Mixing PBL

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Mixing PBL and Conventional Teaching Methods
in a Analog Electronics Course
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Traditional Learning

• Students do not absorb knowledge and an
  understanding
• Fruitless to cover material when students do
  not understand the material.
• No key skill development
• Creativity
• critical thinking
• Communication
• interpersonal skills
• deep learning (via interaction and discussion)

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Problem Based Learning (PBL)

• Based on Constructivism
• Learning involves active participation
• Interpretation and the integration of information
  
• Applying it

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Problem Based Learning (PBL)

• Group-based
• Learning is problem or project driven
• Develops key skills
• More effective in facilitating meaningful
  learning
• Fostering critical thinking skills and
  self-directed learning

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Problem Based Learning (PBL)

• Shift from teacher-centered to student-centered
  systems
• Development of interpersonal and professional
  capabilities
• Working in groups
• Leadership
• Making presentations
• Writing technical reports
• Tackling a problem

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Problem Based Learning (PBL)

• Development of student should be made explicit in
  the learning experience
• Students learn by doing
• Dialectic relationship between academic theory
  and professional practice (Any formal system of
  reasoning that arrives at the truth by the
  exchange of logical arguments)

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Problem Based Learning (PBL)

• Learning is facilitated through
• Guidance
• Experience
• Discussion
• Making mistakes
• Exploration
• Reflection and in context
• Group members must - operate effectively for the
  group learning process to be positive and
  productive

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PBL - Procedure

• Lecturer/Lab Tech became facilitator
• The Problem
• Should be vague
• Open ended
• Should emerge logically from the instructional
  content
• Ambiguous and complex in nature
• Students should search for relevant information
  and skills that have not been previously covered

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PBL - Procedure

• Students 1st Small Group Meeting
• Meet and discuss the problem
• Use existing knowledge and experience
• Presume - personally asked to solve problem/s.
• Come up with a small number of hypotheses that
  are likely to explain and solve the problem/s
• Negotiates an area of exploration for each member

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PBL - Procedure

• Individual work - Group separate
• Independently carry out the research on how to
  solve the problem
• How to Design?
• How to Develop?
• How to test?

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PBL - Procedure

• 2nd Small group meeting
• Draw conclusions as to the nature of the
  problem/s
• Discuss the best fit solutions (given the
  information known).

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PBL - Procedure

• Group execute the solutions
• Demonstrate (the operation)
• Makes a professional presentation/Report
• Solution
• Consequences

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Mixed Traditional PBL

• Instruments - TRD
• Semiconductor theory - TRD
• Diode theory - TRD
• Diode characteristics - TRD
• Diode applications - PBL
• BJT theory - TRD
• BJT characteristics - TRD
• BJT applications - PBL

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PBL Electronics 1

• PBL activity - like mini-projects
• Not a larger project for the whole course
• Based on solving real-life problems
• PBL in laboratory is usually more complex than
  discrete laboratory sessions.
• It continues over several laboratory meetings

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PBL Electronics 1

• Experiment 2 Power supply
• Transformers (covered in theory)
• Rectifiers (Bridge not covered, but others)
• Regulator (Zener individually covered)
• Filters (not covered)
• Experiment 3 Transistor Biasing
• 3 x Biasing circuits (No theory covered)

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PBL Electronics 1

• Students were randomly divided in TRD and PBL
  groups and then in pairs
• (not so easy) Problem vague but include important
  specifications
• Lecturer became facilitator and guide students in
  the right direction when required
• Student pairs 1st meeting
• Research Library, Internet, Text Books,
  Software
• Students 2nd meeting (next class 2 days later)

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PBL Electronics 1

• Student pairs start to find a common solution and
  work on the solution
• Facilitator guided them when required and show
  them new concepts
• Build and test prototype
• Back to drawing board if unsuccessful
• Demonstrate once it works
• Presentation and Report

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Time frame
TRD
PBL
TRD
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Time frame
PBL
PBL
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PBL Electronics 1

• Blackboard (WiseUp) were mostly used for
• Pre and post-tests
• Attitude, motivational and reflection surveys
• Semester tests
• Self-tests on theory modules

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ITEMS - PBL STRONGER
Survey Item Motivation, Attitude, Reflection PBL PBL TRD TRD
Survey Item Motivation, Attitude, Reflection Agree () Strongly Agree () Agree () Strongly Agree ()
Look at different ways to solve problems. 28 61 68 27
They had to forward their opinions and ideas much stronger. 44 44 59 27
They felt much stronger about working in small groups. 33 22 0 9
They are more determined not to give up. 11 78 23 64
They were more interested in the experiment. 22 61 50 23
The PBL method was more difficult to do than expected. 38 19 17 22
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ITEMS - PBL STRONGER
Survey Item PBL PBL TRD TRD
Survey Item Agree () Strongly Agree () Agree () Strongly Agree ()
They felt that they had accomplished more. 63 19 39 28
They felt more confident that they could learn the content and that it is relevant to them. 56 25 39 28
They also enjoyed it more and felt stronger that it is worth knowing. 38 38 28 22
They relate the content better to real life situations. 44 19 28 17
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ITEMS - PBL STRONGER
Open ended questions PBL TRD
They enjoy building the circuit practically 44 22
They enjoyed the research involved 17 0
They rate the simulations higher 22 10
They felt that they have learned on how to build a power supply 29 0
They felt that they need to gain more knowledge 44 31
They felt that what they have learned was of practical value, satisfies their curiosity and encourages them to think 44 24
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ITEMS - TRD STRONGER
Open ended questions TRD () PBL ()
They enjoyed comparing the calculated, simulated and measured values. 10 0
They enjoyed simulations more. 33 11
They felt that they have learned to build a circuit practically. (assembly of components) 21 0
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Exp 3 - TRD switched to PBL - STRONGER
Item experiment 2 (TRD) experiment 3 (PBL)
Learned to do difficult work 81 Agree and strongly agree 94 Agree and strongly agree
Learned things that were surprising or unexpected. 66 Agree and strongly agree 84 Agree and strongly agree
Good feeling to successfully complete a lesson and what they have done. 33 strongly agree 58 strongly agree
Importance of simulations. 10 19
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Exp 3 - TRD switched to PBL - STRONGER
Item experiment 2 (TRD) experiment 3 (PBL)
Appreciate help from facilitator 0 9
Respect others opinion 0 9
Enjoy calculations 5 19
Enjoy research and design 0 11
Learned a lot on the functioning and design of transistor circuits. N/A 25
Better to work in pairs/groups 0 8
Less boring. 44 strongly agreed 63 strongly agreed
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MOTIVATION RELATED TO EXPERIMENT 2
Motivation Survey - Correlation Results PBL ( r ) Results TRD ( r )
Content of this material is related to things I already know 0.37 -.16
Enjoyed lesson - would like to know more about this topic 0.6 -0.12
The content to this material is relevant to my interest 0.46 -0.6
Explanations or examples of how people use the knowledge 0.43 -0.34
The content and style of writing in this lesson convey the impression that its content is worth knowing 0.4 -0.34
I learn some things that were surprising or unexpected 0.2 -0.4
Relate content to things seen, done, or thought about 0.37 -0.31
I felt good to successfully complete this lesson 0.56 -.09
It was a pleasure to work on such a well-designed lesson 0.44 -0.3
Overall (all questions) 0.46 -0.17
(Significant r if p lt 0.05 and r gt 0.3)
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EXAM RESULTS

• DP - TRD 56 PBL 55
• EXAM - TRD 52 PBL 50
• Exams test knowledge and not the application of
  knowledge

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Exam Q3 Experiment 2
PBL

• TRD

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Exam Q3.3 Exp 2 Power Sup
PBL

• TRD

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Exam Q3.4 Exp 2 Zener Diode
PBL

• TRD

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PBL Electronics 1

• Conclusion
• Traditionally students pass - based on exams -
  may lack skills of applying knowledge
• 1st Year students Mixed learning
• PBL students
• More motivated and better attitude
• Need more time?
• Not head knowledge but problem solvers (deep
  learning)
• More usable to industry?
• Strong in
• Creativity
• critical thinking
• Communication
• interpersonal skills

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• Thank You
• Any Questions?