The problems with problem-based learning, especially in virtual and blended learning

environments

Dr. Matthew Piscioneri Monash University

Matthew.Piscioneri@monash.edu

[SLIDE 1]

OVERLOAD?

[SLIDE 2]

STUDENT PREFERENCES FOR THE MODE OF DELIVERY OF THEIR T/L RESOURCES (2008)

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Paper copy Computer screen No preference

[SLIDE 3] ABSTRACT

This presentation reflects on the implementation of a problem-based learning pedagogy [PBL] into the presenter’s current teaching practice. Informed by a range of quantitative and qualitative data samples, the discussion section examines a subject of particular interest to the author: the persistent dynamic or tension in teaching and learning between the ideal (the theory of the teaching art) and the real (the practice of this art). What interests me most today are the complex consequences or impacts of a problem-based pedagogy on the practice of tertiary teaching and learning, especially within a virtual or blended learning environment [VLE/BLE]:

An increase in the number and complexity of assessment tasks

An increase in the time spent in lectures, tutorials and email communications explaining assessment tasks to students

An decrease in the time available for providing detailed feedback to students on their assessment tasks as a result

[SLIDE 5] The paper offers for discussion the following questions: 1. Does PBL in practice actually support the pedagogical objectives

of a student-centred approach to teaching and learning? 2. Is the contemporary university student well prepared enough

for the transition to a mainly PBL curriculum? 3. Is there an inherent tension in contemporary advocacy of PBL

in Virtual Learning Environments [VLEs] and or Blended Learning Environments [BLEs]?

4. Is the contemporary university student increasingly “overwhelmed” by the technological management of his/her tertiary learning experience and possibly, therefore, “underwhelmed” by the content of the tertiary learning experience.

[SLIDE 6] THE ARGUMENT

Increasingly I would argue, university teaching and learning is about how students are to learn, not so much about what they are to learn and much less so about a critical interrogation of why they are to learn what. Whilst I am a strong advocate of developing in our students a reflexive, meta-attitude to their learning and teaching processes, too often I suggest, this meta-attitude may be absorbed into the “busy-ness” of simply coping with more complex teaching, learning and assessment processes in VLEs/BLEs.

[SLIDE 7] INTRODUCTION

Everything is being flipped: including this presentation (start with some data samples)

What is “thing” termed problem-based learning? [audience’s conception?]

What is this “thing” termed blended learning environment? [audience’s conception?]

Unfortunate conflation in the presentation between PBL and other relatively ‘progressive’ approaches to learning and teaching in universities, such as research-based learning [apologies for the slippage]

Some ‘crude’ quantitative data from an informal set of surveys conducted with my students in ATS1297 Academic Writing and samples of qualitative data from student feedback in ATS1298 Professional Writing and ATS2/3490 Advanced professional Writing

[SLIDE 8] A SNAPSHOT OF A PBL ORIENTED TEACHING PRACTICE

Students were asked (1) the number of assessment tasks they had to complete in all their units in that semester (semester 1: 2013); (2) the number of assessments they had to complete in all their units in the final week of semester and (3) the word counts of these final assessments: (n = 102) (mainly first year, first semester students: 86% n = 88)

(1) Overall assessment tasks in all units including final exams: 15.25 average (highest 25/lowest 10)

(2) Assessment tasks in all units in the week of semester: 2.97 (average) (highest: 4/ lowest 1) and not including end of semester exams.

(3) Average word count of final week’s assessments: 1360 words per task (highest 3000/lowest 850 words)

[SLIDE 9] Q12. What aspects of this unit [ATS1297] are most

in need of improvement? Use of Portfolio….

The instructions in the unit guide is not really clear, and the course overall is not really organised.

Way too many assessments for a first year subject, could be daunting.

Assessment guidelines and requirements need to be more detailed.

better and clearer organisation in terms of assessment and criteria

i think maybe there a a few small unnecessary assignments.Perhaps less assessments (the essay was useful to give feedback but the portfolio is unnecessary).

[SLIDE 10] Q12. What aspects of this unit [ATS2490] are

most in need of improvement? Problem-based…

Assessment task need a bit more work in terms of what they are actually looking for in the end result. Clarification of certain asessment tasks Clearer information regarding assessment tasks. Explanations of assignments often confusing, making understanding exactly what is wanted difficult. I found that assignments (as written in the unit guide) would have been near impossible to complete without further detailed instruction from our tutor. Still, this information was provided to us in separate documents. instructions to assignments were ambiguous.

[SLIDE 11] Q11. What were the best aspects of the unit?

I enjoyed the "real world" feel of the assesment tasks.

I enjoyed the 'applied learning' approach, the whole thing with Sinem and the brief, and following that project through with our oral presentations and the report. In other subjects you tend to start an assignment, finish it and then move onto the next one, I enjoyed focusing on one thing for a longer period of time.

I thought it was very effective to base the unit on a "role play" scenario where we get hired and then we have to develop a brief for the client. That was very engaging.

I thought the progression was good. The way in which each assignment led onto the next and they were all connected made you feel as though you were constantly building on your knowledge and work.

[SLIDE 12] Q12. What aspects of this unit [ATS1298] are

most in need of improvement? Problem-based….

Assessments apart from CV/cover letter felt poorly planned in areas/incomplete. In relation to these assessments, felt goal was not totally clear, or could have used more guidance. Understood why this was the case (creating a real world scenario) but felt that more clarity and guidance may have prevented feeling thrown too far in to the deep end.

Clarity in assignment instruction. We're very unsure of presentation requirements and purpose. The same applies to the final report.

ANXIETY

[SLIDE 13] THE ASSESSMENT TASKS IN THE PBL UNIT ATS1298

Details of task: Students are required to write a 2000-3000 word report that details the entire writing and research project(Details of the writing project topic and approach will be given in lectures and tutorials) including the client’s brief, project scoping, a literature review, discussion of methodology, data samples and analysis, discussion and recommendations and references. An Executive Summary should be provided at the start of the Project Report. Details of structure and sections of the Report will be discussed at length in lectures and tutorials and samples of good reports will be displayed and analysed. As an appendix (included in word count) students must also include for assessment a list of survey questions and an explanatory statement for potential participants that reflect the guidance presented in lectures, readings and tutorial discussions. As a general guide, this section would be approximately 300 words in length. Word limit: 2000 - 3000 words

Compared to:

“The United Nations is an institution plagued with controversy.” Discuss.

Identify and critically analyse different explanations for rising rates of divorce in Western countries.

COMPLEXITY

[SLIDE 14] THE ASSESSMENT TASKS IN THE PBL UNIT ATS2/3490

Title: Project documentation, specifications and discussion Details of task: Present the plan, specifications, and ‘mock-ups’ of the website you will develop for the organisation as a formal report. You can develop the website ‘live’ if you are familiar with web development software, but the plans and ‘mock-ups’ can be created in word processing software. The Discussion section of the report should focus on one professional communication issue (eg. intercultural communication, copyright and web, digital literacy) which is relevant to the organisation you are writing for. ATS2490 students will be expected to demonstrate a depth of understanding and extensive research for their selected contemporary professional communication issue. REQUIREMENTS: The specifications, plans and ‘mock-ups’ of your website match the criteria you have chosen and justified in Assignment 2.

Your website exhibits industry-standard features in terms of its textual and visual design.

The text’s writing style complies with an advanced standard in terms of diction and register and is commensurate with the genre expected of the chosen organisation’s type.

Achieves expert technical accuracy in all aspects of writing: grammar, syntax, spelling, capitalisation etc.

COMPLEXITY

[SLIDE 16] EMAILS, MORE EMAILS (AND, YES…EVEN MORE EMAILS)

ATS1298 Semester 2, 2013: Total emails…. 1503 (from & to students)

Averaged over the 12 week semester: 125.25 a week (reading & responding)

OVERLOAD?

[SLIDE 17] LIMITATIONS

Not offered as ‘rigorous’ research…more a sketch: an EOI…

Difficult research in terms of methodology/evaluation criteria: perhaps comparative case studies useful? Across disciplines? Across levels?

Acclimatization issues: most participants are non-Arts students in Arts focused subjects

Very mixed cohort in terms of entry level to university

It wasn’t ALL bad

A SPLENDID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: WATERFALL BAY, TASMANIA

PART 2: DISCUSSION

Barron,B., Schwartz, D., Vye, N., Moore, A., Petrosino, A., Zech, L., Bransford, J., and

The Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1998), “Doing with

Understanding: Lessons from Research on Problem- and Project-Based Learning” The

Journal of the Learning Sciences, Vol. 7, No. 3/4, Learning through Problem Solving

pp. 271-311.

http://www.ldu.leeds.ac.uk/news/conference_04_05/documents/WoodKeynotePPT.pdf “Students are familiar with traditional methods and may feel threatened if the system is changed.”

“Further, students appreciate problems that deal with realistic or actual situations. They appear not to want to be distracted from the substantive learning issues by flights of fancy or gratuitous humour.”

[SLIDE 18] WHAT IS ACTIVE LEARNING? Inverting the theory practice logic into practice theory

practice

Emphasis on students doing rather than simply being told how to do

Draws on progressive pedagogies…experiential learning theory/learning by doing/constructivist approaches

Student-centred pedagogy: movement away from the more conventional teacher-centred pedagogy that employs a basic transmission model of learning & teaching

Interactive seminars & workshops in contrast to static lectures (active learning)…teachers as facilitators

More group work and emphasis on peer assisted learning and even peer assessment

Similar (same?) as research-based learning or inquiry-based learning

More emphasis on formative rather than summative assessment

A range of non-conventional assessment tasks and tools and learning objects (reflective journals/portfolios/presentations)

Co-constructed curriculum

Use of real world or ‘near’ real world learning objects/ scenarios/outputs

Greater involvement of external parties in the learning and teaching process (industry experts/practitioners, for example)

More mobile or varied sites of the learning and teaching process

Greater use of innovative learning and teaching spaces and technologies

AN EXPLANATION OF PBL

The growing interest in problem-based learning comes from the integration of sound educational principles into a single, consistent teaching and learning approach. This approach commonly consists of aspects of self directed and life-long learning, with problem-solving and critical thinking skills developed through facilitated group learning. A basic premise of problem-based learning is that students take greater responsibility for their own learning, with the benefit that they develop a wider range of transferable skills such as communication skills, teamwork and problem-solving. At the same time problem-based learning students perform just as well in examinations, but develop slightly better reasoning ability and have consistently higher levels of satisfaction (Norman and Schmidt 2000).

Mauffette, Y., Kandlbinder, P., & Soucisse, A. (2004). The problem in problem-based learning is the problems: But do they motivate students. Challenging research in problem based learning, 11-25.

http://w.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/openup/chapters/0335215440.pdf

[SLIDE 19] WHAT ARE SOME PERCEIVED ADVANTAGES?

More equitable ownership of the learning and teaching process

Greater engagement of students in their learning due to enhanced ownership

Greater engagement of students in their learning due to creativity of PBL

Greater, more sustainable and more relevant (as in applicable) learning outcomes

More enriching teaching experience for the facilitators (lecturers)

More ‘authentic’ experience…returning to the basis of the knowledge making behaviour

Challenges dogmatic/long established canons in disciplines

Promotes a research culture in students earlier

[SLIDE 20] WHAT ARE SOME PERCEIVED DISADVANTAGES OF PBL?

More intensive organizationally for teachers and students (the busy-ness!)

Limited access to suitable learning & teaching spaces (more costly?)

Need to (re) train teachers in PBL

Need to (re) train students in PBL

Not all subject areas a ‘natural’ or immediate fit for PBL (curriculum development costs)

(see more below)

[SLIDE 21] WHAT IS A BLE?

Oliver & Trigwell (2005: 18):

1. Combining or mixing web-based technology to accomplish an educational goal

2. Combining pedagogical approaches (‘e.g. constructivism, behaviourism, cognitivism) to produce an optimal learning outcome with or without instructional technology

3. Combining any form of instructional technology with face-to-face instructor-led training; and,

4. Combining instructional technology with actual job tasks.

A mix/synthesis/blend of conventional face-to-face learning and teaching (conventional transmission model of lectures and tutorials and student driven learning activity that is complemented/scaffolded with the use of information communication technology

Implementation of much of the above in relation to PBL/RBL

Use of innovative learning spaces and structures in the learning and teaching process

Flipped classrooms: seminars/workshops/practical sessions/ laboratory work in place of lectures

[SLIDE 21] WHAT ARE THE PERCEIVED ADVANTAGES of BLE?

(See above: much shared between PBL + BLE)

May be more conducive to practical skill development

May have some cost benefits in the longer term (bricks and mortar impact?)

More engaging of students motivation in their study

[SLIDE 22] WHAT ARE THE PERCEIVED DISADVANTAGES OF A BLE?

(See above: much shared between PBL + BLE)

Upload fever/download despair

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Not intending to suggest PBL and BLE are mutually sufficient conditions

2. Oliver & Trigwell (2005: 17): the term blended learning is “ineffective as a discriminating concept and is thus without purpose”.

[SLIDE 23] BACK TO THE HYPOTHESES

An increase in the number and complexity of assessment tasks when implementing a PBL approach

An increase in the time spent in lectures, tutorials and email communications explaining assessment tasks to students, as well as extra LMS maintenance

An decrease in the time available for providing detailed feedback to students on their assessment tasks as a result

[SLIDE 24] BACK TO THE QUESTIONS

1. Does PBL in practice actually support the pedagogical objectives of a student-centred approach to teaching and learning?

2. Is the contemporary university student well prepared enough for the transition to a mainly PBL curriculum?

3. Is there an inherent tension in contemporary advocacy of PBL in Virtual Learning Environments [VLEs] and or Blended Learning Environments [BLEs]?

4. Is the contemporary university student increasingly “overwhelmed” by the technological management of his/her tertiary learning experience and possibly, therefore, “underwhelmed” by the content of the tertiary learning experience.

SUMMARY/RECOMMENDATIONS (General & specific)

Strive to avoid the fallacy of the limited alternative (either/or)

Implement right place/right time principle

Not to dismiss ‘resistance’ from students or teachers

It’s all mostly in the “problem”…the activities of active learning

Start with the “problem” and test students’ comprehension of the learning approach being implemented

Assess students’ “knowledge: of the assessment (just joking!)

[SLIDE 25] ATTITUDES TO KNOWLEDGE FRAMEWORK

ETHICAL ATTITUDE

PRACTICAL ATTITUDE

PRESCRIPTIVE ATTITUDE

PRESCRIPTIVE ATTITUDE

SPECULATIVE ATTITUDE

SPECULATIVE ATTITUDE

SPECULATIVE ATTITUDE

CRITICAL EVALUATIVE ATTITUDE

CRITICAL EVALUATIVE ATTITUDE

CRITICAL EVALUATIVE ATTITUDE

CRITICAL EVALUATIVE ATTITUDE

ANALYTICAL ATTITUDE

ANALYTICAL ATTITUDE

ANALYTICAL ATTITUDE

ANALYTICAL ATTITUDE

ANALYTICAL ATTITUDE

REPRODUCTIVE ATTITUDE

REPRODUCTIVE ATTITUDE

REPRODUCTIVE ATTITUDE

REPRODUCTIVE ATTITUDE

REPRODUCTIVE ATTITUDE

REPRODUCTIVE ATTITUDE

UNDERGRADUATE HONOURS/MASTERS PH.D

Reproductive attitude: the what...descriptive/factual outputs

Analytical attitude: the how… structures/relations/processes

Critical/evaluative attitude: the how well…pros, cons & critique

Speculative attitude: the could it be better…synthesis, alternatives, refinements

Prescriptive attitude: the should or should not…normative elements

Practical attitude: the how to…applying knowledge to the real world

Ethical attitude: abiding by ethical frameworks in the construction, use and dissemination of knowledge

My conclusion….sometimes imposing the ideal onto the real is less than ideal.

[SLIDE 27] SOME BEAUTIFUL WORK…

Two examples of students’ work from my PBL units

APPENDICES

http://curriculum.leeds.ac.uk/rbl