Crafting effective problems for problem-based learning

Crafting effective problems for problem-based learning

Educators in higher education are constantly rethinking about how they can better prepare their graduates for their professional career. The medical faculty at McMaster University pioneered Problem-based Learning (PBL) in the 1960s as an innovative approach to make learning more relevant and effective. Since then, PBL approach in education has had proven success in many fields of studies, most notably in the areas of medicine, architecture, nursing and construction management.

According to Prof Howard S Barrows, 'An authentic PBL education would require the student to go through the same activities during learning that are valued in the real world. The intent is to challenge the student with patient problems that he will be faced in practice both as a stimulus for learning and a focus for organizing what has been learned for later recall and application to future work.' The focus of learning is the problem. Students acquire new knowledge and learn by solving problems. Hence, the quality of problem is important for the full benefits of PBL to be realized. Due to educators' own learning in the traditional education curriculum, most educators tend to craft problem based on their subject expertise. This violates the multi-disciplinary richness that PBL advocates. Being able to craft good problem becomes a critical skill for educators in PBL.

This paper aims to describe the role of effective problem for reaping the full benefits of Authentic PBL and to posit the principles of designing effective problem.

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