The integration of problem-based learning and problem-solving tools to support distributed education environments

Abstract

Discussions of pedagogy and instructional design ofen entail their impact upon the cognitive systems of learners, knowledge transfer, and eforts to organize, facilitate and evaluate learning activities (Bloomhave, over the past twenty years, undergone a demonstrable shifl in focus from those based in instructivist theory and approaches (logical positivism and idenfifiable/fixed truth) to consfructivist concepts (knowledge as a social conslruction) andpractices, particularly as they take shape in the activities'comprising problem-bosed learning (PBL) (Barrows, 1980(Barrows, . 1992(Barrows, , 1994. A technological one has accompanied this pedagogical shift. The Internet has made possible a transformation and increase in the methods of implementing the best practices and reaching greater numbers ofpotential learners through systems of distributed education.This paper examines how the design and implementation of problem solving tools used in programming instruction are complementary with both the fundamental theories of problem-based learning (PBL) and the pedagogy and practices of distributed education environments. A discussion of how such learning tools can be used to bridge the constructivist foundation of PBL with the needs of distributed education is suggested. We then consider how combining PBL, web-based distributed education and a problem solving environment (Deek, 1997) can create effective learning environments in a variety of disciplines and modes. IndexTerm-constructivism, distributed learning environments, instructional design, problembased learning, problemsolving tools.. Understanding is based on experiences with content, context, and the learner's goals. Cognition may be regarded as being distributed rather than individually localized. Puzzlement is the factor that motivates learning. Social negotiation and the ongoing testing of the viability of existing concepts in the face of personal

Blending problem-based learning with Web technology positively impacts student learning outcomes in acid-base physiology

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Innovation and education in the digital age: reconciling the roles of pedagogy, technology, and the business of learning

“…Alliance between academics and courseware entrepreneurs is already in vogue, and as flexibility continues to be the watchword for education providers, advances such as learning objects and other technologies "that will optimize interoperability with other institutions and organizations in areas such as the creation of learning objects databases, information databases such as libraries, administrative systems and learner support strategies as well as the facilitation of interactions among learners and teachers" [11, p. 149], will continue to expand the scope of possibilities with which educational institutions will have to grapple [9]. Rayport's statement that, "No matter how often consultants and academics pretend that business is more science than art, every practitioner knows that business is almost all art, just as the genius of nearly every corporate strategy lies in its implementation" [32] applies to teaching faculty as well: every teacher comes to understand that successful imparting of information and skills lies in the ability to incorporate a variety of technologies that, directly or indirectly, help communication between student and teacher [14].…”

Achieving higher-level learning through adaptable Semantic Web applications

“…(Dzbor and Zdrahal, 2002) Empirical evidence suggests that in any activity that involves conceptual interpretation (or 'sense making') framing is an important reasoning step that precedes the actual problem solving and essentially guides it; see studies in (Schön, 1983;Reddy, 1988;Nakakoji et al, 1994). We propose applying the concept of framing also to learning, which is a specific form of problem solving (Friedman and Deek, 2002), as well as a specific form of conversation with a novel situation (Laurillard, 2002). Construction of conceptual frames comes more or less automatically in face-to-face learning through various prompts, definitions, or formulated assumptions of the teacher.…”