In this article the move toward international education in the community college is questioned. Who benefits when two-year schools are globalized? An alternative to the current international approach is suggested. The case is made that community colleges serve the public interest when curricula are centered on solving problems unique to the…

Helping students in the professions apply conceptual ideas to the problems of practice is a key goal of problem-based learning (PBL). Because PBL is organized around small, collaborative groups, scaling up PBL to large, heterogeneous classes poses significant challenges for implementation. This study presents a hybrid model that mixes online and…

Problem. The development of critical-thinking skills during the professional training of respiratory therapists is imperative for good practice. Research evidence suggests that interactive instructional strategies are far more effective than traditional lectures. Missing from the literature are thick descriptions of how faculty organize the…

The purpose of the study is to compare problem based learning (PBL) and lecture-based learning (LBL) in Hong Kong secondary students' science achievement. Secondary One students were divided into two groups: group A (n = 37), was taught two topics: "Human Reproduction" and "Density" through PBL; group B (n = 38) was taught the…

This study is a third in a series of studies that examined students' information seeking and problem solving behaviors while interacting with one of two types of web-based representations of an ill-structured instructional design case: hierarchical (tree-like) and heterarchical (network-like). A Java program was used to track students' hypermedia…

This study implemented a three-stage problem-based estimation instruction scenario and combined it with mobile technology to provide elementary teachers with an effective e-tool for observing student estimation and leading effective class or group discussions on the selection and assessment of appropriate strategies for solving daily estimation…

Suggests that facilitating effective collaboration among students requires more than urging students to work together well. This article further suggests that professors should carefully consider their method of forming groups and their process of training students to work effectively within groups. (SWM)

Suggests that professors may want to help students think carefully about their own thinking. This article offers a practical approach that professors can use to help individual students and students within classrooms think metacognitively about their problem-solving efforts. (SWM)

Describes strategies and structures for preparing for professional practice, including different kinds of professional knowledge, self-directed learning, facilitated learning groups, and problem-based learning. (SK)

The results of an experimental study investigating the influence of problem familiarity on learning in a problem-based psychology course are presented. Participants worked with either a "familiar" or an "unfamiliar" version of the same problem. The following measurements were taken (1) a measure of problem quality as perceived by students, (2)…

In this article, the concept of approach related to tutor functioning in problem-based learning (PBL) is explored and the significance of a phenomenological perspective of the body in relation to learning and tutoring is investigated. The aim has been to understand the concept of approach in a context where the individual, thoughts, emotions and…

For more than 25 years, educators have developed and institutionalized efforts to help first-year students succeed. This monograph collects case studies from 22 institutions that have created programs and initiatives to support their first-year students. The programs range from encouraging civic engagement and academic achievements to…

The work presented in this paper traces the history of active learning and further utilizes the available literature to define the meaning and importance of active learning in higher education. The study highlights common practical problems faced by students and instructors in implementing active learning in higher education and further identifies…

College and university teaching has come under intense scrutiny in recent years. Scholars agree that effective teaching is much more than the transmission of knowledge. However, they may disagree as to what effective teaching entails. This paper provides a perspective that effective teaching, and thus learning, is enhanced when appropriate…

This study focused on the barriers that middle school teachers faced when implementing technology-enhanced problem-based learning (PBL) in their classrooms. Using a human performance-based model, we interviewed teachers, administrators, university faculty and technical support staff to determine the perceived importance of multiple barriers to the…