|
The University of Delaware, an established national leader in problem-based learning (PBL), will host an international conference, “PBL 2002: A Pathway to Better Learning,” June 16-20, at the Baltimore Convention Center. “PBL 2002” is designed for experienced faculty using this method of teaching and learning, as well as those who are new to PBL. PBL encourages innovative teaching, using real world problems that students work on solving while interacting cooperatively in groups, thinking critically and finding and using learning resources.
Some 800 to 1,000 participants from academic institutions worldwide are expected will attend the conference. There will be 200 presenters from 95 institutions in 18 countries, with more than one third of the proposals coming from outside the U.S. Participants will be able to choose from more than 100 papers, 50 workshops, 15 panels and poster sessions as well as the “Introductory PBL Workshop Track.”
In the past decade, college and university faculty have begun to move away from traditional didactic instruction to a more student-centered approach to teaching, which helps students learn how to learn.
The conference will provide an opportunity for PBL practitioners to communicate with each other, share their ideas for problem-based courses, assessing student learning, writing problems, conducting classroom research, integrating PBL with Internet resources and a variety of related topics.
For those new to PBL, a series of workshops will help prepare them to use PBL in their courses. An “Introductory PBL Workshop Track” will be presented by UD’s Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education (ITUE) faculty leaders, in place of the traditional week-long institute at UD sponsored by ITUE.
The conference planning committee is cochaired by George Watson, associate dean of the College of Arts and Science and Unidel Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and Barbara Duch, associate director of the Mathematics and Science Education Resource Center. Committee members include Deborah Allen, associate professor of biological sciences; Sue Groh, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Valerie Hans, professor of criminal justice, and Harold White, professor of chemistry and biochemistry.
The conference is cosponsored by the University, the Unidel Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts and UD’s ITUE.
For more information on the conference, including a full description of all papers, workshops, panels and posters and their scheduled times, or to register, visit the conference web site at [http://www.udel.edu/pbl2002].
For information on special opportunities and arrangements for UD faculty at “PBL 2002,” contact Watson at [ghw@udel.edu] or Barbara Duch at [bduch@udel.edu].
April 18, 2002
|
