Interdisciplinarity And Problem Based Learning In Higher Education

This book addresses the relation between Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and interdisciplinarity and challenges the often implicit assumption that PBL leads to interdisciplinarity by default. The book examines theoretical and philosophical aspects of PBL and interdisciplinary learning. The first part of the book conceptualises the notions of problem-based learning and interdisciplinary learning, and highlights some key overlaps and ways of conceiving of their interrelatedness. It discusses the role of problem-based medical education in relation to interdisciplinary professionalism in medical education. Taking the reader into the realm of techno-anthropology, the book discusses the role of problems and projects in transgressing disciplines, and presents an analysis of three challenges facing new students when entering interdisciplinary and problem-based higher education. The second part of the book focuses on practicing interdisciplinarity in problem-based higher education. It explores how the construction of problems in interdisciplinary PBL projects can be seen from the perspectives of multicultural groups, and examines group processes in interdisciplinary PBL projects. It concludes by taking a closer look at student practices in interdisciplinary PBL, and at how students are positioned and position themselves in the complex transdisciplinary PBL project.

This book discloses ways in which learners and teachers manage complex and diverse learning in the context of their lives in a fragile and often incoherent world. It explores both the theory and the practice of problem-based learning and considers the implications of implementing problem-based learning organizationally.

Problem-based learning is becoming increasingly popular in higher education because it is seen to take account of pedagogical and societal trends (such as flexibility, adaptability, problem-solving and critique) in ways which many traditional methods of learning do not. There is little known about what actually occurs inside problem-based curricula in terms of staff and student 'lived experience'. This book discloses ways in which learners and teachers manage complex and diverse learning in the context of their lives in a fragile and often incoherent world. These are the untold stories. The central argument of the book is that the potential and influence of problem-based learning is yet to be realized personally, pedagogically and professionally in the context of higher education. It explores both the theory and the practice of problem-based learning and considers the implications of implementing problem-based learning organizationally. "Problem-based learning is contested and murky ground in higher education. In her study, Maggi Savin-Baden clears the thickets, offering a bold ambitious framework and, in the process, gives us a compelling argument for placing problem-based learning in the centre of higher education as an educational project. It is a story not to be missed." - Professor Ronald Barnett "This is a challenging and very worthwhile read for anyone concerned with the future of higher education, and issues of teaching and learning. The metaphor of 'untold stories' is powerfully explored at the level of staff and student experience of problem-based learning." - Professor Susan Weil

As universities increasingly offer courses that break the confines of a single subject area, more students are enrolling on interdisciplinary programmes within multidisciplinary departments. Teaching and learning within interdisciplinary study requires new approaches, including an understanding of the critical perspectives and frameworks and the rearranging of intellectual and professional boundaries. Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching in Higher Education explores the issues and tensions provoked by interdisciplinary learning, offering helpful information for: Staff development Distance learning Mass communication courses Interdisciplinary science courses Grounded in thorough research, this collection is the first of its kind to provide practical advice and guidance from around the world, improving the quality of teaching and learning in interdisciplinary programmes.

This book introduces readers to the latest research and findings from projects focusing on teaching education for sustainable development at universities. In particular, it describes practical experiences, outline courses, training schemes and other initiatives aimed at promoting better teaching on matters related to sustainable development at institutions of higher education. In order to meet the pressing need for publications to support sustainable development education, the book places special emphasis on state-of-the art descriptions of approaches, methods, initiatives and projects from around the world, illustrating how teaching education for sustainable development can be implemented at the international scale. The book represents a timely contribution to the dissemination of approaches and methods that may improve the way we perceive the importance of teaching education for sustainable development, as well as how we implement it.

"The book is written in a lively, engaging, conversational style, without compromising on empirical rigour to substantiate its claims. ...All practitioners of problem based learning will benefit from the multipronged perspectives on pbl facilitation contained here." British Journal of Educational Technology Interest in problem-based learning continues to flourish worldwide. To date there has been relatively little to help staff to examine the complex issues relating to facilitating the implementation of problem-based learning and the ongoing development of staff, students and the curriculum. This book explores a broad range of issues about facilitation, in particular: understandings of facilitation that have emerged from the author's recent research and ways of equipping and supporting staff in terrestrial and virtual contexts. It also questions how students are assessed and suggests ways of preventing plagiarism in problem-based learning. It examines what it might mean to be an effective facilitator and suggests ways of designing problem-based curricula that enhance learning.

Offers a contemporary of our understanding and practice of interdisciplinary higher education. This book considers a range of theoretical perspectives on interdisciplinarity: the nature of disciplines, complexity, leadership, group working, and academic development.

In order to address the research concern, this book involves in an intensive exploration of two universities which are transforming their traditional educational approaches to PBL. Specifically, this book is concerned with how managers, staff members, and students interpret PBL and its implementation. It reveals that the challenges for implementing PBL are closely linked to organizational members’ conception of PBL, social learning and motivation at the university.

Like most good educational interventions, problem-based learning (PBL) did not grow out of theory, but out of a practical problem. Medical students were bored, dropping out, and unable to apply what they had learned in lectures to their practical experiences a couple of years later. Neurologist Howard S. Barrows reversed the sequence, presenting students with patient problems to solve in small groups and requiring them to seek relevant knowledge in an effort to solve those problems. Out of his work, PBL was born. The application of PBL approaches has now spread far beyond medical education. Today, PBL is used at levels from elementary school to adult education, in disciplines ranging across the humanities and sciences, and in both academic and corporate settings. This book aims to take stock of developments in the field and to bridge the gap between practice and the theoretical tradition, originated by Barrows, that underlies PBL techniques.

This volume collects recent studies conducted within the area of medical education that investigate two of the critical components of problem-based curricula--the group meeting and self-directed learning--and demonstrates that understanding these complex phenomena is critical to the operation of this innovative curriculum. It is the editors' contention that it is these components of problem-based learning that connect the initiating "problem" with the process of effective "learning." Revealing how this occurs is the task taken on by researchers contributing to this volume. The studies include use of self-reports, interviews, observations, verbal protocols, and micro-analysis to find ways into the psychological processes and sociological contexts that constitute the world of problem-based learning.