A study investigated the amounts of time that 29 physiotherapy and 29 occupational therapy students in problem-based curricula spent in nonscheduled and scheduled educational activities, and whether students increased or decreased time spent while progressing through academic and clinical curricula. A general decrease in time spent on educational…

Evaluation by 17 students of a case-based instructional method in 1 course of a dental hygiene baccalaureate curriculum found statistically significant student preference for the case-based format except in regard to students' preparation for written examinations. (DB)

The case method of teaching law was designed for a scholarly, not practical purpose. Because the main purpose of legal education today is to train lawyers, the problem method should be used as the primary strategy in the standard large class and core course in every year of law school. (MSE)

A problem-based predoctoral dental implantology course at the University of Texas had small tutorial groups solve specific patient problems through discussion, individual research, clinical experience, and subsequent sharing of knowledge. Student reactions were enthusiastically positive and their performance exceeded faculty expectations.…

An undergraduate course in pharmacology in which problem-based self-directed learning in the context of small groups provides students with an opportunity to take greater responsibility for their own learning is described. The objectives, examples of problems used in the course, and student evaluations of the course and tutors are included. (KR)

A study identified the characteristics of effective teachers in a problem-based medical course. Students (n=44) saw significant differences in faculty's skills, methods, and classroom management, rating them highest on classroom participation, enthusiasm, and comfort outside their expertise and lowest on providing feedback and addressing…

An undergraduate pharmacy class in drug therapy was taught using a problem-solving approach and standardized case studies, with teacher feedback provided on case presentations using specific performance criteria. It was found that the teaching approach was successful in develop students' ability to apply pharmacotherapeutics in creation of patient…

This case study profiled an experienced teacher as she used two problems from a problem-oriented unit developed in a middle school mathematics curriculum project. The curriculum offered the students opportunities to make substantive mathematical connections, but teacher goals may have prevented some connections from being made. (SLD)

Discusses issues associated with implementation of a new problem-based dental curriculum at the University of Queensland (Australia), focusing on costs and challenges of implementation based on a 1996 survey of staff involved. The origins and rationale of the new curriculum are examined, and both direct and indirect costs are explored, with…

Presents a longitudinal study comparing problem-solving performance for medical students trained using two different approaches to medical education. The first is traditional medical education involving lectures supplemented by laboratory exercises. The second approach is problem-based learning (PBL), where students learn basic concepts in small…

The current educational arrangements of advanced liberal democracies continue to isolate various ethnic and racial groups. Disadvantaged minority students attend inferior schools. The overreliance on the curriculum as a design for teaching and learning renders school learning less relevant for "knowledge work" jobs in network societies.…

This study was conducted on informal aspects of an inquiry-based physics course and reports findings about learning interactions and discourse observed during the first three semesters the course was offered. The course offered an alternative to the large lecture instruction typical in introductory university physics and promoted learning in an…

Within Education Queensland's recent "new basics" curriculum initiative, Education Queensland developed 20 transdisciplinary learning and assessment tasks for Years 1 to 9, called "rich tasks". This paper critiques two of the rich tasks that were most closely aligned to knowledge and skills within the health and physical…

This article examines the components of a theoretical problem-based learning framework adopted by a reform-minded tertiary institution in Singapore in order to shift away from traditional models of didactic instruction. The goals of this framework are to enhance the ways in which students think and augment knowledge building within authentic…

Increased attention to preparing addictions counselors and related professionals to use evidence-based practices has brought new attention to the preparation programs for addictions counselors. Research and theory about adult learning emphasizes the importance of students as active participants in problem and experience based learning. This paper…