Problem-Based Learning

Abstract

Problem-based learning has been described for use in medical education and is thought to be a superior approach to traditional didactic methods. We describe the use of PBL as an innovative approach to the education and training of social workers on an interdisciplinary health care team. An actual PBL case is described, and a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages to this approach is presented. The use of PBL on interdisciplinary teams helps educate social workers to work effectively on teams, and educates other professionals about the social work role and how to utilize social work services effectively.     

Disciplinary Foundations for Solving Interdisciplinary Scientific Problems

Problem-solving has been one of the major strands in science education research. But much of the problem-solving research has been conducted on discipline-based contexts; little research has been done on how students, especially individuals, solve interdisciplinary problems. To understand how individuals reason about interdisciplinary problems, we conducted an interview study with 16 graduate students coming from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. During the interviews, we asked participants to solve two interdisciplinary science problems on the topic of osmosis. We investigated participants’ problem reasoning processes and probed in their attitudes toward general interdisciplinary approach and specific interdisciplinary problems. Through a careful inductive content analysis of their responses, we studied how disciplinary, cognitive, and affective factors influenced their interdisciplinary problems-solving. We found that participants’ prior discipline-based science learning experiences had both positive and negative influences on their interdisciplinary problem-solving. These influences were embodied in their conceptualization of the interdisciplinary problems, the strategies they used to integrate different disciplinary knowledge, and the attitudes they had toward interdisciplinary approach in general and specific interdisciplinary problems. This study sheds light on interdisciplinary science education by revealing the complex relationship between disciplinary learning and interdisciplinary problem-solving.     

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTINUING EDUCATION IN A RURAL AND REMOTE AREA: THE APPROACH OF THE NORTHERN EDUCATIONAL CENTRE FOR AGING AND HEALTH

This article describes an interdisciplinary continuing education approach for health professionals in a rural remote area implemented by the Northern Educational Centre for Aging and Health (NECAH) at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The article discusses issues of rural health care practice and the implications for practitioners’ educational needs. The key components involved in delivering interdisciplinary education and teamwork training are reviewed, followed by a discussion of the relevance of an interdisciplinary participatory approach for rural practitioners given their practice context and work style. Using NECAH's experience in planning and delivering a 5‐day interdisciplinary education program in palliative care as a case example, it is argued that simultanous attention to these issues in the design and delivery of continuing professional education for rural professionals contributes to a relevant educational experience in the short‐term and an increased interdisciplinary collaboration in the long‐term. The article suggests that NECAH's interdisciplinary participatory approach is a significant model for the continuing education of health professionals in rural remote areas.     

Best Practices for an Interdisciplinary Team-Taught Course

In the interdisciplinary course, Aging to Infancy: A Life Course Retrospective, the Institute of Medicine's recommendations for education were embraced through the role modeling provided by faculty both across and between disciplines. Over the five years since its creation, the course has introduced students to aging in a positive manner, establishing the foundation for higher level courses within each program's curriculum. The course also introduces students to the interdisciplinary healthcare team and reinforces the need for practitioners who value the interdisciplinary approach and expect it in their place of work. These are best practices for an interdisciplinary course.     

CONCEPTUALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A COURSE ON AGING TO INFANCY: A LIFE COURSE RETROSPECTIVE

This paper describes the conceptualization and implementation of an innovative undergraduate interdisciplinary course that uses life course theory to capture the depth and breadth of the human experience. The collaboration among four faculty representing gerontological social work, occupational therapy, nursing, and dietetics and human nutrition is described, as are the unique teaching strategies utilized. In addition, an unusual retrospective approach to human development is highlighted. Through their participation in this course, future health care practitioners will be able to work effectively with clients throughout the life span in an interdisciplinary environment.     

Three strategies for interdisciplinary teaching: contextualizing,conceptualizing, and problem‐centring

This paper distinguishes among contextualizing, conceptualizing, and problem‐centring as three basic approaches to interdisciplinary curriculum. This typology is based on the type of inquiry that takes place in the classroom. For example, if the guiding epistemology in the interdisciplinary work is that of the humanities, the mode of connecting disciplinary material is likely to be contextualizing, or embedding the facts and ideas in the cultural, historical, or ideological fabric. If the scientific method guides and sets the standard for integration, conceptualizing work typically takes place. Finally, if the spirit and mode of inquiry is that of the applied sciences or creative product‐development, the integrative process will take the form of problem‐based investigation of urgent or tangible issues. Using empirical data from exemplary university, pre‐university, and professional programmes in the US, I describe three integrative strategies and comment on their strengths. This basic typology provides alternative approaches to interdisciplinary material based on the purpose of the class inquiry. In the hands of a good instructor, several interdisciplinary strategies could be used together for mutual benefit.     

CHARTING THE OUTCOMES OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY SUMMER INSTITUTE ON GERONTOLOGY

The multiple and complex needs of the elderly require interdisciplinary collaboration among many different professionals to provide comprehensive care. As a result, educators must develop interdisciplinary programs and learning experiences that address educational needs and facilitate a better understanding of the various roles and expertise of providers from many fields. Using the framework of a program evaluation model, the Charting the Outcomes of Educational and Clinical Approaches model, this article addresses the outcomes and effects of an interdisciplinary approach to continuing gerontological education used by one summer institute on gerontology. Over its 12‐year history, this institute has attracted more than 2,600 participants from many professions and occupations. The interdisciplinary approach of the Summer Institute has been evident in its planning committees, the delivery of diversified programs by a variety of providers, the facilitation of informal networking among registrants, and the organization of group discussions that bring together professionals and learners from different disciplines to communicate and collaborate on mutual concerns regarding aging issues. One theme on case management, which addressed policy and practical issues related to service delivery for the elderly, was presented by representatives from academia, government, the nonprofit service sector, and consumers to an audience of providers from various fields including business, gerontology, health promotion, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, recreation, social work, and sociology. Thesue cess of the interdisciplinary approach to gerontological education used by the institute has helped to establish McMaster University as a Canadian leader in this field of continuing education.     

Interdisciplinary Teaching Within Engineering Education

This paper reports the development and implementation of a multi-disciplinary course called ‘sustainable development’ within engineering education at the University of Technology Eindhoven (TUE). In this course, students of different disciplines have to cooperate with each other in a project, with the aim of finding (more) sustainable solutions for an environmental issue or problem put forward by industry or (governmental) institutions (e.g. a zero-energy dwelling). The educational form is based on project-oriented education. The project group, which consists of six to eight students from at least three disciplines, is responsible for the results and the project. During their project, the students can rely on a tutor, who is primarily a process guide. Together with the principal, the tutor advises on whether or not the proposed working plan is realistic and can be realized within the given time of 160 h (two half-days over 20 weeks). At the end, the students have to present and defend their work before a committee, which consists of the tutor, the principal and a subject expert. Experience has shown that multi-disciplinary project work has been an excellent teaching method and addition to engineering education curricula, so improving not only knowledge but also interdisciplinary thinking and skills. Environmental issues need a multi-disciplinary approach, and this course bridges the gap between disciplines, so stimulating interdisciplinary work within engineering education.     

Interdisciplinary project teams on agriculture and environment: A problem-oriented approach

Abstract

In a one-year, postgraduate, professional training course an interdisciplinary project approach is taught to prepare disciplinary specialists for interdisciplinary team work. This paper is based on five years of experience with such projects and deals with the conditions necessary to engage successfully in interdisciplinary project teaching. A high degree of organisation, firm guidance at the start of the project, feedback on actual practice from experts, the importance of cyclical working methods, the use of project planning techniques and product-oriented thinking are elements to be stressed. As an illustration a project is presented on environmental policy for a specific target group: greenhouse horticulturists in the province of Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands.     

A multidimensional approach to examine student interdisciplinary learning in science and engineering in higher education

Preparing science and engineering students to work in interdisciplinary teams necessitates research on teaching and learning of interdisciplinary thinking. A multidimensional approach was taken to examine student interdisciplinary learning in a master course on food quality management. The collected 615 student experiences were analysed for the cognitive, emotional, and social learning dimensions using the learning theory of Illeris. Of these 615 experiences, the analysis showed that students reported 214, 194, and 207 times on, respectively, the emotional, the cognitive, and the social dimension. Per learning dimension, key learning experiences featuring interdisciplinary learning were identified such as ‘frustrations in selecting and matching disciplinary knowledge to complex problems’ (emotional), ‘understanding how to apply theoretical models or concepts to real-world situations’ (cognitive), and ‘socially engaging with peers to recognise similarities in perceptions and experiences’ (social). Furthermore, the results showed that students appreciated the cognitive dimension relatively more than the emotional and social dimensions.     

Becoming an interdisciplinary scientist: an analysis of students’ experiences in three computer science doctoral programmes

The aim of this study was to identify how and why doctoral students do interdisciplinary research. A mixed-methods approach utilising bibliometric analysis of the publications of 195 students identified those who had published interdisciplinary research. This objective measurement of the interdisciplinarity, applying the Rao-Stirling index to Web of Science and Scopus citations, allowed for a comparison of students’ interdisciplinary research outcomes from three different computer science programmes: a traditional programme, a multidisciplinary doctoral school and an interdisciplinary doctoral college. Applying a sociocultural approach, interviews with the 15 most interdisciplinary students were analysed to understand how dispositions and experiences of students and factors of the different programmes affect the circumstances and processes of becoming an interdisciplinary early career scientist. The data indicate that student motivations, previous skills and knowledge interacted with policies and programme structures including type of funding and supervisor expectations to play a crucial role in interdisciplinarity at the doctoral level. These factors can give rise to interdisciplinary research even in programmes without interdisciplinary focus and compromise the interdisciplinary goals of interdisciplinary programmes.     

学科交叉场域的功能失灵及其治理路向

本研究运用场域理论对学科交叉进行研究,提出学科交叉场域是“知识生产组织建构行动者参与”三元关系嵌套的结构空间。本研究以我国世界一流大学建设高校A大学为典型案例,对其学科交叉场域存在的创新功能、整合功能和激励功能失灵现象及原因进行深入分析。为应对学科交叉场域功能失灵并促进学科交叉场域与外部系统需求的动态平衡,我国可从理念重塑与模式变革两个方面完善大学治理机制。在理念重塑方面,我国大学应转变学科观念,从学科意识转向问题意识;重塑价值追求,从形式交叉转向交叉创新;拓宽战略格局,从仅立足学科转向立足内生资源、制度环境和外部产业三维坐标。在模式变革方面,我国大学可坚持以创新为根本,将学科交叉深度嵌入大学创新体系;坚持以问题为导向,构建面向成果的学科交叉体制机制;坚持以赋能为核心,助力教师在场域转换中成长成才。     

The Challenges of Interdisciplinary Epistemology in Neuroaesthetics

Neuroaesthetics is a burgeoning new interdisciplinary research space in which cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy intersect in order to better inform our understanding of aesthetic experience. The purpose of this study is to analyze high‐profile work in neuroaesthetics in the light of recent research into interdisciplinary epistemology, asking “Do current attempts to use neuroscience to explore art meet rigorous interdisciplinary quality criteria?” I suggest that current approaches in neuroaesthetics frequently fail in a number of ways: they fail to meet disciplinary standards in either aesthetics or neuroscience, they fail to blend disciplines in a generative way, and they add little new that could not be investigated more fruitfully at other levels of analysis. In response to these potential pitfalls, I recommend that future researchers embrace a form of “problem‐focused epistemological pluralism” in their neuroaesthetic endeavors. I end with a consideration of the educational implications of these issues.     

Flipping the classroom: an effective approach to deal with diversity at higher education

Even though the flipped classroom is an increasingly popular method in education, a literature search shows a gap in research on this method in higher education. This article describes an experiment with two central questions: (1) How do students and lecturers assess the effectiveness of the FC method? And (2) What are crucial design elements? To be able to answer these questions we designed an experiment within a large-size, interdisciplinary, course. For three years we carefully monitored and evaluated the course. A mixed-method approach was used to collect data. Our findings show a positive contribution of the FC approach to the learning experience of students. We also found that a strong link between theory and practice is essential in the course design; combined with active learning we were able to involve students and stimulate them to reach a deeper level of understanding. Moreover, we believe that the FC approach offers opportunities to have a large interdisciplinary group, with different learning needs, work together on higher attainment levels.     

Interdisciplinary and Intradisciplinary Research and Teaching in Kinesiology: Continuing the Conversation

Interdisciplinary work is increasingly becoming a larger expectation in research and teaching. Moreover, prominent kinesiologists have proposed interdisciplinary research as a solution to perceived and/or real fragmentation issues that have developed within the field and across, and even within the various subdisciplines. For such an important topic, however, there is a lack of research surrounding interdisciplinary research in kinesiology. This may be due to the ambiguity surrounding interdisciplinary research, an often misunderstood and misapplied concept with deep philosophical roots. The purpose of this article is to help those in kinesiology understand and use interdisciplinary concepts in their work. Toward this end, the article provides an overview of the literature and suggests kinesiology-specific definitions for interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary research. Additionally, the article gives examples of interdisciplinary research projects. Finally, the article will expand beyond scholarship and explore the importance of interdisciplinary teaching and service as well.     

基于科际整合研究的比较教育方法论发展

方法论是比较教育学科建设的一个核心问题,也是当代比较教育学科发展所遇到的一个"瓶颈".科际整合研究是当代较有影响的研究模式,它对比较教育研究具有十分重要的方法论意义.比较教育的学科特征和现实境遇决定了比较教育科际整合研究的可行性和必要性.比较教育研究中的科际整合主要是从方法论的观念上整体观照比较教育学科发展."和而不同"是比较教育科际整合研究的最高境界.     

地质类跨专业硕士研究生教育方式探讨

随着我国地质工作的加强,社会对地质专业人才的需求明显增加。越来越多的跨专业研究生加入到地质学研究生教育中来。跨专业研究生的地质专业知识薄弱,对他们的教育培养必须足够重视,而基础学科知识的补充是首要问题。通过有选择性地限制跨专业考生的资格、采取分班授课的教学方式以及加强地质实践教学等多种措施可以提高他们的地质专业基础水平。同时认为积极参与科学研究,发挥专业优势、有机地与地质专业结合是培养地质类复合型人才的重要途径。跨专业研究生刻苦努力是顺利地完成研究生学业的关键。     

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Investigate Preschool children’s Implicit Inferential Reasoning in Scientific Activities

The implementation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at school is one of the challenges of education in the twenty-first century, especially concerning the development of critical thinking during argumentative interactions. In this paper, I refer to an interdisciplinary approach with the aim to analyze the implicit inferential reasoning emerging in argumentative discussions among children during scientific activities. The study involved 25 preschool children at a kindergarten engaged in three problem solving tasks. The first activity was to build a tunnel, the second to build a bridge—both with the use of Lego©—and the third to build an hourglass with recycled materials. The tasks were video-recorded and the discussions transcribed. The analysis implied different steps: first, I identified the argumentative structure of each exchange according to the pragma-dialectical approach; then, I found the implicit premises using the Argumentum Model of Topics; afterward, I analyzed the argumentative discussions according to a sociocultural approach. The findings show a predominance of arguments based on causal relationships and indicate how children reason regarding complex aspects of a problem, such as the negative consequences of an action, the adequacy of the available tools, and the (possible) future conditions connected to the scientific activity they are involved in. The study opens a possibility to shift from how to implement STEM activities to what children already do when engaged in scientific tasks. It also encourages the adoption of an interdisciplinary approach to investigating the complex process of argumentation in preschool children.

     

Interdisciplinary Strategies as Transformative Change in Higher Education

Using data collected through case studies of 21 research universities in the United States, I reviewed the efforts institutions are undertaking to meet the growing demand for interdisciplinary knowledge. I adopted the framework of transformative change, where change occurs over time and brings important shifts in the way an institution views itself. Findings indicated that implementing interdisciplinary initiatives is accomplished not only through changes in how institutional work is organized and the facilities in which the work is carried out, but also through concurrent shifts in the institutional culture related to interdisciplinary endeavors.