PBL in Engineering and Science – Development of Supervisor Skills

1. PBL in Engineering and Science – Development of Supervisor Skills Session 1: PBL – Why? And What? Mona Dahms Dept. of Develoment and Planning mona@plan.aau.dk

2. Session 1: PBL – Why? And What? • Why PBL? • Competence profile • A short break • What is PBL? • Conceptmapping, incl. scouting • ”Teachingteaching and understandingunderstanding” – a video film aboutlearning • Learning theories and PBL principles • Summing up on Why? And What?

3. Session 1: Learning outcomes • Afterthis session youshouldbeable to • Identify and discusscompetencesrequired by engineeringgraduateemployers versus taught at universities • Explain the learningtheoriesunderlying PBL (social constructivism; Kolb’slearningcycle; Dixon’slearningcycles; Wenger’s Communities of Practice) • Classify the maincategories of PBL principles and list at leastthree principles in eachcategory

4. 1. Why PBL? Competence profile

5. Competence profile of a new developmentengineer 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 advertisementin the form of keywords specifying required competences of your new colleague. Which keywords do you give to him?

6. Activities in thistask • Individually, writedown the 3 – 5 most importantkeywords, describingyour new colleague (3 min) • In groups of 2, discuss and writedown the 5 most importantkeywords (5 min) • In groups of 4, writedown the 5 most importantkeywords (7 min) • Pleasebeprepared to provide keywords in plenary (10 min)

7. Competence profile – summing up A fewquestions to reflect on: Q1: To whichextentare the requiredcompetencestaught at university?

8. Competencestaught at universitiesand required by industry - Germany Ref: Becker, 2006

9. Competence profile – summing up A fewquestions to reflect on: Q1: To whichextentare the requiredcompetencestaught at university? Q2: Whichcompetencesare the most important?

10. Importantcompetencesranked by young German engineers Ref: Becker, 2006

11. Competence profile – summing up A fewquestions to reflect on: Q1: To whichextentare the requiredcompetencestaught at university? Q2: Whichcompetencesare the most important? Q2: To whichextentcan the requiredcompetencesbetaught at university?

12. Danish Industry on Competences of Young Engineers

13. Surveyamongemployers 2002 Kandidat 2002, p. 33 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.”

14. Is there a need for changes in engineering and science education?

15. Break 15 minutes

16. 2. What is PBL? Concept mapping and scouting “Teaching teaching and understanding understanding” – a video film Learning theories and PBL Principles

17. What is PBL? Conceptmapping • For some of youthisexercisewillbedeadeasybecauseyou have been students in AAU • For others it willbe more difficultbecauseyouwill have to rely upon whatyoubelieve, have observed or been told • Joinhands and put together a conceptmap of what to youare the maincharacteristics of PBL

18. Concept mapping – an example • Social dimension • Content dimension • Learning dimension • Why • What • How • Who • When • Where Concept map: cmap.ihmc.us

19. Tasks in thisactivity - 1 • In groups of 5 - 6, place the poster sheet in the middel of the table • Write the focusquestion, i.e. ”What is PBL?” • Write the twomainconcepts, i.e. Problem(based) and Learning • Addconcepts (nouns) thatcome to mind • Add relations = linkingphrasesbetweenconcepts, non-, uni- or bidirectional as the case maybe • Use the 6 question stubs What? Why? How? Where? When? and Who? to aidyourthinking

20. Tasks in thisactivity - 2 • If youfeeluneasyaboutwritingdirectly on the poster, usePost-It’sand later transfer the words from Post-It’sto the poster • Scouting: Take time to walkaround and see and listen to whathappens in the othergroups in the room – ask questionsifnecessary – and pickwhatyou find useful and bring it back to yourowngroup • Whenfinished, pleaseplaceyour poster on the wall • You have 30 minutes for thisexercise

21. Groups for the groupexercise

22. It’s all aboutlearning! • The video film ”Teachingteaching and understandingunderstanding” lasts app. 20 min. • It canbewatched in three sessions on YouTube – simply by Googling the title • Follow-upto the video film – comments and questions?

23. Learning theories and PBL principles The video filmdescribes, amongothers, the fundamental learningtheoryunderlyingPBL: Social constructivism

24. Learning theories - 1 • Basedon a social constructivistperception of learning and teaching: • Learning is the student’sindividualprocess of constructingknowledge and meaning, based on information inputs from manydifferentsources and in social interaction with others (peers, teachers, experts etc.)

25. Learning theories - 1 Social constructivism: Knowledge is constructed by the students in social interaction with others

26. Is thislearning? Yes, it’sactually true – youcanget a degree by repeatingeverything the teachersays. The psychologicalmistake in learning: ”Wepretendthatthere is co-incidencebetweenwhat is beingtaught and what is beinglearned” (Ref: Knud Illeriis, 1998)

27. Experience Test Reflection Generalisation Learning as a circle – experiential learning ”Learning is the processwherebyknowledge is createdthrough the trans-formation of ex-periences” (Kolb) Ref: Kolb 1984

28. Learning as a spiral - experientiallearning 1. processanalysis 2. processanalysis 3. processanalysis Reflection for in on learning 1. projekt 2. projekt 3. projekt Time Ref: Cowan 1998

29. Learning as a hierarchy – measuring learning From lower to higher order thinking skills Ref: Bloom 1956 Picture: ww2.odu.edu

30. Peer learning Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org Peer 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)

31. Learning as a double circle– individual and collectivelearning Collective learning is based on …. individual learning Ref: Kolb 1984; Dixon 1999

32. Learning in a Community of Practice More on Wenger’sCoPtheoryhere: www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm “Learning is a function of the activity, context, and culture in which it normally occurs, thus it is situated” (Ref: Lave & Wenger 1991)

33. Collaborativelearningin Communities of Practice Learning as: Legitimateperipheral participation in Communities of Practice

34. Learning Theories - 2 • Based on a social constructivistperception of learning and teaching: • Learning is the student’sindividualprocess of constructingknowledge and meaning • Teaching is the ”setting up of a situation from which a motivatedlearnercannotescapewithouthavinglearned” (Cowan) – teaching is not (only) lecturing !!!

35. Is this teaching? “Teaching does not mean transferring knowledge but creating opportunities for …producing and constructing it.” (Paulo Freire) With thanks to Karl Smith, UMN

36. Paulo Freire (1921-1997) • “Education is a way of intervening in the world” • FreirianCritical Pedagogy is similar to PBL in most aspects

37. Efficiency of teaching methods Average retention 5 % Lecture Reading 20 % Audiovisual Demonstration 30 % Discussion group 50 % Practice 75 % Teaching others 80 % 10% Note the bottomone – this is peer teaching/learning!

38. PBL Learning Principles – 3 Dimensions Ref: de Graff and Kolmos 2003 • Cognitive dimension: • Problem based • Contextualised • Action oriented • Experience based • (Project organised)

39. PBL Learning Principles – 3 Dimensions Ref: de Graff and Kolmos 2003 • Content dimension: • Interdisciplinary • Exemplary • Theory – practice relation • Critical

40. PBL Learning Principles – 3 Dimensions Ref: de Graff and Kolmos 2003 • Collaborative dimension: • Participant directed • Team organised • Dialogic • Democratic

41. 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)

42. What is PBL? Ref: Savin-Baden, 2003; emphasisadded “…. 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)

43. What is PBL? Ref: de Graff and Kolmos 2003 • 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

44. 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

45. Summing up on Why? And What? – Any comments or questions