PBL in Engineering and Science – Development of Facilitating Skills

Session 1: PBL – Why? And What?

Mona DahmsDept. of Develoment and Planning

mona@plan.aau.dk

Session 1: PBL – Why? And What?1) Why PBL?

• Competences2) What is PBL?

• Concept mapping and scouting• Learning theories and PBL principles

3) Summing up on Why? And What?

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Intended Learning OutcomesAfter this session you should be able to • Identify and discuss competences required

by employers of engineering graduates versus taught at universities

• Explain the learning theories underlying PBL (social constructivism; Kolb’s learning cycle; Dixon’s learning cycle; Wenger’s Communities of Practice)

• Name the three categories of PBL principles and list at least three principles in each category 3

1. Why PBL?

a) Competence profile

Competence profile of a new development engineer

You are working in the research and development department of a large international engineering company.

The Human Resources manager calls you – he is busy writing a job advertisement for a new development engineer for the company.

He asks for your input to the advertisement in the form of keywords specifying required competences of your new colleague.

Which keywords do you give to him?5

Activities in this task• Individually, write down the 3 – 5 most

important key words, describing the competences of your new colleague (3 min)

• In groups of 2, discuss and write down the 5 most important key words (5 min)

• In groups of 4, write down the 5 most important key words (7 min)

• Please be prepared to provide key words in plenary (10 min)

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Competence profile – summing upA few questions to reflect on:

Q1: To which extent are the required competences taught at

university?

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Competences taught at universitiesand required by industry - Germany

Ref: Becker, 2006

Competence profile – summing up

A few questions to reflect on:

Q1: To which extent are the required competences taught at

university?Q2: Which competences are the

most important in professional life?

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Important competences ranked by young German engineers

Ref: Becker, 2006

Competence profile – summing upA few questions to reflect on:

Q1: To which extent are the required competences taught at

university?Q2: Which competences are the

most important?Q2: To which extent can the required

competences be taught at university?

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Danish Industry on Competences of Young

Engineers

Survey among employers 2002

One respondent in the survey said:

– “The ones [i.e. the candidates] coming from, for example, Aalborg University, go in and work in projects from the start.”

Kandidat 2002, p. 33 13

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To which extent is there a need for

changes in engineering and science education

worldwide?Discussion….

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Break10

minutes

2. What is PBL?

a) Concept mapping and scoutingb) Learning theories and PBL

Principles

What is PBL? Concept mapping• For some of you this exercise will be dead

easy because you have been students in AAU

• For others it will be more difficult because you will have to rely upon what you believe, have read, observed or been told

• Join hands and put together a concept map of what to you are the main characteristics of PBL

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What is PBL? Concept mapping

example • Social dimension• Content dimension• Learning dimension

• Why• What• How• Who• When• Where

Concept map: cmap.ihmc.us18

Tasks in this activity - 1• In groups of 4, place the poster sheet in

the middel of the table • Write the focus question, i.e. ”What is

PBL?”• Write the two main concepts, i.e.

Problem(based) and Learning • Add concepts (nouns in boxes) that come

to mind• Add relations (phrases with lines and

arrows) linking concepts, non-, uni- or bidirectional

• Use the 6 question stubs What? Why? How? Where? When? and Who? to aid your thinking

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Tasks in this activity - 2• If you feel uneasy about writing directly on

the poster, use Post-It’s and later transfer the words from Post-It’s to the poster

• Scouting: Take time to walk around and see and listen to what happens in the other groups in the room – ask questions if necessary – and pick what you find useful and bring it back to your own group

• When finished, please place your poster on the wall

• You have 45 minutes for this exercise 20

Groups for the group exerciseGruppe 1 Department/Section E-mailMarco Maschietti Chemical Engineering, Esbjerg maschietti@hotmail.com

Lance Putnam Architecture, Design and Media Technology lp@create.aau.dk

Dannie Korsgaard Architecture, Design and Media Technology, CPH dmk@create.aau.dk

Group 2 Department E-mail

Muhammad Adeel Nasser Sohal Chemical Engineering, Esbjerg sohal@bio.aau.dk

Daniel Højrup Johansen Electronic Systems dhj@es.aau.dk

Ellen Kathrine Hansen Architecture, Design and Media Technology, CPH ekh@create.aau.dk

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Lunch break – 1 hour

Poster presentation – What is PBL?Each group gives a short presentation

of their concept map (max 5 min per group)

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Learning theories - 1

Based on a social constructivist perception of learning and teaching:• Learning is the student’s individual

process of constructing knowledge and meaning, based on information inputs from many different sources and in social interaction with others (peers, teachers, experts etc.)

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Learning theories - 1

Social constructivism:

Knowledge is constructed by the students in social interaction with others

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Is thislearning?

Yes, it’s actually true – you can get a

degree by repeating

everything the teacher says.

The psychological mistake in learning: ”We pretend that there is co-incidence between what is being taught and what is being learned” (Ref: Knud Illeriis, 1998)

Learning as a circle – experiential learning

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Test

Generalisation

Reflection

Experience

Ref: Kolb 1984

”Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the trans-formation of ex-periences” (Kolb)

Learning as a spiral - experiential learning

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Reflection

Time

for in on learning

1. projekt 3. projekt

2. process analysis

1. process analysis

3. process analysis

Ref: Cowan 1998

2. projekt

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From

lowe

r to

high

er

orde

r th

inki

ng sk

ills

Learning as a hierarchy – measuring learning

Ref: Bloom 1956Picture: ww2.odu.edu

Peer learningPeer learning takes place in the ‘zone of proximal development’ which is …. “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotskij 1978)

30Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org

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Learning as a double circle – individual and collective learning

Ref: Kolb 1984;Dixon 1999

Collective learning is based on ….

individual learning

Learning in a Community of Practice “Learning is a function of the activity, context, and culture in which it normally occurs, thus it is situated” (Ref: Lave & Wenger 1991)

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More on Wenger’s CoP theory here: www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm

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Collaborative learning in Communitiesof PracticeLearning as: Legitimate peripheral participation in Communities of Practice

Learning Theories - 2Based on a social constructivist

perception of learning and teaching:• Learning is the student’s individual

process of constructing knowledge and meaning

• Teaching is the ”setting up of a situation from which a motivated learner cannot escape without having learned” (Cowan) – teaching is not (only) lecturing !!! 34

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Is this teaching?

With thanks to Karl Smith, UMN

“Teaching does not mean transferring knowledge but creating opportunities for …producing and constructing it.” (Paulo Freire)

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Paulo Freire (1921-1997)

“Education is a way of intervening in the world”

Freirian Critical Pedagogy is similar to PBL in most aspects

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Efficiency of teaching methods

5 %LectureReading

AudiovisualDemonstratio

nDiscussion groupPractice

Teaching others

Averageretention

20 %30 %50 %75 %80 %

10 %

Note the bottom one – this is peer teaching/learning!

PBL Learning Principles – 3 Dimensions

Cognitive dimension:• Problem based• Contextualised• Action oriented• Experience based• (Project organised)

Ref: de Graff and Kolmos 2003 38

PBL Learning Principles – 3 Dimensions

Content dimension:• Interdisciplinary• Exemplary• Theory – practice relation• Critical

Ref: de Graff and Kolmos 2003 39

PBL Learning Principles – 3 Dimensions

Collaborative dimension:• Participant directed• Team organised• Dialogic• Democratic

Ref: de Graff and Kolmos 2003 40

What is PBL?

”PBL reflects the way people learn in real life; they simply get on with solving the problems life puts before them with whatever resources are to hand.” (Biggs 2003, p. 232; emphasis added)

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What is PBL?

“…. problem-based learning helps students to see that learning and life take place in contexts, contexts that affect the kinds of solutions that are available and possible.” (Savin-Baden 2003; emphasis added)

Ref: Savin-Baden, 2003; emphasis added 42

What is PBL?• PBL is Student-Centred Learning• where motivating and activating

students is the prime concern.• The point of departure for the learning

process is an ill-structured real life problem

Ref: de Graff and Kolmos 2003 43

Conclusion – so - What is this PBL? • Based on the learning theory and the

fundamental learning principles PBL can be implemented in many different ways

• Thus, PBL is not a certain prescribed teaching and learning method

• There is no ‘right’ or ‘best’ PBL approach – each university has (to develop) its own PBL model

• In the next session you will learn about the Aalborg model of PBL

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Intended Learning Outcomes – achieved?

After this session you should be able to • Identify and discuss competences required

by engineering graduate employers versus taught at universities

• Explain the learning theories underlying PBL (social constructivism; Kolb’s learning cycle; Dixon’s learning cycle; Wenger’s Communities of Practice)

• Name the three categories of PBL principles and list at least three principles in each category

Were these learning outcomes achieved?

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Homework for tomorrowWatch the video ”Teaching teaching and understanding understanding” on YouTube and prepare for discussion of the following questions tomorrow:• What are the main differences between a

‘good’ student and a ‘bad’ student?• What are the major differences between a level

1, a level 2 and a level 3 teacher?• How do human beings (most often) learn?• What characterises deep versus surface

learning according to the SOLO taxonomy?• How would you explain in your own words the

main principle of constructive alignment? 46

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Summing up on Why? And What? –Any comments or

questions