Abstract
This chapter will introduce the reader to the challenges associated with establishing a problem-based learning (PBL) program within a higher education classroom. Common challenges (e.g., how to assess, college professor involvement, establishing collaborative groups, lack of communication and motivation, the roles of the participants, how different learning styles align to a PBL program, changing roles of the college faculty member, loss of control within the college classroom, etc.) that can occur are discussed from a general, student, and college professor perspective. Issues such as the lack of self-direction, which is essential to the success of a PBL program, are discussed, and suggestions for further research are provided.
TopProblem-Based Learning
A PBL program within a higher educational environment is not without challenges to the student, the college professors, and general stakeholders. For the student, the difficulties include an inexperience with self-directed study, a learning style that is not conducive to a PBL program, and the lack of communication skills either between the collaborative group and the college professor or within the collaborative group itself. Challenges also exist for the university professor. Many are used to a lecture type of instructional strategy, and a PBL program approach is foreign to them. They are also used to assessing students at the end of the course via a formal test that asks the learner to simply retrieve facts; they are not used to assessing how students work with a group or individually. Finally, there are general stakeholder issues that also exist, such as limited materials and technology to support the students’ project, not having enough community partners every semester to evaluate each collaborative groups’ plan, or poor implementation of the PBL program by the person in charge. These challenges and many more will be discussed in this chapter.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Case Study: An individual’s personal perspective of the phenomenon or situation.
Professor: A high-ranking academic faculty member within an institution of higher education.
First-Comers: Students who have never experienced a problem-based learning program during their educational background.
Theory: An idea that can be used to explain concepts.
Practitioner: A person who carries out a profession.
Researcher: A person who collects data, either quantitively or qualitatively, about a specific subject matter.
Current Practice: Sometimes referred to as best practices; based on recent research, it is an instructional balance in learning.
Self-Direction: Working independently to learn about a topic or academic content.
Collaboration: Collectively working with another person or persons in a group to accomplish a common goal.
College: A 4-year educational institution that offers courses leading to a bachelor’s degree.