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UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MARA
Pusat
Penerbitan Universiti (UPENA)
A^\#lm%#La
Malaysian Journal of
University Education
Faculty of Education
Volume 1 No. 1
June 2005
Quality Assurance or Quality Enhancement: Lessons from
the UK
Quality Assurance in Higher Education in the 2 1 s t
Century: Implications for Malaysia - A Regional Hub
for Excellence
A Qualitative Approach to Adult Learners' Understanding
of a Supportive Learning Environment: A Case Study
The ZZZ Adult Academic Reading Model
Introducing Problem-Based Learning in a Graduate
Business Educational Setting: Students' Perceptions and
Implementation Issues
I S S N 1823-1772
Frank Hardman
Vanaja Nethi
Hazadiah Mohd Dahan
Jamiah Baba
Faizah Abd Majid
Zalizan M Jelas
Norzaini Azman
Arfah Salleh
Syed K.Alsagoff
Soh Hwei Ling
Ng Chee Kean
Jaminan Kualiti dalam Pendidikan Guru
Abu Bakar Ibrahim
Zainab Mohd. Noor
An Introduction to ACRULeT
Gurnam Kaur Sidhu
Richard Holmes
Research News
ffadiah
UiTM
(F.PENDIDIKAN)
Richard Holmes
Introducing Problem-Based Learning
in a Graduate Business Educational
Setting: Students' Perceptions and
Implementation Issues
Arfah Salleh
Syed K. Alsagojf
Soh Hwei Ling
Ng Chee Kean
ABSTRACT
Problem-based Learning (PBL) has been reported to help influence
student learning through an interactive student-centered learning
mode. Recently, the Graduate School of Management (GSM),
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) piloted the conversion of part of
its traditionally-run graduate management programme into a PBL
approach. Interestingly, to date, no other graduate school of
management in Malaysia has been reported to implement the PBL
approach in their postgraduate business programmes. In order to
gauge the students' acceptance level of the new approach in the
Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Management
(MM) courses, a survey was conducted at the end of the trimester
for all students involved. It is worth noting that the students have
never been exposed to PBL prior to following the courses in GSM.
Overall, about half of the total number of students felt strongly for
the PBL method despite an indication of uncertainty on the selection
of appropriate resource materials. In short, the results indicate that
GSM should move forward towards applying PBL in more courses
after addressing some key implementation issues based on the
students' feedback.
Introduction
The Graduate School of Management (GSM), Universiti Putra Malaysia
(UPM) was established in 1997 to continue the effort previously
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Malaysian Journal of University Education
undertaken by the Faculty of Economics and Management (FEP), UPM
as a specialty postgraduate business education provider. Supported by a
team of qualified multi-disciplinary academicians and practitioners highly
experienced in teaching, training and research activities, GSM views
itself as a proactive agent of change in postgraduate education,
continuously working towards enhancing the quality of its graduates.
Currently, there are more than 500 students pursuing the Master of
Business Administration (MBA), Master of Management (MM), Master
of Science (MSc) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes at GSM.
As a graduate school of management, GSM is well aware of the
challenges and changes in the business work place brought about by
trade liberalisation and technological advances. Synonymous to these
changes are changes in the expected level of skills, knowledge and
competence of managers to run global organisations. It is towards meeting
its role to provide an educational platform that can produce relevant
graduates that GSM has embarked on a reflection exercise of its traditional
approaches to teaching, hence the decision to pilot the problem-based
learning (PBL) mode in some of its courses. It is hoped that the adoption
of the PBL pedagogical technique will assist GSM in producing graduates
not only equipped with the appropriate type and level of knowledge equal
to if not better than that achieved through the traditional approach, but
more importantly with superior "soft" skills and qualities such as
communication including presentation, problem-solving, participative,
confidence, life-long learning initiative, team-orientation and technology
savviness.
Although the PBL mode has been claimed to promote the
development of such qualities, given that the approach has its roots in
medical education, some level of skepticism does exist as to whether
PBL can provide similar benefits to students in graduate management
education programmes. This study aims at investigating the impact of
PBL on student learning from the perspective of this group of students
and the possible shortcomings that need to be addressed.
Rationale for Adoption
According to Abdul Rashid and Ling (2003), the economic crisis in 1997
has greatly boosted the demand for postgraduate education in Malaysia
especially for the MBA programme. With supply exceeding demand, job
seekers need to provide the edge against each other in the challenge to
68
Introducing Problem-Based Learning in a Graduate Business
Educational Setting
secure jobs. Continuing with graduate education especially the MBA
programme was seen as an appropriate strategy towards achieving this
end. In the year 2002, it was reported that more than twenty-five public
and private universities in the country were offering at least 50 types of
MB As as compared to the situation in 1995 when only eight public
universities offered the programme. With the keen competition between
graduate education providers in attracting potential students, institutions
that command higher employability rate and quality employment for its
graduates naturally enjoy a lead position in the league. The issue in
question now is how do employers assess the quality of students between
different education providers and more importantly, what are the qualities
that employers seek in graduates?
A review of literature shows that several researchers have examined
the issue of skills and attributes of graduates as sought by employers
including the mismatch between these skills and the expectations of
employers (e.g. Kelly and Gaedeke, 1990; Aiken etal., 1994; Eberhardt
and Moser, 1997; Raymond et al, 1993; Tanyel et ah, 1999). For
graduates of MBA programmes, Fung (1995) reported that Asian CEOs
required them (MBA graduates) to be strong in creativity and innovation,
leadership and entrepreneurial, communication, and strategic planning
skills. Hamid et al. (1983) found that the "human relations skill" was the
major organizational requirement of a manager. The study by Zabid and
Shamsinar (1996) discovered that the Malaysian private sector has higher
expectations for creativity, initiative, and communication skills. Employers
in both public and private sectors have low expectations regarding extracurricular activities and physical appearance. Additionally, Zabid and
Ling (2003) also found that in order for MBA graduates to be employable,
they have to fulfill employers' expectations for managerial, technical,
business and work skills.
Findings of studies such as those mentioned above highlight the
importance of certain skills and attributes as sought by employers in the
hiring of business graduates. Given such a situation, business education
providers should consciously work towards ensuring that these skills and
attributes considered essential by employers are possessed by their
graduates. Zabid and Ling (2003) remind potential MBA students that
they should for instance, seek more information on the teaching methods
and approaches used in local universities and should be aware of how
their MBA experience will enhance their careers and professional
development.
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Malaysian Journal of University Education
Of late, there have been many media reports of the perceptions of
employers regarding the quality or rather lack of it among the business
and management graduates of local institutions of higher learning. Local
tertiary education providers are said to have failed to incorporate the
desired balance of practical realism into the curriculum. In addition, locallytrained business graduates were claimed to be not adequately prepared
to assume managerial positions due to insufficient technical and poor
communication skills.
On the issue of the shortcomings of graduates' communication skills,
Rau (1996) reported that human resource professionals in the US viewed
MBA graduates as being more textbook-oriented and lacking real-world
experience. The study further indicated that the MBA graduates were
found to be lacking in communication skills, had unrealistic expectations
of job responsibilities and salary levels, and displayed arrogance and
unwillingness to learn. Of the total sample of human resource professionals
involved in the study, eighty percent proposed that the graduates needed
to complement their MBA education with real-world experience. Zabid
and Ling (2003) confirmed similar findings of local MBA graduates in
the perception of employers.
Findings of such studies where in general, local graduates are
perceived by employers as facing problems with some of the skills like
communication and solving of real-world problems contribute further to
GSM's rationale for adopting the PBL approach. Recognizing the difficulty
that usually accompanies adoption of change, GSM decided to implement
the new changes in teaching pedagogy at an incremental rather than
abrupt pace, by introducing PBL into several core courses for students
in the MBA and MM programmes. With the PBL approach, changes in
the structure of the course evaluations were made by placing more
emphasis on presentation, class participation, and report writing through
the process of solving more "real-life" problems.
Based on findings from earlier studies conducted in this area,
especially from the medical and life sciences faculties, the PBL
methodology has been demonstrated to focus upon and enhance the
skills and attributes required by the employers. Therefore, PBL is deemed
as highly relevant for our Malaysian business students, especially those
who need to be invigorated with initiative, accountability and discipline
as well as willing to try non-conventional ideas in the workplace. This is
especially relevant in this current decade, where the increasing majority
of local business students are female who traditionally may be more
reticent than their male counterparts (Salleh, 1994). This was another
70
Introducing Problem-Based Learning in a Graduate Business
Educational Setting
key issue which prompted the use of PBL methodology at GSM, since
PBL has been demonstrated to increase student-centered learning. It is
claimed that PBL forces a student to be an active participant in the
learning process, instead of being a passive knowledge receiver and
retainer.
Implementation of PBL at the Graduate School of
Management
GSM set up a PBL Committee comprising eleven lecturers to design
and implement the new approach in teaching and learning. Five graduate
assistants were recruited in July 2003 as full time staff to assist lecturers
in the PBL implementation as well as preparation of teaching materials
and aids. Each graduate assistant was responsible for different fields
namely accounting, finance, management, management information
systems and marketing.
In order to equip the lecturers and the assistants with the necessary
skills, knowledge and understanding of the PBL mode of learning, two
intensive workshop sessions were conducted. The workshops were as
follows:
1. PBL: Guide By Side Approach to Learning (26th to 27th July 2003 at
GSM)
The 2-day course was facilitated by local lecturers who have had
experience of incorporating PBL in their teaching.
2. PBL Institute (2nd to 4th September 2003 at Putrajaya Marriott Hotel)
The 3-day course was facilitated by a founding director of the Hong
Kong Centre for Problem-Based Learning, based at the University
of Hong Kong. He is also a consultant on student-centered learning
to Australian, Indonesian, Singapore and Hong Kong government
ministries of education.
The PBL pilot session at GSM began in the September 2003/ 2004
Trimester, which commenced 6 October 2003 and lasted for a duration
of fourteen weeks. From a total of thirty-one MBA/ MM/ PhD courses,
the six (6) courses selected, each with three (3) credit-hours, were
Business Accounting, Management Information Systems, Marketing
Management, Marketing Strategy, Operations Management and
Organizational Behavior. The other MBA/ MM/ PhD courses that
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Malaysian Journal of University Education
retained the traditional lecture format included classes for the same
courses but which were taught by different lecturers.
Each class was divided into small groups (not more than five students
per group) based on their background, age and race. To prepare students
for a mindset change from one of spoon-feeding to one of inquiry and
self-directed learning, the PBL Committee decided to provide a briefing
session on PBL before the first PBL trial in September 2003/ 2004
Trimester. During the session, each lecturer was required to clearly define
the purpose for adopting PBL, the procedures and expectations. A video
clip of a PBL session (about 40 minutes) conducted in another institution
was shown in the class to expose students to PBL. Soon after the briefing,
students were divided into groups to discuss the first problem and graduate
assistants acted as facilitators and assisted students in understanding the
PBL approach.
In view of the fact that the majority of the GSM students are studying
on part-time basis, GSM has created an e-platform called GSMnet to
ease discussion and sharing of resources. GSMnet is a live, real-time
and interactive class conducted over the internet using Lotus Notes
Environment system. During the virtual class, users will receive timely
information such as, notes, news, announcements, assignments, quizzes,
and participate in discussions with their lecturers.
Methodology
The survey instrument comprised a two-page questionnaire. The
questionnaire was developed by adapting several other instruments from
other studies conducted on similar subject matter (Woon, 1999; Mok,
1999). Adjustments were made to adapt the questionnaire to suit the
present research objectives and some items in the questionnaire were
reversed-coded to prevent response bias. For the purpose of this study,
the survey instrument was developed to 1. document students' experience with PBL teaching and learning
approach;
2. identify attitudes towards PBL compared with traditional methods;
3. obtain students' feedback regarding course structure; and
4. collect students recommendations for improving PBL.
For this study, the questionnaire which was divided into three parts
with each part designed to gain specific insights comprised both close72
Introducing Problem-Based Learning in a Graduate Business
Educational Setting
ended and open-ended questions. Part I consisted of open-ended questions
designed to obtain insights regarding respondents understanding towards
the differences between the PBL approach and conventional approach.
In Part II, students' feedback on PBL was obtained through the use of
21 close-ended questions. The last part of the questionnaire consisted of
open-ended questions designed to elicit students' recommendations
towards the facilitation of PBL.
The questionnaires were self-administered and distributed to the
students by the five graduate assistants at the end of September 2003/
2004 Trimester. A total of 111 usable questionnaires were obtained from
the 141 that were distributed, which is a response rate of 79%.
Findings & Discussions
Students' Feedback on PBL:
The overall feedback from students regarding PBL was encouraging.
The quantitative data was computed using SPSS version 11.5.
Respondents' mean ratings on a Likert scale of 5 (highest) to 1 (lowest)
for each question in Part II and III are presented in Table 1.
The survey revealed that 38.7% of the respondents agreed that they
were able to understand the learning materials better throughout the
PBL experience. This is especially true, as the PBL approach requires
students to take initiative and be responsible for their learning outcomes
by actively engaging themselves in the solution of problem assigned to
them. As the heart of the PBL experience is the use of real life problems
to trigger students' learning process, 40% agreed that the problems made
the course more relevant to them. This was due to the nature of the
problems assigned to students, which reflected real-work situations and
these adults learners who were holding a related full-time job, were
geared actively in self-directed learning in order to solve the problems.
While 68.4% of the students found the PBL process time consuming
compared to the conventional approach, 44.9% found it enjoyable with
37.5% agreeing to be taught using the PBL approach. This is especially
true when PBL was assessed from respondents' perceptions as 38.9%
of them saw the process as an effective way of learning. The feedback
from the students seems to validate the claims that PBL offers real-life
learning as the part-time students were adult learners who were holding
a related full-time job.
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Malaysian Journal of University
Education
Table 1: Students' Feedback on Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in GSM
(September 2003/2004 Trimester)
Mean
Std. Dev.
3.17
1.195
2.92
1.129
3.05
1.125
4.35
1.037
3.56
1.101
3.18
1.077
2.87
1.145
Did working in groups mean that you learned from each other?
Has this approach helped you to develop self-directed learning
skills effectively?
Does this approach facilitate improved use of information
resources?
Have you learnt to be more resourceful through PBL?
Do you feel more in control of the learning process under the
3.19
1.118
3.42
1.087
3.82
3.53
2.991
0.989
PBL approach?
2.82
1.122
3.29
3.05
3.55
3.06
3.05
1.107
1.102
0.970
0.984
1.147
3.16
3.20
3.20
1.146
0.965
2.98
2.67
1.168
1.189
PBL vs. Conventional lecture
Have you understood the learning material better than if it
had been lectured in the conventional way?
Do you think you have learned as much as you would on
a conventional lecture course?
Considering the material you have learned, do you think
you have learned it more thoroughly than you would on a
conventional course?
Has this approach taken you more time in preparation work
than other conventional lecture methods?
Does this approach encourage you to explore deeper into
issues than the conventional lecture courses?
Do the problems made the course more relevant than the
conventional way?
Are you more confident with the subject matter now than the
conventional way?
Benefits from PBL
Others
Did you find the learning approach interesting?
Have you enjoyed the learning process?
Are the problems selected appropriate?
Are you satisfied with the assessment methods used?
Do you receive sufficient direction during the learning process?
Does it matter if there is no fixed structure or standard way
in solving problems?
Were you satisfied when there is a quick solution to the problem?
Do you think PBL approach is an effective way of learning in
your programme?
Do you agree to introduce more PBL into the course?
Scale used: 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much / much better / much more / very appropriate)
74
Introducing Problem-Based Learning in a Graduate Business
Educational Setting
Students Learning Outcomes Through PBL
Approach
The findings also revealed that a significant number of students were
able to learn from their group members as they were assigned to solve
problems in groups. Working in groups enabled the students to develop
empathy, greater emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills during
group dynamics whereby they had to learn to understand and tolerate
one another, and relate in a co-operative way. Despite this, 35.8%
disagreed with the statement. This might be due to the reason that some
of the group members, being "free riders" did not contribute sufficiently
to the group.
Students demonstrated an increase in their enthusiasm in learning as
almost 50% of the sample indicated that the PBL approach enabled
them to develop effective self-directed learning skills. This was further
confirmed by the 45.8% of respondents who agreed that they learnt to
be more resourceful through PBL. These students reported that they
had to search "high and low' through various sources in order to secure
the relevant information in order to solve the problem. The wide array of
sources investigated demonstrated their efforts and creativity in
conducting information searches.
Table 2: Response to Question
"Do you think the following factors will help facilitate PBL at GSM?"
Lank
Factor
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Increase reference materials in resource center
4.37
0.897
Increase access to online journals
4.31
0.988
Extend opening hours of computer room
4.30
0.910
Discussion room with internet access
4.28
0.934
More comprehensive debriefing session
4.26
0.891
Extend opening hours of resource center
4.18
0.965
Supplementary talks on skills (e.g. report writing,
presentation, teamwork, information searching, etc.)
3.82
0.935
8
9
10
Tutorial class conducted by graduate assistant
3.46
1.209
Extend opening hours of classroom
3.45
1.201
Individual assignments
3.05
1.107
Mean Std. Dev.
Scale: 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much)
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Malaysian Journal of University Education
According to Table 2 above, students saw the need to increase
reference materials in the resource center and access to online journals.
They favoured longer operating hours for the computer room, and the
resource center as well as discussion rooms with Internet access. More
comprehensive debriefing session were also considered desirable. In
addition, supplementary talks on skills were regarded as helpful in
facilitating PBL at GSM.
Conclusion
The findings of this study indicate that the students (MBA and MM)
generally have a positive attitude towards the new teaching and learning
approach (i.e. PBL). These results are essential in determining the
feasibility of the long-term implementation of PBL at the entire faculty
level for postgraduate business studies. In the hope of transforming the
local passive learning culture, from one of rote learning to a more thinking
orientation, GSM acknowledges the need for students and facilitators to
play their part in the PBL experience. Hence, students have to aspire to
a new mindset regarding their new role in the teaching and learning
process. In conclusion, it is hoped that the adoption of the PBL pedagogical
technique will assist GSM in producing a new breed of business graduates
that is equipped with both the relevant "hard" and "soft" skills and
attributes in meeting employer expectations and requirements.
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Introducing Problem-Based Learning in a Graduate Business
Educational Setting
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ARFAH SALLEH, SYED K. ALSAGOFF, SOH HWEI LING & NG
CHEE KEAN Universiti Putra Malaysia. arfah@putra.upm.edu.my
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