal of increasing student success, and outlines how the PBL succeeded or failed based on student demonstration of their learning community's intended core outcomes. Whereas the initial two terms’ projects were unsuccessful, the framing of a new question and the addition of service learning in the next two terms’ projects made a significant improvement in student self-motivation and helped students achieve intended core outcomes by their own agency. Such active learning and self reliance increased students’ confidence as it challenged them to use their new course skills to create a project they were proud to present to a wide audience. This study then explores the challenges and benefits of integrating the two curricular frameworks, learning communities and PBL, within interdisciplinary courses that include service learning. Considering the already established literature on the success of learning communities and the continually growing literature on the implementation of PBL, this study ultimately demonstrates how to arrive at a project that invigorates a learning community of students, whether the learning community is in one course or spread throughout several interdisciplinary courses.     

Comparing technology-related teacher professional development designs: a multilevel study of teacher and student impacts

This article presents a quasi-experimental study comparing the impact of two technology-related teacher professional development (TTPD) designs, aimed at helping junior high school science and mathematics teachers design online activities using the rapidly growing set of online learning resources available on the Internet. The first TTPD design (tech-only) focused exclusively on enhancing technology knowledge and skills for finding, selecting, and designing classroom activities with online resources, while the second (tech?+?pbl) coupled technology knowledge with learning to design problem-based learning (PBL) activities for students. Both designs showed large pre-post gains for teacher participants (N?=?36) in terms of self-reported knowledge, skills, and technology integration. Significant interaction effects show that teachers in the tech?+?pbl group had larger gains for self-reported knowledge and externally rated use of PBL. Three generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were fit to study the impact on students?? (N?=?1,247) self reported gains in behavior, knowledge, and attitudes. In the resulting models, students of tech?+?pbl teachers showed significant increases in gain scores for all three outcomes. By contrast, students of tech-only teachers showed improved gains only in attitudes.