Gifted students use their advanced language abilities and communication skills to participate in intellectual banter. How might educators encourage them to have more thought provoking discussions? Since gifted kids generally learn rapidly, retain information easily, see unusual relationships, and have strong needs to know, they should be provided…

The objective of this research project into teacher education was to document the collaborative development and refection on teachers' tools in a problem-based learning (PBL) program. These results were then used to design materials and formats for the transmission of this teaching knowledge to less-experienced PBL teachers. The tools were…

The design of problems is crucial for the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL). Research has shown that PBL problems have not always been effective. Ineffective PBL problems could affect whether students acquire sufficient domain knowledge, activate appropriate prior knowledge, and properly direct their own learning. This paper builds on…

The purpose of this study was to use multiple data sources, both objective and subjective, to capture students' thinking processes as they were engaged in problem solving, examine the cognitive tool use patterns, and understand what tools were used and why they were used. The findings of this study confirmed previous research and provided clear…

The North Carolina Standard Course of Study 2003 mathematics standards call for third-grade students to develop fluency in solving problems that involve multiplication and division. Released test items from the statewide standards-based assessment include multiplication and division tasks that require students to read the problem, identify the…

With the ceaseless development of new and more advanced technologies, along with their growing influence and control over business and commerce, it is no surprise that the educational community is struggling to come up with programs to educate students to adequately handle these developments. Textbooks are becoming a thing of the past, for…

This descriptive case study explored how repurposing and a pedagogical-based instructional design model, the multimodal model (Picciano, 2009), were used to create quality courses in a rapid development setting at a Midwestern land grant university. Data triangulation was used to secure data from faculty member interviews, course syllabi, and…

Current versions of electronic textbooks mimic the format and structure of printed textbooks; however, the electronic capabilities of these new versions of textbooks offer the potential of embedding interactive features of web-based learning within the context of a textbook. This dissertation research study was conducted to determine if student…

The commercial simulator Aspen Chromatography was employed to study and optimize an important new industrial separation process, weak partitioning chromatography. This case study on antibody purification was implemented in a chromatographic separations course. Parametric simulations were performed to investigate the effect of operating parameters…

A multi-method active learning approach (MALA) was implemented in the Medical Biochemistry teaching unit of the Biomedical Sciences degree at the University of Aveiro, using problem-based learning as the main learning approach. In this type of learning strategy, students are involved beyond the mere exercise of being taught by listening. Less…

At Pace University we have been using real-world student projects in capstone computing courses for about 10 years. While the courses were conducted in a traditional classroom environment during the early years, the current course has been essentially online for the last five years in order to reach a greater number of geographically scattered…

This paper discusses the harmonizing role of technology and interaction in a qualitative study on blended problem-based learning within the context of academic development in higher education. Within this setting, and as both designers and tutors in blended PBL, it is important to seek best practices for how to combine instructional strategies in…

Problem-based learning, or PBL, is a student-centered instructional approach that is derived from constructivist epistemology. It is based upon ill-structured real-world problems with the goal of strengthening and developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills in learners. Initially utilized in medical schools to strengthen diagnostic…

This study aims to explore problem-based learning (PBL) in conjunction with students' confidence in the basic ideas of electromagnetism and their motivational orientations and learning strategies. The 78 first-year geology and geophysics students followed a three-week PBL instruction in electromagnetism. The students' confidence was assessed…

The paper presents a curriculum design for, and subsequent evaluation of, a communications systems course using problem-based learning (PBL) as the instructional methodology. It details the rationale for implementing PBL as well as reporting intended learning outcomes and assessing the students' achievements. (Contains 2 figures and 4 tables.)