In a small-group communication course, students participate in a semester-long project to observe an organization while applying many group communication principles, including conflict resolution, group dynamics, teambuilding, leadership, and diversity. In groups of five, the students select any organization, agency, or department on campus or in…

In problem-based learning large cohorts of students are divided into smaller groups that pursue learning objectives with separate instructors called tutors. This presents challenges for tutors tasked with providing similar educational experiences and assessment of multiple groups of students. Here we evaluated between-group variation in test…

This article identifies the strategies used by architecture professors and their undergraduate students to mitigate common issues that students raise about group work. Based on participant-observation, interviews with students and faculty, and analysis of instructional materials and student work, this IRB-approved ethnographic case study…

Research on problem-based learning (PBL) has tended to focus on the graduate level of education, paying less attention to the primary school level and to what is involved for students during the implementation of PBL. In this paper we take a step towards addressing this need for research by reporting findings from a descriptive, explanatory case…

Explored the perspectives of graduate students (n=18) toward their learning in a course in higher and continuing education which used three collaborative groups in a problem-based instructional approach. Identified a core theme, ownership of knowledge, and three embedded subthemes: (1) group dynamics, (2) tutor feedback, and (3) metacognitive…

Aim: Tutor performance and tutorial group productivity interact with each other in a complex manner. The aim of this study was to investigate how tutor performance, tutorial group productivity and the effectiveness of a PBL unit interact with each other. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) Does the tutor performance score differ across different…

Of concern in the problem-based learning process in medical student education is the effect of allowing students to generate their own learning issues while discussing cases and problems. This study considered learning issues in problem-based learning, studying faculty and student overlap and consistency across learning groups while adding the…

Small-group, self-directed, problem-based learning can be conducted with or without a faculty tutor. Groups without a tutor are trained to manage problem solving, change, group process, critical thinking, and independent learning skills. Processing issues are very different for tutorless and tutored groups; some issues are experienced by both.…

A computer-assisted interaction analysis system that describes behavior in small groups and focuses on active clinical problem-solving was developed and tested. Teacher and class characteristics are incorporated into the simulation, allowing feedback for improvement of medical teaching skills. (TJH)

Two McMaster University (Canada) chemical engineering courses enrolling 30-50 students incorporate problem-based learning (PBL). Issues addressed in implementation included overcoming faculty and student resistance, integrating PBL methods within a predominantly conventional curriculum, developing PBL problems and objectives, and using tutorless…