Problem-Based Learning at UC: Introduction: Why PBL?

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Introduction to Problem-Based Learning : Why PBL?

Introduction

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Why PBL? UC Ingot

Problem-based learning has become the pedagogy of choice for many teachers working with students from kindergarten through grade 12 as well as for faculty teaching in the higher education setting. The literature identifies numerous benefits of this pedagogical strategy which have led to PBL's popularity among educators.

In PBL classrooms, students have opportunities to:

	Be Motivated One of the primary motivating influences of PBL is derived from the fact that problems are based on real-world situations and/or events. This relevance stimulates high levels of student interest and engagement.
	Be Empowered In traditional classrooms where the instructor determines everything that will be learned, and to a great degree, how it will be learned, students are given little opportunity to determine their own learning goals. In the PBL classroom, students determine the direction in which their research will take them based on the details provided in carefully crafted problem scenarios. Their instructor facilitates and guides, rather than directs, the learning process. Moreover, PBL empowers students with a variety of learning styles and skill levels.
	Learn How to Learn and to Think Critically and Creatively PBL challenges students to reflect on how they think (metacognition) and how they learn as they define the problem; discuss and debate with peers; develop and refine hypotheses; conduct research; analyze, evaluate and synthesize information; and reflect on the problem-solving process. Teaching students how to think and learn independently is crucially important in a technologically sophisticated society where information seems to become obsolete as quickly as it is disseminated.
	Engage in Authentic Inquiry and Assessment The real-world, complex nature of problem scenarios enables students to learn and be evaluated in contexts which are similar to those they may experience in their professional lives. This results in students who have constructed an understanding of concepts which can be used to solve problems rather than those who have merely acquired facts.
	Learn How to Collaborate and Communicate As students work in small groups to solve problems, countless opportunities arise to develop one's ability to listen, debate, negotiate, share information, problem solve, and to take on a variety of roles which support the group's work.