Discusses problem-based learning and describes a study at Hong Kong Polytechnic University that compared learning issues generated by students with the objectives set by teaching staff, and explored students' self-directed learning practice and the ability to search for information in meeting the learning objectives. (LRW)

Presents a study in which fourth-year Australian medical students were assigned to either a problem-based learning or case-based learning tutorial group that focused on eating disorders. Reports that there was not a significant difference between the two groups of students related to performance or acquired knowledge. Includes references. (CMK)

This study investigated students' conceptions of constructivist learning activities in a problem-based learning (PBL) and a traditional curriculum. We examined whether students who have chosen for a problem-based curriculum have different conceptions of constructivist assumptions compared to students who have chosen to be enrolled in a…

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been the focus of many developments in teaching and learning facilitation in recent years. It has been claimed that PBL produces independent learners who are motivated, engaged in deep learning, work as a team, and develop effective strategies, skills and knowledge for life-long learning and professional work.…

A study investigated the curriculum's influence on 341 medical students' perceptions of learning environment, as measured by the Medical School Learning Environment Survey, in two public medical schools with similar problem-based learning (PBL) and conventional lecture-based learning (LBL) tracks, over three years. Results indicate PBL students'…

This case study of an experience with e-learning, compared with traditional lecture-based learning, at the Copenhagen Business School suggests that this problem-oriented and dialogue-based approach may hold substantial potential in international business education. (EV)

A study investigated reasoning processes of medical students in schools with different curricular formats, a conventional curriculum with basic science taught before clinical training and a problem-based curriculum with basic science taught in the context of clinical problems. Strengths and weaknesses of each curriculum type emerged. (Author/MSE)

Explores high school students' responses to a problem-based U.S. history unit. Investigates whether multimedia-supported learning assists students in overcoming obstacles to problem-based learning. Focuses on how the multimedia environment was used, the meaning of the learning experience, and how students' responses compared to those students who…

This study, adopting an action-learning approach, aimed to redesign an existing problem-based learning (PBL) subject curriculum to accommodate the learning potential and interests of students. Based on students' perceptions of learning and learning experiences with PBL, a Subject Planning Team (SPT) consisting of both students and teachers was…

This paper reports the investigation of the effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) within a web-based environment in the delivery of an undergraduate Physics course. The effectiveness was evaluated by comparing the performances and the perceptions of the sample students (n=67) using the web-based PBL and comparing the outcomes with those of…

Seventeen medical students in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum reported that on average they spent twice as much time preparing for step 1 of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination as did 52 students in the traditional lecture-based curriculum at the same school. Different learning approaches were also employed. (SLD)

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of traditionally spoken linguistic analysis approaches for understanding the nature and outcomes of online interaction. The study took place with twenty-eight elementary school teachers in ten suburban Chicago schools involved in a technology-supported, problem-based learning curriculum…

Background: The purpose of the study was to compare the knowledge scores of medical students in Problem-based Learning and traditional curriculum on public health topics. Methods: We planned a cross-sectional study including the fifth and sixth year medical students of Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey. The fifth year students (PBL group, n = 56)…

A survey of 2 medical school classes at Dalhousie University (Canada) compared student attitudes toward the conventional (n=57 students) and problem-based (n=73) curricula. Students in the problem-based group had more positive attitudes toward the learning environment and curriculum, but were less positive on a student-interaction scale. No…

Performance by University of New Mexico students on the National Board of Medical Examiners exam was compared for two curriculum tracks, conventional (n=508) and problem-centered (n=167). Results suggest that the more teacher-centered and structured curriculum prepared students better for Part I of the exam, and the student-centered, problem-based…