How to promote knowledge transfer through a problem-based learning Internet platform for vocational high school students

This study aimed to explore how vocational high school students transfer knowledge through a problem-based learning (PBL) Internet platform. A PBL Internet platform was provided to 33 sophomore mechanical engineering students for a 6-week teaching experiment. A survey questionnaire, observation and interview were research instruments. The findings include: 1) factual, conceptual and process knowledge are the major types of knowledge and the sources of knowledge transfer (KT) include students, instructors and industries, but may be acquired differently depending on the level of problem-solving needs; 2) students’ KT includes highly experienced tacit knowledge and more concrete explicit knowledge; 3) students’ attitudes toward the six domains of using the PBL Internet platform all show positive significance, including the platform, the platform instructors, the platform mobility, online interaction, the PBL and the platform interface mechanism of students’ perceptions; 4) the capability and the willingness for KT in instructors, industries and students all have some impact on the effectiveness of KT.     

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.     

Students' experience of problem-based learning in virtual space

This paper reports outcomes of a study focused on discovering qualitatively different ways students experience problem-based learning in virtual space. A well-accepted and documented qualitative research method was adopted for this study. Five qualitatively different conceptions are described, each revealing characteristics of increasingly complex student experiences. Establishing characteristics of these more complex experiences assists teachers in facilitating students’ engagement and encouraging deeper learning.     

How to encourage a lifelong learner? The complex relation between learning strategies and assessment in a medical curriculum

Abstract

To foster lifelong learning skills, we need new didactic approaches with aligned assessment methods. Therefore, we investigated whether the outcomes of a project assignment show a different relation to learning strategies than a longitudinal knowledge-based assessment. We studied learning strategies of first year students of medicine and biomedical sciences (n?=?248) and performed hierarchical regression analyses for the learning strategies and grades of the longitudinal knowledge-based test and project assignment. Scores of students, measured with the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Likert scale 1–7), were relatively low for critical thinking (3.53), compared to rehearsal (4.40), elaboration (4.82), organisation (4.69) and metacognitive self-regulation (4.33). Knowledge based tests showed a significant relation to elaboration (p?<?0.01). For the project-based assessment, we did not find a significant relation to any learning strategy (p?=?0.074). Explained variance of the grades was low for all learning strategies (R² < 0.043). Different types of assessment did not discriminate between students with high or low scores on learning strategies associated with lifelong learning. An explanation is that the curriculum is not aligned with assessment, or students do not benefit in terms of grades. We conclude that, if assessment is to drive lifelong learning skills, this is not self-evident.     

The relationship between student-generated learning issues and self-study in problem-based learning

A major assumption of problem-based learning (PBL) is that learning issues, generated by students while discussing a problem, are used as guides for self-directed learning activities. This assumption, though basic to PBL, has never been tested. At the University of Limburg, the Netherlands, two procedures have been developed that reflect the extent to which students are able to identify important learning issues given a particular problem, and whether subsequent, independent, learning corresponds with these learning issues. The focus of the present article will be on the relationship between the two. We have explored to what extent student-generated learning issues are a major factor influencing the nature of students' self-study, or whether other factors may be involved in decisions on what to study and how much time to spend on topics selected. First, the production of learning issues was studied and represented as the percentage of overlap between learning issues raised by students and pre-set faculty objectives for each problem. The second procedure consisted of the administration of a Topic Checklist (TOC) which purports to measure students' actual self-directed learning activities. The TOC consists of a list of topics specifying the intended course content. Students were asked to indicate on a five-point Likert scale how much time they had spent studying each topic and to what degree they had mastered that topic. Third, learning issues and TOC topics were compared directly in a qualitative sense. Comparisons between the procedures revealed that a low proportion of variance of TOC scores could be predicted from the percentage of faculty objectives identified for each problem and the direct match between learning issues and TOC scores. It is concluded that scrutinizing student-generated learning issues and topics covered during self-study may provide information about what content is covered by students in tutorial groups. The discrepancy between the results of the measurements suggests, however, that learning issues produced during group discussion are not the sole source on which students base self-study decisions. Several other factors may be involved, such as tutor guidance, content already covered in previous units, issues raised during sessions with resource persons, and the nature of the learning resources available. Therefore, the relationship between learning issues and content covered during self-study is not as straightforward as is suggested.     

Longitudinal assessment of progress in reasoning capacity and relation with self-estimation of knowledge base

The aim of the study was to investigate progress in reasoning capacity and knowledge base appraisal in a longitudinal analysis of data from summative evaluation throughout a medical problem-based learning curriculum. The scores in multidisciplinary discussion of a clinical case and multiple choice questionnaires (MCQs) were studied longitudinally for 213 students from years 2 to 5. The capacity of core knowledge delimitation was calculated as the difference between the levels of average ascertainment degrees given for correct and incorrect answers at MCQ. For both multidisciplinary discussion of a clinical case evaluation and self-estimation of core knowledge, the capacity increases throughout the curriculum. The reasoning capacity assessed through multidisciplinary discussion of a clinical case is positively correlated with MCQ scores and the capacity to discriminate the mastered core knowledge. In conclusion, this study indicates that self-estimation of core knowledge is associated with an increase in reasoning performance through a well-organised knowledge base. Since that ability is related to success or failure, it is suggested that student awareness about delimitation of mastered core knowledge is considered as part of learning.     

Influence of problem familiarity on learning in a problem-based course

The results of an experimental study investigating the influence of problem familiarity on learning in a problem-based psychology course are presented. Participants worked with either a familiar or an unfamiliar version of the same problem. The following measurements were taken (1) a measure of problem quality as perceived by students, (2) number of explanations of the problem put forward by the students while discussing it, (3) quality of learning issues derived from the discussion, (4) amount of time spent on self-study, and (5) the amount of knowledge acquired as indicated by a test. The results demonstrate that participants in the familiar problem condition perceived the problem to be of higher quality than the participants in the unfamiliar problem condition. No significant differences in learning were found. The findings do suggest, however, that problems may be improved by making them more relevant to the everyday experience of students.     

Motivation in a computer-supported collaborative learning scenario and its impact on learning activities and knowledge acquisition

Addressing a drawback in current research on computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), this study investigated the influence of motivation on learning activities and knowledge acquisition during CSCL. Participants’ (N = 200 university students) task was to develop a handout for which they had first an individual preparing phase followed by a computer-supported collaborative learning phase immediately afterwards. It was hypothesized that in both phases current motivation (in terms of expectancy and value components) influences both learning activities and knowledge acquisition in a positive way. According to main results, only goal orientations (before learning) were associated with knowledge acquisition respectively observed learning activities during the collaborative phase. Expectancy and value components of current motivation related neither to observed learning activities nor to knowledge acquisition during collaborative learning but were in part associated with learning activities and knowledge acquisition during individual learning. The discussion addresses several possible explanations for these unexpected results.     

Seeing the landscape and the forest floor: changes made to improve the connectivity of concepts in a hybrid problem-based learning curriculum

Problem-based learning (PBL) curricula utilise authentic problems that are based in the real-world of practice. This very characteristic enables students to develop an intimate knowledge about the intricacies of practice, metaphorically, seeing the details of the forest floor. However, it is equally important for students to develop an overall conceptual framework of the curriculum and understand how the different aspects of the subject domain relate to each other, i.e. seeing the landscape. This paper explores the extent to which these two aspects of curriculum design, in particular the landscape, were achieved in an ‘Education Theories’ module for lecturers in higher education. It utilises Hung's 3C3R problem-design model to help develop these connections. The findings alert curriculum designers to pay more focused attention to the holistic problem from Hung's model and the model's relationship with other learning resources (lectures, etc.) in supporting connectivity in PBL hybrid curricula.     

Enhance low-achieving students' learning involvement in Taiwan's higher education: an approach via e-learning with problem-based learning and self-regulated learning

This study explored the effects of web-enabled pedagogies on students' involvement in learning. A series of quasi-experiments were conducted to investigate whether students' involvement increases over time if intervened, respectively, by problem-based learning (PBL), self-regulated learning (SRL), and their combinations. Two classes of 102 first-year students at a vocational school in a one-semester course were chosen for this empirical study. The results were generally supportive. The authors further discuss the implications for schools, scholars, and teachers engaged in e-learning.     

Effects of problem-based discussion on studying a subsequent text: A randomized trial among first year medical students

The Purpose of this study was to examine effectsof group discussion of a medical problem on the comprehension of a subsequentproblem-relevant text by first year medical students.Forty-eight first-year medical students were randomly assigned toone of two conditions: The experimental group discussed a problem of blood pressureregulation, where the control group discussed a problem of vision. Subsequently, allstudents studied a text on the physiology of blood pressure regulation. Finally, a freerecall test was administered. Numbers of propositions accurately recalled were analyzed usinganalysis of variance (ANOVA). Students who discussed the blood pressure regulationproblem recalled 25% more from the text than those who discussed the control problem.This difference was statistically significant. The present study represented thefirst truly randomized trial in the ecologically valid context of a medical curriculum. Itdemonstrated the positive effects of problem-based tutorial group discussion on thecomprehension of text. It confirmed earlier findings from laboratory studies thatproblem-based learning, in addition to positive emotional and motivational long-term effectswell-documented in the literature, also has positive effects on learning.     

Designing groups in problem-based learning to promote problem-solving skill and self-directedness

The effect of group size in problem-based learning(PBL) on the problem-solving skill, self-directedness,and technical knowledge of 72 students in a dentaleducation program was examined. Pretest measures onself-directedness and technical knowledge wereadministered to the 72 students. Equal numbers ofstudents with low, medium, and high levels ofself-directedness were randomly assigned to small,medium, and large PBL groups. Students thenparticipated in a three-week PBL experience, whichinvolved analyzing a patient case. After PBL wascompleted, posttest measures on self-directedness,technical knowledge, and problem-solving skill wereassessed. Students' reactions to the PBL experiencewere also measured. Analysis of the data found thatthe development of self-directedness varied with groupsize. Students' self-directedness increased in smalland medium size groups, but decreased in large groups. A significant difference was found between the mediumand large groups on this measure. Furthermore,students in small groups rated 5 of 12 aspects of PBLsignificantly higher than did those in large groups,and students in medium size groups rated 10 of 12aspects of PBL significantly higher than did those inlarge groups. Implications of these findings forinstructional design theory, practice, and researchare discussed.     

Identification of skills for the problem-based tutor: Student and faculty perspectives

Student ratings of problem-based tutors at Harvard Medical School in 1987–1988 indicated that tutors were seen by first year students as most helpful in encouraging critical appraisal of information, questioning and probing the reasoning process, and balancing basic science and clinical discussions. Narrative comments about the best tutors further indicated that such tutors were most helpful in balancing student-directedness with guidance and sharing professional expertise without lecturing. A concurrent survey of faculty tutors indicated that tutors rated these same skills as important. Comparing students' ratings of helpfulness with tutors' ratings of importance, two discrepancies emerged. Tutors rated student direction as more important than students rated its helpfulness. On the other hand, tutors rated the ability to balance clinical and basic science discussion as the least important skill while students' ratings indicated that it was extremely helpful. These disparities suggest points of discussion and skill building for faculty development programming.     

Mining learning social networks for cooperative learning with appropriate learning partners in a problem-based learning environment

Many studies have identified web-based cooperative learning as an increasingly popular educational paradigm with potential to increase learner satisfaction and interactions. However, peer-to-peer interaction often suffers barriers owing to a failure to explore useful social interaction information in web-based cooperative learning environments. This easily leads to learners being unable to seek appropriate learning partners for facilitating effective cooperative learning. This problem frequently causes poor learning effectiveness in web-based cooperative learning environments. Generally, instructor assigned or learner selected learning peers cannot ensure to compose suitable learning partners for individual learners in cooperative learning environments. A suitable learning partner can help the learner, who is learning in the personal way and encounters the difficulty, to solve problems. Inappropriate learning partners cannot only easily lead to poor learning interaction and achievement, but can also lead to the meaning of cooperative learning being lost. Although many web-based learning systems have already been developed to assist cooperative learning, supporting peer-to-peer interaction in computer-supported cooperative learning (CSCL) is still immature. As a result, this study presents a novel scheme for recommending appropriate learning partners for individual learners utilizing mining of learning interactive social networks in a cooperative problem-based learning (PBL) environment. Results of this study show that the proposed scheme helps encourage learners to interact with learning peers more actively and positively, and facilitates learning performance in a cooperative PBL environment.     

The use of self‐learning modules to facilitate learning of basic science concepts in an integrated medical curriculum

This study used qualitative and quantitative approaches to evaluate the effectiveness of self‐learning modules (SLMs) developed to facilitate and individualize students' learning of basic medical sciences. Twenty physiology and nineteen microanatomy SLMs were designed with interactive images, animations, narrations, and self‐assessments. Of 41 medical students, 40 students voluntarily completed a questionnaire with open‐ended and closed‐ended items to evaluate students' attitudes and perspectives on the learning value of SLMs. Closed‐ended items were assessed on a five‐point Likert scale (5 = high score) and the data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Open‐ended questions further evaluated students' perspectives on the effectiveness of SLMs; student responses to open‐ended questions were analyzed to identify shared patterns or themes in their experience using SLMs. The results of the midterm examination were also analyzed to compare student performance on items related to SLMs and traditional sessions. Students positively evaluated their experience using the SLMs with an overall mean score of 4.25 (SD ± 0.84). Most students (97%) indicated that the SLMs improved understanding and facilitated learning basic science concepts. SLMs were reported to allow learner control, to help in preparation for subsequent in‐class discussion, and to improve understanding and retention. A significant difference in students' performance was observed when comparing SLM‐related items with non‐SLM items in the midterm examination (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the use of SLMs in an integrated basic science curriculum has the potential to individualize the teaching and improve the learning of basic sciences. Anat Sci Educ 3: 219–226, 2010. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

Case study of a problem-based learning course of physics in a telecommunications engineering degree

Active learning methods can be appropriate in engineering, as their methodology promotes meta-cognition, independent learning and problem-solving skills. Problem-based learning is the educational process by which problem-solving activities and instructor's guidance facilitate learning. Its key characteristic involves posing a ‘concrete problem’ to initiate the learning process, generally implemented by small groups of students. Many universities have developed and used active methodologies successfully in the teaching–learning process. During the past few years, the University of the Basque Country has promoted the use of active methodologies through several teacher training programmes. In this paper, we describe and analyse the results of the educational experience using the problem-based learning (PBL) method in a physics course for undergraduates enrolled in the technical telecommunications engineering degree programme. From an instructors’ perspective, PBL strengths include better student attitude in class and increased instructor–student and student–student interactions. The students emphasised developing teamwork and communication skills in a good learning atmosphere as positive aspects.     

The effectiveness of problem-based learning on teaching the first law of thermodynamics

Background: Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching approach working in cooperation with self-learning and involving research to solve real problems. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but that energy is conserved. Students had difficulty learning or misconceptions about this law. This study is related to the teaching of the first law of thermodynamics within a PBL environment.

Purpose: This study examined the effectiveness of PBL on candidate science teachers’ understanding of the first law of thermodynamics and their science process skills. This study also examined their opinions about PBL.

Sample: The sample consists of 48 third-grade university students from the Department of Science Education in one of the public universities in Turkey.

Design and methods: A one-group pretest–posttest experimental design was used. Data collection tools included the Achievement Test, Science Process Skill Test, Constructivist Learning Environment Survey and an interview with open-ended questions. Paired samples t-test was conducted to examine differences in pre/post tests.

Results: The PBL approach has a positive effect on the students’ learning abilities and science process skills. The students thought that the PBL environment supports effective and permanent learning, and self-learning planning skills. On the other hand, some students think that the limited time and unfamiliarity of the approach impede learning.

Conclusions: The PBL is an active learning approach supporting students in the process of learning. But there are still many practical disadvantages that could reduce the effectiveness of the PBL. To prevent the alienation of the students, simple PBL activities should be applied from the primary school level. In order to overcome time limitations, education researchers should examine short-term and effective PBL activities.     

Online problem-based and enquiry-based learning in the training of educational psychologists

Over the past 40 years, problem-based learning (PBL) and enquiry-based learning (EBL) approaches have been used in a variety of professional training courses. More recently online versions of these pedagogies have been developed. This paper explains how online PBL and EBL activities have been incorporated into the professional training of educational psychologists, at the University of Birmingham, UK. Three examples of such activities are presented, together with data gathered during implementation which has helped to evaluate this work. There is a discussion of some of the emerging themes that have been generated and implications for the future use of online PBL/EBL in the training and continuing professional development of educational psychologists.     

The process,dialogues, and attitudes of vocational engineering high school students in a web problem-based learning (WPBL) system

This study aims to explore how high school students collaboratively solve problems in a web problem-based learning (WPBL) system in an 8-week digital logic course using discourse analysis. Employing in-depth interviews, this study also investigated the students' attitudes toward the WPBL system. The number of teaching assistants' responses had a negative relationship with the number of peer responses. Regarding dialogue quality, extended questions and brainstorming stimulated each other. Elaboration facilitated problem solving, whereas organizing knowledge from books or websites decreased reflection. Students affirmed the usefulness and effectiveness of the web system because it created an interactive, flexible, comfortable and collaborative learning environment.