This paper presents the application of the problem-based learning (PBL) method as an innovative approach to teaching engineering. This paper supports the idea that the PBL method is aptly suited to teaching the engineering disciplines, as its methodology nurtures critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are central to a graduate's…

The Children Designing & Engineering (CD&E) Project at the College of New Jersey is a collaborative effort of the College's Center for Design and Technology and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. The Project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has been charged to develop instructional materials for grades K-5. The twelve…

This article focuses on an extended, interactive, collaborative project in a junior/senior-level business communication class. The main goal of the project is to address a difficult task central to many college-level writing courses: teaching students to consider and to write for specific audiences other than the teacher. A second goal is to focus…

This article elaborates on the basics of problem-based learning units and tips for implementation. The problem-based learning unit described focuses on the course of action involved in purchasing a new car. (Contains 2 figures.)

In response to calls for more engaging and interactive pedagogy, we simultaneously implemented 4 rousing learning activities: peer-mentored learning, student reports of what was clear (or not) from a previous lecture, consult corners where student groups provided course-informed solutions to problem-based scenarios, and applied projects presented…

Community colleges--institutions that serve disproportionate numbers of poor, working-class, first-generation, non-traditional, and minority students--are uniquely positioned to provide liberating educational experiences to a diverse spectrum of society. Cross (2000) aptly describes the current interest in cooperative and/or collaborative learning…

The computer-supported Project Work classroom learning environment discussed in this paper represents a paradigm shift from teacher-centered to student-centered teaching and learning in Singapore schools. Besides the face-to-face weekly lessons in existing Project Work classrooms, the students engaged in computer-supported online forum…

Activities using the same historical case study can be designed for courses of varying degrees of proficiency by altering the format to suit each academic level. The case of Isidro Mejia, a construction worker who had six nails accidentally shot into his head from a nail gun, is the basis for a series of case study exercises. (Contains 4 figures.)

Problem-based learning (PBL) has gained credibility and some use in institutions of higher education. This paper provides a brief conceptual discussion of PBL and the idea of "problem," and describes one learning model that incorporates PBL as a method for moving students to high levels of learning. The second portion of the paper describes one…

The objective of this project was to develop a way of producing instructional materials such that once an acceptable design had been achieved, hypermedia documents could be easily generated with no additional programming or design effort. The project was undertaken to support a case-based instructional curriculum in medical education. Southern…

One of the significant aspects of the experimental, problem-based teacher education program described in this report is the selection of students who have completed a bachelors degree with a major in an appropriate teaching field, have had three or more years of work experience in addition to their college degree, and who exhibit an acceptable…

Among the barriers to acceptance of clinical problem-based medical education are institutional complacency and lack of rewards for teachers with academic competence in education rather than biological research and clinical care. (MSE)

An allied health occupations education program undertaken for the first time at a Dutch university and characterized by an interdisciplinary, problem-oriented approach is described. Its first year of operation is evaluated in terms of staff and student time requirements and administrative organization. (MSE)

The Military Career Transition Program (MCTP) at Old Dominion University (Virginia) is the primary alternative certification program for teacher licensure targeting military personnel who are transitioning into education careers. Beginning in the fall of 1998, the MCTP added distance learning to its existing course offerings at 5 of its 15 sites.…

A college statistics class for limited-English-speaking Hispanic students and students with disabilities incorporates principles of problem-based learning. Sessions start with brainstorming in which real-life problems are presented to raise issues, encourage participation, and generate enthusiasm. Using negotiation, the issues generated in the…