Acknowlegments: I am grateful to Hal White for giving me permission to adapt the PBL information page from his course. Most of this text comes directly from the syllabus for his CHEM342 course, adapted to fit the course objectives for CISC474..
Pedagogy and Philosophy of Problem-Based Learning:
"Tell me, and I will forget.
Show me, and I may remember.
Involve me, and I will understand."
This perceptive Chinese proverb as translated by Ichiro Ochai, recognizes the limited effectiveness of lectures. How often do you discover what you don't know on an examination? Ignorance is not bliss! Successful students, like successful scientists, recognize and manage their ignorance. What don't you know? What do you need to know? What would you like to know? What is most important to learn first? These are learning issues. While knowing facts may help you on an examination; understanding concepts, so that you can apply them to new situations and appreciate the facts, is much more important in the long run. Cultivating the ability to confront your ignorance is an exercise in humility and building competence. In CISC474, "I don't know," will point the direction for your learning.
How do you learn best? How can I enable you to achieve beyond your expectations? These questions challenge me as a teacher and are independent of the grade you will get. Learning is an active process. Each year I try new ways to facilitate that process based on my learning. For this course, I have set aside the usual lecture-discussion format and adopted a problem-based, group-learning format that encourages active participation and cooperation among all students.
While a lecture-survey course can expose students to lots of information, the students' role in class is basically passive. Learning is often superficial, and long-term retention for most students is poor. (How many final examinations from a year ago could you pass now?) This approach may "cover" the subject rather than "uncover" it. Many studies show that classroom activities that encourage active learning in groups lead to better understanding and greater retention. In such a learning environment the teacher becomes a coach who creates appropriate challenges (problems) and works to enable students to master the problems and use them to identify and eliminate areas of personal ignorance. Such problem-based approaches to learning emphasize analysis, synthesis, judgment, and communication. While learning and remembering facts are important in any science, those facts are useless and quickly forgotten unless they fit into a context where they have importance and are perceived as worth remembering beyond the next examination. In problem-based learning, the problem comes first and provides the incentive to learn and understand the concepts.
If you feel comfortable with rather focused "plug and chug" questions typically found at the end of chapters in many textbooks, you may be frustrated for a while by the real-world problems used in problem-based learning. Frequently, questions are open-ended and have no simple solution. You may need to consult several sources other than your textbook. Problem-based learning rewards students who pursue understanding beyond just the "right answer." Continuous effort (preparation for every class) rather than cramming is a necessity. You will be expected to look up information on-line and in books and articles in the Morris Library on a regular basis.
Problem-based learning
has not been used as extensively in the CIS Dept as it has in some other departments at UD. The student responses on the final course evaluation for a Biochemistry course taught by Hal White (a leader in the development of PBL at UD and elsewhere) may give you feel for how this course will be different from other courses you have taken.
In CISC474 you will be challenged to understand the processes undergone by web developers who are given real-world problems to solve, and must find and learn about the appropriate technologies on their own. This will test your ability to apply what you have learned in a way that will prepare you to "keep up with field" after you graduate from UD, which for most of you in this class, will be very soon (provided you complete this and your other classes successfully)!
Group Formation and Function: An important element in the success of this problem-based course is the use of student groups and how they function. Use of cooperative working groups fosters the development of a learning community and lessens the sense of isolation that students may otherwise feel. Research has shown that student achievement is enhanced when students work together in a cooperative learning environment, as opposed to students who try to learn the same material individually. Cooperative learning also increases the motivation to learn, and the interest to solve more complex problems. Social and team skills learned in student groups are important for success in the working world today. If this is your first time working in a learning group, or even if you have had many previous experiences, you will probably have questions or reservations about the process. Find this paragraph and other information about working in groups by following the link.
Tou will be assigned to one of (about) ten groups of (about) four students each. These heterogeneous groups will function independently during class and outside of class. The collective resources and effort of each group will be used to deal with each problem we study. Part of your grade will depend on the performance of your group and your performance in the group. That portion of your grade associated with group work (10%) can be summarized in four words - Attendance, Preparation, Participation, and Attitude - sometimes referred to as "Appa." You will evaluate yourself and the other members of your group in the middle and at the end of the course. How your peers evaluate you at the end of the semester constitutes half of your class participation grade, i. e. 5% of your overall grade. (The instructor reserves the right to raise that grade if the instructor makes a judgement that participation grade assigned by the group peers is grossly unfair. We expect such cases to be rare.)
In order for the groups to function well, each group should discuss and agree with signatures to a set of behavioral guidelines (ground rules) and consider the consequences to group members who do not follow them. Some guidelines that have served groups well in the past are listed below. Your group may change or add to the list. If your group has difficulties, you and the other group members may need to enforce or reevaluate your guidelines.
In addition the goals listed in the syllabus, this link lists other important goals of this course that derive from the PBL-based format.