UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 34, Page 8
June 6, 1996
Campus to host national PBL science conference

     Problem-based learning (PBL) encourages students to go beyond
factual knowledge by thinking critically and analytically, learning to
use resource materials and working cooperatively in groups on real-
world problems.
     Originating in medical schools, PBL has proved to be a successful
method of teaching for two decades, and faculty and students alike are
enthusiastic about this hands-on teaching and learning experience.
     To provide an opportunity for science educators to learn about
PBL and to implement it in their classrooms, the University is holding
its fifth annual conference on Problem-Based Learning in Undergraduate
Science Education from June 9-12 in Clayton Hall.
     The national conference will feature talks by well-known
educators who have developed and used PBL in their teaching. Nuts and
bolts workshops will be offered for participants who are new to PBL,
who wish to learn different strategies for implementing PBL in the
classroom, and who wish to learn how to design and implement a PBL
course.
     The conference includes poster sessions, paper presentations and
roundtable discussions about using PBL in biology, biochemistry,
chemistry, physics and other disciplines.
     Banquet speaker will be C. F. (Kipp) Herreid at the State
University of New York (SUNY) at  Buffalo, who will speak on "Chicken
Little, Paul Revere and Winston Churchill Look at Science Literacy,"
after the 7 p.m. banquet, Monday, June 10. A Distinguished Teaching
Professor and director of the SUNY Honors Program, Herreid has
presented several workshops on cooperative and collaborative learning
in large classes.
     Plenary speakers for the conference include
        * Daniel A. Goodenough, professor of cell biology at Harvard
          Medical School, who will speak on "Problem-Based Teaching in
          the Basic Sciences" at 8:45 a.m., Monday, June 10;
        * P. K. Rangachari, professor of medicine and director of the
          Honors Biology-Pharmacology Coop Programme at McMaster
          University, who will speak on "Sense and Sensibility: The
          Dimensions of Active Teaching" at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, June
          11; and
        * Frank Settle, program director of the Division of
          Undergraduate Education, National Science Foundation (NSF),
          who will speak on "NSF Programs in Support of Undergraduate
          Education: 1996 and Beyond" at 8 a.m., Wednesday, June 12.

     The conference will offer a variety of workshops, ranging from
"Getting Started in PBL" to "Distance Learning and PBL: The Internet
Link," and others on testing, dealing with conflict and teaching large
classes. "From the Students' Point of View" will feature a panel of
students who have taken a PBL course, including Becca Hanson, Jennifer
Langsdorf, Guillermo Navarro and John Bilello.
     For further information about the conference, contact Barbara
Duch, Center for Teaching Effectiveness, at 831-2066.
     For registration information, contact Ann Harvey at 831-3474.