In December 2015 the Australian state and territory governments endorsed the 'National STEM School Education Strategy 2016-2026'. Since then, the individual jurisdictions have released their own STEM education strategies that aim to improve student STEM capabilities and aspirations. This paper analyses the various Australian STEM education…

This paper reports the findings of research into an educational intervention featuring open-ended mathematical problems situated in "real life" contexts and associated pedagogies. "Money and financial mathematics" is the topic in focus, with tasks termed "financial dilemmas" being trialled by 35 teachers in 16…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is one of a suite of strategies based on the premise that placing students at the centre of the learning process ultimately improves skills, knowledge and understanding. To date, however, there remain relatively few reports on the application of PBL within geography curricula. This paper traces the evolution of a PBL…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that, with a bit of creative thinking, elements of certain university-wide projects (in this case study, establishing an iTunes U site) can be incorporated into student studies and assessment as real-world learning opportunities. Design/methodology/approach: Describes three different approaches…

In this article, the authors discuss the use by teachers of "Type 2 tasks" within the Task Types in Mathematics Learning (TTML) Project, i.e., those in which the mathematics is situated within a contextualised practical problem. It is argued that these kinds of tasks have great potential for challenging and engaging students, and showing…

Education programs for police recruits have often been criticised for their over-reliance on teacher-centred approaches that are less than ideal for promoting functional knowledge and critical thinking skills. Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which is suggested as an alternative, has been criticised for not providing novice learners with appropriate…

Professionally oriented tertiary-level courses such as allied health courses in Australia are under pressure from both their professions and the federal government to provide educational outcomes that prepare graduates for the workplace. This has resulted in a number of allied courses adopting problem-based learning (PBL), a teaching approach in…

Describes and assesses the University of Adelaide (Australia) dental school's problem-based learning approach and five-year curriculum, including program design, instructional modules based on clinical situations, use of student reflective journals, and course evaluation. Introduction of the new curriculum has resulted in student perceptions that…

At the University of Newcastle (Australia), architecture students' design projects, a central feature of the professional program, are based on design problems requiring integration of information from varied disciplines and therefore, rigorous planning and scheduling. The problem-based learning approach has helped improve student outcomes and has…

Examines the role of the tutor in the problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at the University of Queensland (Australia) dental school, discussing changes in this role across the four years in which PBL is used. Explores different varieties of PBL, as well as group learning, tutor-free groups, the reflective role of tutors, and desirable tutor…