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by Design: April 16-18, 2008
George Watson is Senior Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and Unidel Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware. He joined the faculty in 1987 after completing a postdoctoral position at AT&T Bell Laboratories, with a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Delaware. Among his personal teaching interests are Web-based delivery of instructional materials for development of science and technology literacy among non-science majors and curriculum reform of engineering physics courses. His research interests are in condensed matter experimental physics and includes laser spectroscopy of materials with photonic band structure. George was the 1998 Delaware Professor of the Year, awarded by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He was the principal investigator on the grant from NSF’s program on Institution-Wide Reform of Undergraduate Education that led to the creation of the Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education, which promotes faculty development and course redesign around active learning strategies and effective use of instructional technology. ITUE has become an international resource for training in problem-based learning in the undergraduate setting. Currently George is the principal investigator on an ALO/USAID project to reform science and math education in Perú. Visit George's Web page at the University of Delaware's Department of Physics. Problem-Based Learning: Real World Problems as Blueprints for Learning This two-part session is being co-presented by Deborah Allen, George Watson, and Hal White. 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. |
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