The world faces a number of complex challenges that are sometimes referred to as "wicked problems." Universities have been relatively poor at preparing graduates for such challenges, yet it will be the future professionals who need to tackle the problems. This essay looks at two related projects that have attempted to advance the skills…

This article presents a field technique that exposes students to the indirect effects of habitat fragmentation on plant distributions through studying edge effects. This assignment, suited for students in an introductory biogeography or resource geography class, increases students' knowledge of basic biogeographic concepts such as environmental…

Educating the Millennial generation, a cohort of students accustomed to rapid transmission of ideas in the digital age, has necessitated changes in traditional educational and clinical training techniques. Four innovations in curriculum and instruction are discussed which capitalize on the skills of this generational group. These are: 1)…

Seeking improved student performance in elementary schools has led educators to advocate inquiry-based teaching approaches, including problem-based learning (PBL). In PBL, students simultaneously develop problem-solving strategies, disciplinary knowledge bases, collaborative skills, and dispositions. Research into the efficacy of PBL in elementary…

What should constitute knowledge bases that we expect our future teachers to gain related to pedagogically sound technology integration? Employing the Shulman's teacher knowledge base as a theoretical lens, this study examined the complexity of pre-service teachers' "technological pedagogical content knowledge" (TPCK) in the context of…

Teachers' implementation of a problem-based learning (PBL) program was examined to determine both how they assessed student learning and their reasons for these assessment practices. Ten 6th grade science teachers used Alien Rescue, a computer-based PBL module, with their students for approximately three weeks. Interviews, observations, and…

Objectives: This article describes the use of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) as a theme to connect the learning of basic neurosciences with clinical applications across the age span within a systems-based, integrated curricular structure that emphasizes problem-based learning. Methods: In collaboration with the Centers for Disease…

This paper reports on a needs analysis underlying a proposed business English reading course using a problem-based learning approach designed to enhance English reading abilities of Thai undergraduate students. As part of a work in progress, the needs analysis survey was done prior to the course design with the major stakeholders in business and…

Suggests that as professors contemplate designing and implementing problem-based learning, they are likely to encounter many obstacles that may persuade them to abandon their efforts. To help alleviate these problems, this article provides insights into how professors overcome these obstacles. (SWM)

Suggests that the design of a Agood@ problem is imperative if problem-based learning is to be educationally productive. The article further suggests that in designing a good problem, professors should consider their problem around numerous characteristics that will likely promote critical thinking among students. (SWM)

Asserts that attempting to use problem-based learning for the first time can be daunting and unsettling for many professors. The article further asserts that these professors may benefit from the experiences of a professor as he tackeled the issues of designing and implementing problem-based learning. (SWM)

Suggests that when students are working in the field, the problems that they face are no longer limited by the artificiality of classrooms. This article also asserts that problems in the field are often large and ill-structured and that professors should have a repertoire of strategies for helping students analyzing and solving problems. (SWM)

Many colleges of business require a course in computer applications concepts, often consisting of spreadsheet and database applications. Quite often, students resist taking the class because they do not see any worth to it, it duplicates what they already have taken, and they already know much of what is purported to be taught in the class.…

Engaging primary and elementary students in meaningful, relevant science learning is challenging. PBL is an instructional approach that provides a means to foster meaningful science learning while enhancing teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This paper reports on the experiences of a teacher inquiry group consisting of five teachers…

"Analysis", the core of graduate business education is probably one of the least understood and most misrepresented learning activities. Everyone seems to claim that they know it, yet most seem unable to actually define it or practice it. This paper reviews Bloom's taxonomy of learning objectives with a special focus on "analysis." More…