Improving the student experience of assessment: a Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach

13:00    Welcome and introductions

Dr Mark Crowder, Senior Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

13:10    Problem Based Learning assessment case studies

Perspective from Denmark

In this case study we will hear about PBL assessment at an institution that has been doing this for 50 years. Attention will be paid to how assessments have developed, which are the most effective, and how approaches have changed over the years

Dr Kim Malmbak Meltofte Møller, Assistant Professor in Management Philosophy and Organizational Renewal, Aalborg Katedralskole

Dr Michael Fast, University College Northern Denmark

Perspective from the UK

In this case study we explore the various ways of measuring effectiveness, how to get companies to engage with suitable problems, how to get students to engage with PBL.

Dr Marilena Antoniadou, Faculty Head of Education, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

Dr Mark Crowder, Senior Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

The student perspective

In this we hear the student perspective about what it felt like to experience PBL assessments. Which types of assessment were most enjoyable, and which were most useful?  How prepared are students for the final PBL project?

George Wood, MSc Graduate, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

14:00   Break

14:15   Group task 1: Assessing the effectiveness of assessment in your own university

In this session we will divide into breakout groups to explore the following questions:

• What is ‘effectiveness’?
• Which types of assessment work well or don’t work well?
• Group assessments
• Innovative assessments

14:45   Group task 2: How might assessment be different in a PBL context? 

In this session we will divide into breakout groups to explore the following questions:

• Given the unique features of PBL, what do delegates think about changes that might be needed?
• How does supervision of students play into the assessment?

15:15   Feedback and summation

In this closing session the breakout groups will feedback from the group discussions and there will be an opportunity for open Q&A and discussion

Dr Mark Crowder, Senior Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

15:30   Close

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching and learning approach that uses a problem as a trigger for students to develop solutions, whilst learning from the process and using evidence to support their decisions (Klegeris and Hurren, 2011).  Typically, PBL begins with an unstructured real-world problem.  This may even be open-ended with no concrete ‘correct answer’, and thus this problem needs to be defined and brought into focus before it can be explored.  Students must identify what knowledge they need to solve the problem and must take the lead in seeking out and obtaining this.  Hence, the key feature of PBL is that the purpose is the acquisition of new knowledge, rather than the application of existing knowledge, and the pedagogical emphasis is firmly upon the process that students go through when solving the problem – the process is more important than the results (Klegeris and Hurren, 2011).

PBL has a long pedigree in fields such as medicine (Bridges et al., 2012), engineering (Edström and Kolmos, 2014), and social care (Clouston et al., 2010), and it may be more effective than traditional teaching methods because it contributes more to the development of social and cognitive skills (Leal et al, 2016).  However, to some extent, the literature is contradictory.  Some argue that PBL is effective at developing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Buchanan et al., 2016) whereas others disagree (Koh et al., 2008).  Similarly, whilst not disputing the benefits of PBL, some feel that its effectiveness is outweighed by the fact that can overload students (Kirschner et al., 2006).   Nevertheless, there is considerable theoretical support for its use (Schmidt et al., 2007), and it can aid students’ conceptual understanding and teamwork and can even improve attendance (Prince and Felder, 2006).

Of particular relevance to our workshop, is the role that assessment plays.  In the ‘real world’, problems that students are likely to encounter tend to have few ‘right answers’ or examples of ‘best practice’ that can be widely applied.  As their career develop, their working world becomes messy and unstructured.   As a result, they work must deal with people and the uncertainty this brings, so rather than teaching ‘techniques’ and ‘ideas’ in a general sense, PBL is a particularly suitable pedagogy because it encourages students to learn and is highly motivational because students can see the link between the problems they are trying to solve and real-world applications (Barrows, 1996).  Moreover, the nature of problem-based studies means that there may be more than one solution (Cotič and Zuljan, 2009).  Problem-solving is led by the student, not the tutor, and thus students need a high level of resilience and the ability to think for themselves (Hung, 2011).  This also means that assessments need to be carefully designed so they are appropriate and align with the learning processes facilitated by the tutors (Hendry et al., 1999).  Moreover, success depends on the quality of the problems that are given to students (O'Grady, 2013).  Perhaps the most important success factor is the learning environment itself.  This must be appropriate to the problems under investigation, teaching methods must support reflection and collaboration, and there must be adequate independent study time built into the programme (Hendry et al., 1999).   Hence, assessments, and the structuring and ordering of these, is fundamental to the delivery of a successful programme.

Fee: £30

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