WHAT IS PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING?
Problem-Based Learning Units
Problem-based learning is an instructional approach that presents students with life-related,
open-ended problems to solve that requires the application of basic skills and concepts and
critical thinking skills. They build a felt-need in students to learn skills, concepts, and
information. Problem-based activities are best presented up front and followed by lessons as
the need arises. They are a wonderful venue for achieving technology infusion as the tasks
lend themselves to a variety of technology uses for locating, analyzing, and presenting
information.
Student Centered
focuses on students engaged in constructing own learning
Open-ended
either in outcome or approach; no one right answer or way
Higher-order
lower-order skills should be required, but the higher-order
skills are the goal
Authentic
connected to real-life situations; meaningful to the student
Long-term
tasks should typically (though not always) take more than
one sitting to complete, allowing students to spend time
building skills around a single context
Assessment
through a Rubric
students should know ahead of time exactly how the
outcome is assessed; demystifying the grading criteria
Defining Characteristics
WHAT
HOW?
WHY?
Student-centered &
Experiential
Select authentic assignments from the
discipline, preferably those that would be
relevant and meaningful to student
interests. Students are also responsible
for locating and evaluating various
resources in the field.
Relevance is one of the
primary student motivators to
be a more self-directed
learner
Inductive
Introduce content through the process of Research indicates that
problem solving, rather than problem
“deeper” learning takes place
solving after introduction to content.
when information is introduced
within a meaningful context.
Builds on/challenges If the case has some relevance to
prior learning
students, then they are required to call
on what they already know or think they
know. By focusing on their prior learning,
students can test assumptions, prior
learning strategies, and facts.
The literature suggests that
learning takes place when
there is a conflict between
prior learning and new
information.
Context-specific
Choose real or contrived cases and
ground the count in the kinds of
challenges faced by practitioners in the
field.
Again, context-specific
information tends to be learned
at a deeper level and retained
longer.
Problems are
complex and
ambiguous…require
meta-cognition
Select actual examples from the “real
life” of the discipline that have no simple
answers. Require students to analyze
their own problem solving strategies.
Requires the ability to use
higher order thinking skills
such as analysis, synthesis,
evaluation, and creation of
new knowledge.
Creates cognitive
conflict
Select cases with information that makes
simple solutions difficult: while the
solution may address one part of a
problem, it may create another problem.
Challenges prior learning as noted
above.
The literature suggests that
learning takes place when
there is a conflict between
prior learning and new
information.
Collaborative &
Interdependent
Have students work in small groups in
order to address the presented case
By collaborating, students see
other kinds of problem solving
strategies used, they discuss
the case using their collective
information, and they need to
take responsibility for their own
learning, as well as their
classmates’.