Content

If a goal of higher education is to teach students how to use their knowledge to solve real world problems, then how should teaching occur? Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is one of the few innovations in Higher Education which showed to be effective in achieving these goals. Since the 60s, PBL kept developing as a pedagogy which has demonstrated that it enables students to acquire and use knowledge in an effective way. This made PBL quite unique. It allows different programs and institutions to adapt and modify PBL to its own needs. Nowadays, it has incorporated the full potential of e-learning technologies, and demonstrated its capacity to deal with large student numbers. PBL typically involves students working on problems in small groups of five to twelve stydents with the assistance of a faculty tutor. Problems serve as the context for new learning. Their analysis and resolution result in the acquisition of knowledge and problem-solving skills. Problems are encountered before all relevant knowledge has been acquired and not just after reading texts or hearing lectures about the subject-matter underlying a problem. This latter feature reflects one of the essential distinctions between problem-based learning and other problem-oriented methods.
The present workshop "A key to facilitate students’ learning" deals with the concept of PBL and its intended switch from teaching to learning. Next, it addresses how to arrange an appropriate learning environment, and how to develop learning materials to implement PBL in an effective way. Finally, the workshop will focus on the role of the teacher in a PBL setting and assess how teachers can deal with a variety of constraints / obstacles / challenges which force them to seek alternate ways of implementing PBL.
Therefore, the workshop will cover an introduction to PBL as a curriculum and course pedagogy, different formats for designing PBL: learning materials & course design, switching from teaching to tutoring in PBL and adopting PBL to your current course environment as well as dealing with obstacles.