Learning by Design: April 16-18, 2008
Mark Serva
Problem-Based Learning: Preparing Millennials to Solve Real World Problems

Mark A. Serva is an assistant professor of Management Information Systems at the University of Delaware. Dr. Serva’s research interests include e-commerce and latent growth modeling. He has published articles in The Data Base for Advances in Information Systems, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Communications of the AIS, and Decision Sciences. He is a member of the Board of Leaders for the Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education (ITUE), an organization that advocates the use of problem-based learning and other student-centered learning techniques.

Problem-Based Learning: Preparing Millennials to Solve Real World Problems

This two-part session is being co-presented with Beth Morling.

Session 1

The fundamental tenet of problem-based instruction (PBL) is that learning is initiated by a posed problem that the student wants to solve. In the PBL approach, complex, real-world problems motivate students to identify and research concepts and principles they need to understand to progress from ideas to solutions. Students work in small groups to acquire, communicate, and integrate information in a process that resembles that of inquiry. We will demonstrate PBL and model ways that it can be used to guide students' acquisition of skills that will help them to continue to learn effectively after graduation.

Session 2

In problem-based learning (PBL), complex, real-world problems are used to motivate students to identify and research concepts and principles they need to understand to resolve the problem. Adoption of PBL strategies is not a change undertaken lightly– its use entails a re-conceptualization and re-structuring of a course or curriculum. The presenters will highlight these issues by discussing various models for adapting PBL strategies to undergraduate courses. They will provide examples of the instructional choices made to design a variety of large and small-enrollment courses that incorporate varying degrees of emphasis on use of PBL. This session is recommended for participants who attended Session 1 above, or who have prior familiarity with PBL as a formal teaching and learning strategy.