Describes searching and sharing of knowledge on virtual networks, based on experiences gained when hosting virtual knowledge networks at Tampere University of Technology in Finland. Discusses information and knowledge management studies; role of information technology in knowledge searching and sharing; implementation and experiences of the…

Project ProBase (problem-based technology curriculum) is a National Science Foundation funded project designed to develop an innovative curriculum that more adequately prepares high school technology education students for success in advanced technical studies at the community college level. The purpose of the project is to design and test…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was (a) to determine if there was a difference in knowledge achievement by Thailand's vocational students instructed using constructivist instruction (with open-end dialogue, problem-based learning, and cooperative learning) and using traditional instruction (with lectures, directed demonstrations, and…

An instructor contemplating a course transformation to incorporate a student-centered learning environment may feel faced with what seems like a high-wire balancing act--a constantly renegotiated compromise between students' legitimate needs for structure, well-understood expectations, and good grades and instructors' foreknowledge that the path…

Partnerships between members of the scientific community at institutes of higher education and the K-12 education community are an increasingly popular approach to science education reform (Atkin, 1989; Chatman, 2002; Sussman, 1993; NSF, 2003a, 2003b). Although the word "partnership" can mean many things to many people, we use the term…

Background and Objectives: At McMaster University, the birthplace of problem-based learning (PBL), administrators and curriculum planners have begun the process of renewing the undergraduate MD curriculum. One step has been to conduct an environmental scan that includes input from medical residents. Methods: Individual interviews with 17 medical…

This article describes problem-based learning (PBL) at the subsystem level, namely, the application of PBL in a project management course that empowers student teams to solve problems in nonprofit organizations. Faculty members teaching in project-based disciplines can employ the authors' approach to introduce PBL and document its effectiveness,…

This article describes an innovative hypermedia product for sixth graders in space science: Alien Rescue. Using a problem-based learning approach that is highly interactive, Alien Rescue engages students in scientific investigations aimed at finding solutions to complex and meaningful problems. Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional…

The population of the United States continues to become increasingly diverse, both culturally and linguistically. The increased diversity creates a challenge for middle school teachers as they are required not only to teach their content areas, but also to assist students learning English, including literacy skills. The majority of teachers at all…

The training and education of doctors is a complex process. The traditional apprenticeship model of clinical medical education following a pre-clinical sciences curriculum had many strengths and produced a doctor who met the needs of several generations of patients. More recently, medical training has been criticised for not adapting to the more…

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of problem-based active learning in science education on students' academic achievement and concept learning. In the study, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were utilized. Quantitative data were obtained via the pre/post-test, treatment-control groups test model. Qualitative data…

The Asian Tsunami struck Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004. Sri Lanka was the second worst affected country after Indonesia, and this natural disaster killed in excess of 35,000 people and displaced over 1 million. The article explores the Tsunami Disaster Management Program developed by one Sri Lankan university: the Postgraduate Institute of…

This study compared the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) and traditional instructional approaches in developing high-school students' macroeconomics knowledge and examined whether PBL was differentially effective with students demonstrating different levels of four aptitudes: verbal ability, interest in economics, preference for group…

All artists are chemists. Artists understand and study the properties of specific materials and find ways to explore these properties to express views of themselves and the world around them. This article discusses the Artist as Chemist unit and presents how students link art and chemistry through problem-based learning activities. In this…

Many faculty members generally assume that their students understand the purposes of college learning and that they are aware of the assumptions about liberal education embedded in the program configurations designed to advance it. In fact, it may very well be that, as Jerry Graff (2003) has suggested, our students are "clueless" about how to…