Assessing Problem Based Learning

1
Assessing Problem Based Learning

• Fiona MacVane
• Mel Barlow
• Liz Whitney
• Division of Midwifery Womens Health

2
Assessing What/Assessing How

• Outcomes
• Process
• Group working skills
• Knowledge access
• IT skills
• Problem identification
• Problem solving

• MCQ exams
• Traditional short answer exams
• Scenario-based seen/unseen exams
• Posters/seminars
• Term paper
• Report
• Literature review
• Debate

3
Just another teaching strategyor radical
educational philosophy?

• PBL as a teaching strategy
• PBL as an educational philosophy
• PBL should be fun
• Effective PBL relies on excellent problem
  preparation and skilful facilitation

4
Developing a Tool to Assess PBL

• The Philosophy
• ..assessment items must convince students in a
  PBL course that self-direction, co-operative
  learning, collaboration and reflection are
  valued.
• (Alavi and Cooke 1995, p.126)

5
Assessing the PBL Process

• Participation
• Preparation
• Interpersonal Skills
• Contribution to the Group Process
• Curry (2000)
• Encourage building on prior knowledge
• Demonstrate the skills developed in PBL process
• Promote intrinsic motivation
• Brown (1999)

6
The Assessment Tool

• Four key areas
• Critical appraisal
• Self-directed learning
• Group Participation
• Humanistic Attitudes and Skills
• Collaborative NOT competitive
• Excellent / Satisfactory / Unsatifactory

7
Inter-Professional Education Through PBL

• WHO (1993) identified PBL as very appropriate for
  health professional education
• Supports collaborative approach
• Promotes team building
• Provides opportunities for learning how to
  learn
• Student-directed flexible learning

8
Creative Assessment

• Creative assessment begins with creative
  presentation of enigma/problem/trigger use of
  music/art/drama
• Student-defined learning outcomes
• Use of Virtual learning Environment (VLE)
• Ground rules and peer pressure
• Assessing the hidden curriculum
• Poster presentation/MCQ

9
How Hard is it to Keep a Hospital Clean??

• Clarify terms
• Identify learning issues
• Analyse problem
• Formulate objectives
• Collect information
• Synthesis
• Check new knowledge

• KEY ISSUES
• Hygiene/infection control
• Staff roles and responsibilities
• Accountability
• Team working

10
References

• Alavi C Cooke M (1995) in Alavi C (ed) 1995
  Problem-based learning in a health sciences
  curriculum. Routledge, London.
• Brown S (1999) in Brown Glasner (ed) 1999
  Assessment Matters in Higher Education. Open
  University Press, London.
• Curry J (2000) A Procedure to correct for
  intergroup variability in subjective evaluation
  of students in PBL groups. The Journal of
  Clinical Problem Based Learning Spring 2000, 4.

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• Duch BJ, Groh SE, Allen DE The Power of Problem
  Based Learning Sterling Virginia Stylus 2001
• Evensen DH Hmelo CE (eds.) Problem-Based
  Learning. A research perspective on learning
  interactions, Mahwah NJ LEA 2000
• Jackson D Sullivan J (1999) Integrating the
  creative arts into a midwifery curriculum a
  teaching innovation report Nurse Education Today
  (19) 527-532
• Savin-Baden M Howell Major C(2004) Foundations
  of Problem-based Learning
• WHO (1993) Increasing the Relevance of education
  for Health Professionals. Technical Report Series
  No. 838 Geneva, WHO