The introduction of problem based learning to students through a computer based education module

Abstract

Introduction
This paper describes the development of a computer-based module designed to introduce students in a range of disciplines to problem-based learning (PBL) and its relevance to their professional practice. The first two sections of the paper explain our choice of PBL and the decision to use computer-based education as a medium. The next section looks at the module and how it instantiates our reasoning. The final sections describes the design process and how this became a valuable exercise in problem-based learning.
The authors of this paper are University lecturers who have collaborated as a sub-group of the Teaching Reflection and Collaboration (TRAC) venture, a cross disciplinary staff development project co-ordinated by the Queensland University of Technology's Academic Staff Development Unit.
The group's members were concerned that as professionals, university graduates will be continuously challenged by unique situations which are ill-defined, for which they will have no previous experience and which will not necessarily have one clear solution. Consequently the situations they find themselves in will defy predefined solutions and require a self-directed response based on an analysis of contextual factors. It was considered that a PBL approach may be one way of encouraging students, particularly first years, to be self-directed and independent in their learning. To this end we examined the literature on PBL and investigated how we might develop a joint project that would introduce the concepts of PBL to students in a variety of disciplines for use by academics using PBL in their courses.