b207f99 pbl

                        BISC207, Fall, 2009
                                                Introductory Biology

                                                Dr. Florence Schmieg

Problem-Based Learning

Quote: "Individual commitment to a group effort: this is what makes a team work, a
company work, a society work, and a civilization work."

- Vince Lombardi
Former Coach, Green Bay Packers

Philosophy

Recent advances in educational reseach substantiate the effectiveness of student-interactive
approaches to education. One of the best has been group-based learning using problems as a tool to teach concepts, demonstrate links between related disciplines, relate subjects to the broader social
context in which they are applied, and to model team-oriented approaches to the solution of
complex problems that stress cooperativity. In our course this semester you will become part of a group that will be assigned a topic of relevance to society today that is also important to the biological sciences. The topic will be an issue of controversy and your group will be asked to defend one point of view in a formal debate about the issue. As a group, you will research the topic under debate, construct arguments in support of your assigned position, write a report about your topic, and participate in the debate with other members of your group and the opposing group.

Link Here to Learn More About PBL at the University of Delaware

How It Works

After you have been assigned to your group you will decide on the ground rules that will govern your group's behavior. Some suggestions for ground rules are listed below but you can come up with your own as well.

                                            -Come to class on time.
                                            -Come to class prepared.
                                            -Hand in assignments on time.
                                            -Participate fully.
                                            -Show respect to all members of the group.
                                            -Don't dominate the discussions.
                                            -Others. You can list as many or as few as the group wants.

You must also decide on what the consequences are if the above ground rules are broken. For example, how many times can someone break a ground rule before the consequence
kicks in? What is the consequence? It may be very minor, just to get the point across. For example,

-bring everyone in the group a candy bar next time

Or, if the ground rules are continuosly ignored or repeatedly broken, the consequences may be more serious ones. For example

                                                -a first warning, then a second, then
                                                 -loss of some or all group points for an activity
                                                 -expulsion from the group

I reserve the right to review your ground rules and modify them, after discussion with your group, if I feel it is necessary. All members will sign the ground rules statement that will be handed in to me.

Your group will be constructed to maximize your ability to interact with one another out of class if you want to do so. I will try to use the laboratory sections as my guide. Sometimes, late dropping of the class causes the composition of the groups to change somewhat. We will try to minimize this.

If your group does not seem to be functioning smoothly, try to revisit your ground rules to see if you can solve the problem that way. If you are unable to handle the situation yourself, discuss it with me. But do try to solve the problem as a group first.

You will have an opportunity to evaluate your fellow group members. I will lower or completely remove points awarded to an individual for a group activity if the peer evaluations are poor, even if the group's ground rules do not specifically address this issue.

Grading the PBL Components of the Course

The following is a list of the components that will contribute towards the PBL part of your final grade.

        Quality of Topic Report:    40%
        Quality of Debate:             40%
        Quality of Handout:           15%
        Peer Evaluation:                 5%

Your PBL final grade will contribute 14.5% towards the final grade in the course.

HOW THE PBL ACTIVITIES WILL WORK

Once we have organized the groups and set group ground rules, I will assign to your group your group debate topic AND the side of the debate you are to present. I will do this randomly, using a lottery system. NO COMPLAINING IS ALLOWED!! Similarly, we will use a lottery to determine the date that each debate will take place. All debate dates are listed on the course calendar. You are expected to attend all debates, even if your group is not presenting..

THE REPORT

Each group will be asked to write a report about the debate topic (see details below). You will decide amongst yourselves how to distribute the workload (who will write the final version of the report; who will design the handout; who will do what parts of the debate, etc.). I will give you the opportunity to work as a group during class prior to the paper due date but out of class meetings may also be necessary. The paper should be about 5-6 pages in length (more if you feel it is necessary). In-text citations are unnecessary except for direct quotes. A final references-used page is required at the end of the report. All websites used must include the url of the site and an additional line stating what organization, journal, or individual posted that information. Do Not Plaguerize from books or websites, always rewrite information in your own words. If you do not, you could be accused of academic dishonesty.

The following items and questions should be included in your report:

Which individuals comprise your group?
What is the topic under debate?
Why is this topic significant to society today?
What is the viewpoint being argued by your group?
What evidence supports your team's viewpoint?
What evidence have you found that the opposing side might use and how will you refute it?
Complete references. For websites used, the entire URL must be cited as well as the name of the organization posting the information (for example, the Centers for Disease Control, The United States State Department, or the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, etc.)

Note: All reports must be submitted in hard-copy form to me by the due date. I will NOT accept reports submitted electronically (for example, as an e-mail attachment). Reports must be typed. A 10% grade reduction per day will be imposed upon late reports.

It may prove desirable for your group to meet outside of class. Your willingness to do this (assuming flexibility in scheduling by fellow group members) will impact your peer evaluation score

GRADING RUBRIC FOR ALL REPORTS

Score Criteria

        5          The report not only answers all questions and addresses all topics but
                    shows depth of understanding and/or additional insights. References are
                    appropriate and included. The appearance of the report is readable and
                   neat.

        4          The report is accurate on its surface and all questions/topics are answered or
                    addressed. References are appropriate and included. The appearance of
                    the report is readable and neat. Or, report is of score 5 quality but references are not
                    included or are not accurately displayed.

        3         The report has one or more inaccuracies or something is missing.
                    However, the references used are appropriate and included. The
                    appearance of the report is readable and neat.Or, report is of score 4 quality but
                    references are not included or are not accurately displayed.

        2         The report is incomplete or inaccurate. One or more questions or topics
                    is missed or incorrectly answered. However, the report is readable and neat. Or
                    the report is of score 3 quality but references are not included or are not
                    accurately displayed.

         1        The report shows a lack of effort and is of inferior quality. Topics are missing,
                    incorrectly answered, or addressed superficially. Or, the report is of score 2 quality
                    but there are missing or inaccurately displayed references. Or, the report is of
                    scores 5, 4, 3, or 2, quality but is sloppy, unreadable, and gives evidence of disdain
                    for the assignment.

THE HANDOUT

On the day of your debate, your group will be required to provide a one-page handout to each member of the class that summarizes your point of view, including evidence to support it. It should also include a summary of the opposing arguments. You may use both sides of the paper. Many groups in previous classes have produced a brochure. Suggestions about the handout include:

Keep the text brief but informative.
If appropriate, include visual aids.
Avoid hand-written documents. Always type your text.
Remember that the class will use this handout as a learning tool. Questions related to the debates may be asked on the examinations.

The handout will be assessed as follows:

Does not exceed one page document (8.5” x 11”) two sides
Well organized and visually appealing
Provides supporting evidence for the argument
Provides evidence against opposing arguments
No spelling or grammatical errors

Each criteria will be scored on a 5 to 1 scale, similar to the reports.

THE DEBATE

Each group should attempt to distribute responsibilities equally to all members. Everyone should be required to speak. An example of a typical debate "time-line" is shown here.

GROUP	STAGE	FUNCTION	TIME LIMIT(min.)	START AT
FOR	Opening Statement	Provides audience with a brief statement regarding your team's position about the argument along with a statement summarizing the other team's position and how you will refute it.	2	:03
		TRANSITION	1	:05
AGAINST	Opening Statement	Same as above	2	:06
		TRANSITION	1	:08
FOR	Supporting Evidence for Position	Presents your team's case to the audience. This stage should include all of the evidence you have collected to support your position.	6	:09
		TRANSITION	1	:15
AGAINST	Supporting Evidence for Position	Same as above	6	:16
		PREPARE FOR REFUTATION	3	:22
FOR	Refutation Against Opponent's Position	Attempts to refute the other team's position. This stage should include all of the evidence you have collected to challenge the opponent's position. Convince the audience why your team's view is correct and the opponent's view is not correct.	6	:25
		TRANSITION	1	:31
AGAINST	Refutation Against Opponent's Position	Same as above	6	:32
		TRANSITION	1	:38
FOR	Closing Statement	Briefly summarizes your position, the opposing team's position, and your rationale for why your team's position is correct based on the factual and theoretical evidence.	2	:39
		TRANSITION	1	:41
AGAINST	Closing Statement	Same as above	2	:42
		TRANSITION	1	:44
AUDIENCE	Questions to FOR group	Audience may ask questions to any group member	2	:45
AUDIENCE	Questions to AGAINST group	Same as above	2	:47
AUDIENCE	Submit Survey	Audience rates each team's performance by secret ballot	1	:49
	TOTAL TIME		47	:50

Suggestions:

Practice your debate ahead of time to insure you keep to the time limits and present your arguments clearly.
Do not waste your allotted time. Dead time or not using all your allotted time will lower your debate grade.
Include as much scientific argument and evidence as you can. This varies depending on the topic.
If the opposing side does not do a good job with its arguments you many have little to rebut. Prepare additional material related to your side's arguments to completely fill your allotted time in case this occurs.
This is a group activity and therefore the grade will be assigned to the entire group. Therefore be sure to monitor all members to be sure they are prepared and will contribute to the group effort in the debate. It is analagous to the football team. If the quarterback or linebacker doesn't play well, the entire team gets the loss on its record.

INSTRUCTOR ASSESSMENT OF GROUP'S DEBATE

The following criteria will be used to grade the debate:

Quality, clarity, effectiveness, and credibility of opening statement
Quality, clarity, effectiveness, and credibility of argument
Quality, clarity, effectiveness, and credibility of refutation
Quality, clarity, effectiveness, and credibility of closing statement
Quality, clarity, effectiveness, and credibility of responses to questions
Abided by time limits for each debate stage

These criteria will be evaluated on a scale of 5 to 1 also.

Debate Topics