Higher education is undergoing continuous changes and new learning tools and methods are implemented. Researchers in education do not always agree upon the effectiveness of some of the methods introduced into engineering education. The present thesis consists of two case studies on educational methods introduced at the Department of Energy Technology, at Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden. The qualitative research methodology has been used in case one and a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology has been used in the second case. The sources of evidences consisted of: unstructured interviews, analysis of video recording, questionnaires, and analysis of a variety of documents. In the first case, an educational program in heat and power technology was analysed. The second case consists in an in-depth study of group dynamics in a Problem –Based Learning course. These studies showed that the learning approach adopted by students depends strongly on the way they view the particular learning tool or method. The first case study revealed the existence of two types of learners. Surfacelearners follow the structure suggested by the designers of the multimedia program. This category of learners focuses only on the material available in the program. Deep-learners go beyond the information and the structure suggested in the program and combine different learning tools in their learning. These students do not follow the structure of the tutorials’ of the multimedia program. This study showed that students who had a strong view how to learn with a multimedia program or a learning method benefited less from the learning tools available. Students with weak views on how to learn from educational program or leaning tool benefit less from the presentation and engage in more surface learning. Self-motivated learners use the multimedia presentation in novel ways and crosscheck the information given with other material. The second study showed that students have unclear and weak views on how to learn with student-directed Problem- Based Learning model. Four types of learners were identified in Problem-Based Learning project: Leaders, Key Actors, Common Students and Social Loafers. Leaders and Key Actors are self-motivated individuals and participate most in the projects. Students who viewed themselves or were viewed as leaders were held responsible to take most of the decisions and students expected them to work more than the average student. Students who viewed themselves as common team members expected a lower workload than leaders’. Key Actors are self-motivated students who do not view themselves as separate from other group members but who participate more than others. Leaders learned more group and social processes, that they did not fully take part in, while common students learned more from the project management aspects that they did not take part in. The study also found that Problem-Based Learning groups can become very cohesive, and can develop distorted views on how to learn with Problem-Based Learning, and un-common group dynamics phenomena such as groupthink can occur in Problem-Based Learning setting. / QC 20101123

With the call for a change in the way students are prepared to meet the demands of the 21st century, new teaching methods are under investigation. Problem-based learning is one such method believed to encourage the skills students need to succeed. The purpose of this study is to outline the implications for using this approach to teach digital technology skills. Through this developmental study, a learning module was designed and developed for instruction in an eighth grade technology class. The research study also included an expert review and evaluation of the module through implementation in a middle school in southern New Jersey. The findings are presented and implications include the need for a shift in several aspects of education; a shift in how students are taught, a shift in the role teachers assume through this approach, and a shift in how teachers are trained to implement this teaching approach. Finally, recommendations are made for instructional designers seeking to develop a model for instruction in a problem-based learning environment. / Ph. D.

In recent years there has been an increased interest in inquiry-based learning, also known as experiential learning or problem-based learning, as a more appropriate model of teaching science. The purpose of this study was to incorporate inquiry-based learning in a college sophomore-level General Microbiology Laboratory. The goal of this laboratory course is to introduce students to basic techniques and procedures necessary for the study of microorganisms. Laboratory sections were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control/reference group. The experimental group was taught the concept of serial dilutions using an inquiry-based learning approach whereas the control group was taught using traditional teaching methods. Analysis of the data generated from the students' involvement in the investigation during the fall semester indicated that the experimental group had a slightly greater improvement in their knowledge of serial dilution. The study continued in the spring semester and involved close to 300 students. During the spring semester both the experimental and the control groups had similar attitudes about their learning experience as evaluated by a Lickert Scale survey. However, a statistical analysis of the quiz scores of the students with values within the interquartiles indicated the experimental classes' quiz scores were significantly higher on quiz 2 taken at the midpoint in the study. Thus an inquiry-based learning approach was found to be beneficial to the middle 50% of the class. / Master of Science

The scenario-based design process, particularly with an emphasis on claims, captures and shares design knowledge that has promise in teaching design. However, the best methods are not fully understood yet. This thesis examines the areas of scenario-based design, claims relationships, and learning through cases with the goal of learning what can be improved to better support these processes. In investigating those areas, an information visualization tool is created for learning design through case studies. The tool combined claims from multiple visualization techniques to create an approach for supporting problem-based learning goals. In creating the tool, scenario-based design was used, with a particular emphasis on claims for driving the development and evaluation. All design rationale was captured in claims to create a tool that addressed the current problem issues identified. A recently developed claims relationship framework, used for the first time in development efforts, aided in structuring the design rationale. Using these relationships, the design was tracked from requirements analysis to problem claims to design claims and finally to claims that formed the basis of an evaluation. This thesis presents a case study of using claims relationships to drive the development and evaluation of a tool for supporting problem-based learning through case studies of scenario-based design. In creating a novel tool for learning about cases, a unique example of claims-centric scenario based design emerges, presenting as open questions new directions for merging scenarios, claims, and cases in knowledge storage, access, and learning systems. / Master of Science

No description available.

Lecture-based (lB) and Problem-Based learning (PBl) methods of teaching Quantity Food Production and Service were compared. After a pilot study to refine the problems and test the methods of data collection, two sections of the course were taught using the different instructional methods. The classes were compared on knowledge prior to taking either course, grade point average (GPA), attendance, final exam scores, Instructional Development and Effectiveness Assessment (IDEA) student evaluation instrument, and Propensity for Participative Management (PPM) instrument. The PPM instrument was validated with a group of management dietitians (n = 235) and restaurateurs(n = 104). Students in lB had higher GPAs than students in the PBl section. Students in the PBl section attended more classes than did the lB section. There were no differences between the sections in their prior knowledge of nutrition and food principles (pre-test). There were no differences between the classes in the scores on the final exam. Using linear regression, the only differences which could be found among the students in either the pre-test or final exam were based on the student's grade point average (GPA), not method of teaching. There were significant differences in the students’ perceptions of the class as measured by the IDEA instrument. LB students indicated a significantly higher rating for their gain in factual knowledge, for five variables relating to the instructor's communication of content and purpose about the course, and for the instructor's ability to introduce stimulating ideas about the subject. PBL students thought the course was more difficult than did LB students but they developed effective communication skills, were stimulated to higher intellectual effort, and thought that PBL was better for three parameters of involving students. There were no differences between the students in terms of their propensity to practice participative management in the future either before the class began or after the learning experience. There were differences between the students’ perception of participation in their organizations and the perceptions of dietitians and restaurateurs. Students were less likely to trust their subordinates/peers, were less likely to believe that participative management promoted positive relationships in the organization, and had less intention to practice participative management in the future than did the NRA/ADA professionals. Problem-Based Learning was demonstrated to provide an equivalent mastery of subject matter as a traditional method of teaching. PBL students were more involved in their learning, were stimulated to higher intellectual achievement, and improved their communication skills to a greater extent than LB students. There appeared to be no difference in likelihood to become a participative manager as a result of either teaching method. / Ph. D.

Yes / The profile of an effective facilitator has been likened to that of a saint, unfazed by ambiguity, undaunted by student irritation or personal frustration (Katz 1995, p 52). With the increasing popularity of using problem-based learning (PBL) within health professional curricula, it could be argued that the health lecturer’s role in education is changing. As a lecturer, I have only recently become involved in using PBL. With increasing exposure to the process and through reviewing the literature, I have come to realise that the role of the lecturer is fraught with difficulty. The literature is often conflicting with PBL meaning different things to different people (Barrows 1986). It provides no consistent guidelines as to how the lecturer should adapt to undertake this new role. This article explores the issues around the role of the lecturer within PBL and through reviewing the literature, investigates the level of intervention the lecturer should provide when students are undertaking the PBL process. Suggestions will be made to ‘facilitate’ the lecturer into facilitating an effective teaching strategy.

No / In October 2002 the ex-RCIVI director of education and research Rosaline Steele wrote an editorial in the RCM Midwives Journal on problem-based learning (PBL), entitled 'the emperor's new clothes or a new way of seeing?' This is a response to that article.

A qualitative exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used to conduct a study. In-depth individual phenomenological interviews with students purposively selected were conducted. Data saturation was reached after interviewing eight students. The following categories emerged: the participants experienced problem-based learning (PBL) as challenging, problematic group collaboration and cohesion, PBL as a good strategy. The challenges experienced included: unfamiliarity with the strategy, inadequate resources in the library, inaccessible computer laboratories because of limited space and operational hours, time pressures and overload. Clinical learning is not given adequate attention and some professional nurses in the clinical areas are not supportive to the university students as compared to college students. Positive conclusions about PBL include that students need the strategy as it promoted critical thinking, improved communication and presentation skills, helped teamwork and learning from others. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health studies)

Constructivist teaching strategies are undeniably accepted as effective in achieving the desired educational goals of constructing knowledge through active and creative inquiry. Inasmuch as teachers would love to adopt these strategies in their teaching, mathematics teachers find themselves in a situation where they are forced not to use them. This study investigated the factors that impacted on the selection and adoption of constructivist teaching strategies in selected Gauteng’s urban schools. Four (4) public schools and sixteen (16) mathematics teachers participated in the study. The parallel mixed methods design was employed in the study to produce both quantitative and qualitative data. The data were therefore analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. It was found that the participating mathematics teachers had an understanding of constructivist theories of teaching and that they perceived their classroom environments to be constructivist in character. The study also found that the adoption of constructivist teaching strategies was hindered by teachers’ lack of skills and competencies to handle a curriculum that they felt was handed down to them without their full involvement at all the stages of its development. Learners’ family backgrounds were also identified as a major social factor that impacted negatively against selection of constructivist strategies. Based on these findings, recommendations were made on how constructivist views can be realised in the teaching of mathematics in South African schools. / Mathematics Education / M. Ed. (Mathematics Education)