A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

Medicine and dentistry
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• establishes or reiterates group ground rules when taking a new group;
• assists students to fulfil their roles, but does not usurp their positions;
• assists in creating an exploratory and non-threatening learning environment;
• ensures that students feel able to question and query each other, using an appropriate
manner;
• encourages students to use and formally evaluate a wide variety of information
sources, including the internet;
• assists students to present cogently;
• asks students periodically to summarise a case or aspects of it;
• at the end of each problem asks students to evaluate how they tackled the problem
and suggests how the process could have been more effective;
• gives feedback to the students about their performance in a specific, constructive
manner (generally within the group setting).
No matter what version of PBL is used, it is important to train staff and students in its
usage, provide adequate tutorial and study rooms and ensure that learning resources are
available. Like other teaching modes, PBL requires assessment methods appropriate to
the expected learning outcomes and suitable evaluation (see Chapter 14). Time is needed
for curriculum planning, writing, updating, and rewriting problems and assessments,
and developing supporting tutorial material.
In Case study 1 the author refers to the perceived benefits of PBL. Much research into
its impact has been conducted. Early classics still worth consulting include: Schmidt et
al., 1987; Norman and Schmidt, 1992; Vernon and Blake, 1993; Albanese and Mitchell,
1993. Challenge and counter-challenge are still occurring and more recent pieces worthy
of consideration include: Dolmans (2003); Dolmans and Schmidt (2006); and Neville and
Norman (2007).
There is some evidence that:
• PBL students take more of a deep approach to learning (see Chapter 2);
• students on traditional curricula tend to score slightly higher on conventional tests
of knowledge, but PBL students retain their knowledge longer;
• students perceive PBL as more clinically relevant and rate their programmes more
positively.
Interrogating practice
• Make a list of pros and cons about PBL that you think are important.
• If you use PBL now, what do you think of the way your school uses it: does
it maximise its potential benefits? Why/how might that be different?
• If you do not use PBL, could you introduce it into any teaching you are
connected with? Is the effort likely to be worth the rewards?