CONTEXT: The aim of the Emergency Care Practitioner (Basic), ECP (B), Course enables students to acquire knowledge and skills in basic life support, obtain a certificate and register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa as an Emergency Care Practitioner. The ECP (B) Course became a compulsory component of the Curriculum in 1996. During 1996 to 1999, the Course was conducted by Ambulance and Emergency Services - College of Emergency Care. In January 1999, the researcher was appointed to the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine and integrated the Course into the Traditional Curriculum. The Course was run as a three-week stand-alone module in the traditional didactic format In 2001, a Problem-based learning Curriculum was introduced into which the ECP (B) Course was integrated. The Course was thus integrated into the entire first year of the Curriculum in the PBL format. OBJECTIVES: Since the Course was taught in both the Traditional and PBL Curricula, the study was aimed at exploring the impact of the ECP (B) Course on both categories of students' ability. In the Traditional Curriculum, the Course was taught in the first year of study, although the students were only exposed to clinical practice in their fourth year. With the PBL students, the ECP (B) Course runs through their first year, they are also taught clinical skills during their first and second year in the Skills Lab by the Labbased Clinical Tutors. During their third year, they undertake a Clinical Methods Course that exposed them to patient care in the Wards. This is supervised by Registrars and Consultants - Ward Tutors. The study also explored the perceptions of both the Skills Lab Tutors and the Ward Tutors regarding the impact of the ECP (B) Course on the students' clinical ability. DESIGN: The study involved students and staff presently working with the MBChB Curriculum at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine. The subjects were selected from a convenience sample as follows: • 30 3rd year students in the PBL Curriculum • 30 5th year students in the Traditional Curriculum • 5 Clinical Skills Tutors in the Skills Lab • 5 Clinical Tutors at King Edward Hospital. A questionnaire containing both a rating scale and open-ended questions was designed. The purpose of the questionnaire was to ascertain whether the students were able to perform the various emergency skills in the Lab (pre-clinical) setting and then to ascertain whether they were able to perform these emergency skills on real patients in the clinical situation. It was also used to determine the answer to the first key question of the study: What are the Traditional versus PBL students' perceptions on the role of the ECP (B) Course in the MBChB Curriculum and its effects on their clinical ability? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the Clinical Tutors. These interviews were conducted individually lasting 30 minutes. All the interviewees were posed the same questions according to an interview schedule. The purpose of the interviews was to answer the second key question of the study: What are the staffs' perceptions on the role of the ECP (B) Course in the MBChB Curriculum and its effects on the clinical abilities of the Traditional students versus that of the PBL students? MAIN OUTCOMES: Both groups of students felt that the ECP (B) Course was a rewarding learning experience. In general, most of the skills were learnt during the Course on models and/ or simulated patients by both the 3rd and 5th year students, except for the simulated foetal and placental delivery. The 3rd years have not been exposed sufficiently to real patients and were thus not given the opportunity of performing all the skills learnt during the ECP (B) Course on real patients in the clinical setting whereas all the skills except for CPR on an adult and infant patient have been performed by the 5th years on real patients. Both groups of students were satisfied with the Tutor's ability to teach the ECP (B) Course in both the PBL and Traditional formats. Both the Lab and Ward Tutors were familiar with the ECP (B) Course. They were of the opinion that the skills were relevant and extremely beneficial to all medical students. They said that the skills training had a positive impact on the students' clinical ability. It gave them confidence to deal with real patients and competence with the procedures and the relevant equipment. The Tutors were able to differentiate between the PBL students and the Traditional students' clinical ability to perform skills both in the simulated and real environments. The 5th years lacked the confidence and approach that the 3rd years had achieved with the models and patients. They expressed a concern that some basic sciences should be taught before clinical skills training and there should not be too long a delay between when the skills are taught in the Lab, to when the students are placed in the real situation. Finally, all interviewees felt that the ECP (B) Course should be a compulsory first year module. CONCLUSION: The evidence collected from the research tools was insufficient to conclusively find a marked difference in the learning of the Traditional versus PBL students. The Lab Tutors and the Ward Tutors were, however, able to differentiate between the two groups of students based on their clinical skills ability. The students in the Traditional Curriculum, although being able to perform the clinical skills on real patients, seemed less confident and did not have a structured approach to patient care, whereas the PBL students seemed very confident and had a systematic approach to patient care. These differences may be attributed to the teaching and learning styles of the students and Tutors involved. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

From 1950 to 2000 the former Faculty of Medicine, University of Natal, Durban, pursued the traditional, didactic curriculum. The implementation of problem-based learning, Curriculum 2001, introduced many changes in the curriculum where facilitators guide instead of teach students. Based on this it is important to understand the principles of problem-based learning (PBL) more extensively and the demands that may be made on the Library and the Librarians. It is assumed that a partnership exits between the librarians and the School of Undergraduate Medical Education (SUME). The object of this study is to determine whether the introduction of Curriculum 2001 impacted on the role and functions of the library and the librarians. The 5th year students from the Traditional Curriculum and 2nd year students from Curriculum 2001 were selected to participate in this study. The methods used in this study were the analysis of the minutes of the meetings that were held to discuss and plan Curriculum 2001 of the Curriculum Development Task Force, questionnaires for the undergraduate students and semi-structured interviews with the facilitators in Curriculum 2001 and medical librarians. The minutes of the CDTF were examined to ascertain if the librarians had any input in Curriculum 2001. The interviews would determine whether PBL had an impact on the role and functions of the library and the librarians. Four librarians and 15 facilitators were interviewed. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in this study with the assistance of the EPI Info and NVivo software to analyze the results. The results of this study indicated that there is room for greater and enhanced collaboration and faculty partnerships between SUME and the library to assist the students to improve and develop their information literacy skills that are integral part in problem solving in the PBL curriculum. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

The study investigated the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on medical libraries in South Africa. PBL, as a teaching/learning method, has been used in medical schools throughout the world for the past twenty or more years. It was introduced into South African medical schools in the early 1990s. Its impact was felt beyond the academia. Libraries, as engines of the institutions at which they are based, were greatly affected by the introduction of PBL. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Student performance in the area of mathematics is a topic of national concern in the United States, with several reports documenting the need for effective instruction to boost student achievement. However, what type of math instruction will most effectively raise student achievement for students with disabilities (SWD) remains a matter of debate. Problem-based learning (PBL) is a promising methodology for engaging and motivating students’ learning while increasing their math skills. Enhanced Anchored Instruction (EAI) is a form of problem-based learning, rooted in a constructivist framework, which guides students through complex problems through video anchors and context rich environments that has been shown to significantly improve math performance of SWD. Assessing student performance during PBL units is often difficult. Formative assessments supplement curriculum by allowing teachers to gather information and assess student learning during the course of instruction. However, despite the rise in formative assessment use, the effects of formative assessment in PBL curricula are rarely addressed. This study examined the effect of embedding formative assessments in the EAI curriculum on academic outcomes in middle school math classrooms. Results showed that problem solving performance did not improve with the addition of formative assessment and gains on computation performance were mixed.

The present study specifically evaluated the long-term effects of problem-based learning (PBL) instruction on the mathematics achievement of students who demonstrated higher ability in the subject area than their comparable peers. Subjects included 65 students from six south-central Kentucky elementary schools who participated in Project Gifted Education in Math and Science (Project GEMS), a grant partially funded through the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program. The students were assigned to one of three conditions – PBL-Plus, PBL, or Control – based upon school of attendance. The participants were then administered baseline testing in the fall of the third-grade year using the Test of Mathematical Abilities for Gifted Students (TOMAGS). The TOMAGS was then re-administered each subsequent spring (grades 3-6) for growth data. A mixed two-factor ANOVA revealed that there was no significant interaction between the groups across time. Therefore, it was determined that PBL instruction did not result in a greater level of mathematics achievement compared to a traditional curriculum; in addition, quantity of PBL instruction did not impact mathematics achievement. Interestingly, all groups demonstrated significant gains in mathematics achievement regardless of treatment condition. Several limitations could have interfered with the results of this study, including student attrition, fidelity of implementation, and professional development in PBL curriculum received by the control schools (outside of Project GEMS). As a result, the researchers recommend further research employing stricter fidelity checks and larger sample sizes.

This study implemented an experimental introductory CS course for non-CS majors focusing on two pedagogic factors: 1) the use of a visual blocks programming language known as App Inventor for Android (AIA) and 2) the adoption of SBL as the main teaching methodology. Participants included 30 undergraduates enrolled in two introductory CS courses; the experimental course (CS116) and a traditional lecture oriented CS course. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was implemented in both courses at several stages. Statistically significant differences were found in the Control of Learning Beliefs, Help Seeking, and Intrinsic Motivation scales, were CS116’s participants scored higher rates. In CS116, entry and exit interviews were conducted as well as a mind maps analysis. Their results showed a positive response to the pedagogic factors, positive attitudes towards CS, and an improvement in the understanding of CS. The majority of participants did very well and showed creativity with not one student failing the course. They found the experimental course to cultivate collaboration, creativity, and motivation to learn. The experimental approach was found have a positive effect on students’ motivation, achievement, and attitude towards CS. / Department of Computer Science

No description available.

Teaching journalism in tertiary institutions presents challenges, including how students learn to work in teams under the sort of pressure that characterizes workplace journalism. This thesis is a case study of how a group of students at AUT University, in Auckland, experienced taking responsibility for producing four editions of a student newspaper as part of their journalism training. Based on a series of individual student interviews, before, during and after their experience, this research suggests that the key factor in their learning was their being allowed, to a large extent, the power to make their own decisions about the appearance and content of their product, while still being charged with the responsibility of ensuring it reached a highly professional standard. The realities of life as a journalist, including recognizing the frequent need to prune, tighten or re-angle stories - even to reject them - and the vital role of co-operative teamwork, unparalleled in their other journalism studies, were driven home.The two tutors, interviewed after the last edition, put some of the student observations into context and provided insights into the discipline involved, as teachers, in maintaining training as a priority, while ensuring production to deadline of a series of reputable and legally safe newspapers.This case study suggests that while there are contrived aspects that cannot replicate a "real" newsroom - such as the students' assignment to editorial roles without the status of real editors or chief reporters - the learning experience resulted not only in advances in the students' technological skills but significant development in their critical thinking about the profession they were due to enter.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 200-222).

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership and Workforce Development. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.