Problem-based learning in a traditional curriculum

1. Problem-based learning in a traditional curriculum Sharon Arkell Senior Lecturer Adult Nursing

2. Background to Study • PBL is increasingly promoted as an effective method of encouraging deeper approaches to learning through improved engagement of the student learning activities. • A PBL module was introduced to the final six months of a traditionally taught pre-registration nursing degree programme. • It was not integrated within the curriculum and PBL is not part of the central philosophy of the course.

3. Research Aim To discover whether students’ approaches to learning, developed from previous experiences within a traditionally taught curriculum, affect their ability to adapt to a PBL module.

4. Research Questions • What are student nurses’ perceptions of PBL within a non-integrated traditionally taught curriculum? • Do approaches to learning affect student nurses’ ability to adapt to a PBL module within a traditionally taught curriculum?

5. Population & Sample • Population consisted of one cohort of degree students undertaking the PBL module n=97 • Convenience and purposive sample Ethical approval granted by the Research Ethics Committee at the University of Central England in Birmingham

6. Data Collection – Stage One • Approaches to learning were identified through the use of a structured validated questionnaire presented to the whole population in the classroom. • Provided an indication of how prior learning experiences may have influenced the approaches to learning to date. • Enabled selection of the participants for the focus group interviews.

7. Stage One Results • 82% (62) completed questionnaires. • Of these, 98% (61) were identified as having a strong intrinsic orientation to learn (remaining 2% (1) was an incomplete questionnaire) • 85% (53) of the population were found to have a strategic approach

8. Participants within each approach to learning

9. Data Collection – Stage Two Two focus groups: • Participants with deep approaches to learning • Participants with non-deep approaches to learning Strategic learners were present in both focus groups Purpose: to identify participants’ perceptions of the PBL module in relation to their approach to learning

10. Student nurses’ perceptions of PBL within a non-integrated traditionally taught curriculum Analysis of the focus groups identified the following themes: • Motivation to learn • Perceptions of learning achieved through PBL • Perceptions of PBL vs traditional teaching

11. Role of the facilitator in motivating the PBL group: Deep student: “It (the discussion) sort of dried up and then she (the facilitator) just said “well do you think you have met the learning outcomes”, we said “yes” and she said “right you can go” and we’d only been there an hour”

12. Role of the facilitator in motivating the PBL group: • Viewed as crucial to success of PBL group • Participants appeared to understand role of facilitator but expectations did not match this • Less facilitator support was viewed more negatively and resulted in reduced effort as participants felt they were wasting their time • The directive, supportive facilitator, who offered constructive feedback was preferred • Facilitator support was needed to enforce the ground rules

13. The role of assessment in motivating the PBL group: Non-deep student: “It (the feedback) would have been at a much deeper level and higher quality if we were getting marked on it because everyone was thinking about their research proposal and their assignment and that was just taking a higher priority, it’s not that we don’t want to work for it, it’s not as important.”

14. The role of assessment in motivating the PBL group: • Assessment was a key factor in motivating all participants to undertake the PBL learning activities • All felt that if they had been assessed during the PBL sessions they would have worked much harder • Without assessment, other workload priorities (incl personal) took precedence over PBL • Deep participants only - could not see any relevance to a subject unless it was assessed

15. Learning achieved during PBL: Deep student: “The amount of information that we had to get into the presentation was part of the problem… because each individual within that group was presenting something back thee was just too much information to be presented, by the time you get to the second presentation you have switched off.”

16. Learning achieved during PBL: Non-deep student: “We just sort of sat there watching and listening to them (the presentations) rather than just note taking and getting the information, which you would do in the class with the lecturer standing in front of you, which is why I didn’t feel that I learned a lot from the information that was given to me.”

17. Learning achieved during PBL: • More value placed on fact-based knowledge provided by a lecturer rather than by their colleagues and more than the process skills acquired during PBL. • All participants perceived that they had learned less than on previous modules. • PBL failed to generate discussion, feedback became a series of presentations suggesting a surface approach to PBL • Affected by previous learning experiences • Still had a strong intrinsic desire to learn

18. Approaches to learning and the students’ ability to adapt to a single-module approach to PBL • 61% had deep approaches to learning – surprising! Not always evident during FGI • High number of participants with a preference for both deep and surface approaches • Strategic approaches appeared to have a bigger influence upon perceptions • Few differences identified between the perceptions of participants in each FGI although deep group participants did not seem to favour a PBL approach

19. PBL vs Traditional Teaching Deep student: “I would say that if this university were thinking of bringing in PBL from year 2 onwards I’d say please don’t (general laughter) … you just can’t do that because at the end of the day … you can’t justify it … people just seem to come up with these revolutionary ideas that just tend to fail a lot of the time … I think that it is important to stick to the core reality of actually teaching and learning.”

20. PBL vs Traditional Teaching Deep student: “I want to be able to justify my degree at the end of the day and that way I cannot justify my degree with self-directed learning, it’s just not feasible. I would be disgusted with it if I got a degree based on it, because you just can’t beat being taught as students and the learning that you get … you might tune out for five minutes but you do definitely pick up a lot from a lecture.”

21. Recommendations in relation to module studied: • Adequate facilitator preparation and training to ensure appropriate support is given and discussion and debate is encouraged. • The relevance of the PBL triggers should be reconsidered. • The use of assessment of the PBL activities should be considered.

22. General Recommendations: • Further research in relation to the single-module approach to PBL • If limitations of this approach are not addressed and students’ motivation to learn is significantly reduces, as in this study, the single-module approach will not have the desired effect of encouraging deeper approaches. • Further research related to approaches to learning, particularly the strategic approach and mixed approaches.

23. Main limitations of this study: • Results not generalisable to general population. • Poor attendance at the FGI. • Inadequate surface learners identified to attend the FGI and so participants with other non-deep approaches to learning were identified. • Saturation of data was not reached as only two FGI were carried out.