A PBL approach to teaching Bahraini perspectives at Bahrain Polytechnic

A PBL approach to teaching Bahraini perspectives at Bahrain Polytechnic

This paper reports on an evaluation of a course called Bahraini Perspectives at Bahrain Polytechnic. The PBL version of the course is being implemented in Semester 1, 2011, and this paper reports on an evaluation of its first iteration. It will thus test some of the key assumptions about what PBL is said to be able to deliver. The methodology is a combination of literature review, self-reflective journals of both students and teaching staff, and course feedback surveys, the data of which is analysed in relation to student results in the course. The results are presented in the form of an analysis of the qualitative data, and a comparison to earlier iterations of the course, which used a much more content-heavy and didactic approach. Bahraini Perspectives has faced numerous challenges in the past, as it aims to develop an understanding amongst all of the Polytechnic's students of their heritage, as well as about Bahrain's contemporary position in a global context. As this course is compulsory for all students, as part of their degree, one of the difficulties has been to make the content relevant to whatever degree they do. The other main difficulty has been to pitch the course at the right level for a group of students with different levels of knowledge about Bahrain. Negative student feedback in the past has stressed the point that much of the material has already been covered during their primary and secondary schooling. With this in mind, a decision has been taken to develop the course instead with a complete PBL approach. The initial evaluation that this paper reports on suggests that students are more engaged and are developing generic employability skills, even if there are some doubts about the level of depth when it comes to engagement with content.

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