Designing for Innovative Learning: Between Making Pedagogical Decisions and Unleashing the Control on Decisions

Nadia Naffi nadia.naffi@education.concordia.ca

mailto:nadia.naffi@education.concordia.ca?subject=

Agenda

What is PBL?PBL Model vs Flipped - Classroom ModelExample of a PBL courseChallenges with PBLRecommendations

What is Problem-Based Learning

(PBL)?

Ill-defined situations from which problems emerge

PBL

The students and the facilitator discuss the issues and decide what the problem is. They reflect on various approaches to solving the problem (roles, strategies, perspectives)

PBL

Start with prior knowledgeIdentify knowledge gapFormulate learning issues

PBL

Learners as independent thinkersSelf-regulated learningCo-construction of knowledgeFocus on communication and interpersonal skills

PBL

Multiple solutionsFocus on the process rather than on the product

PBL

In the mid 1960's, John Evans, James Anderson, Fraser Mustard, Bill Spaulding, Bill Walsh and others were challenged to create a new and innovative medical school in Hamilton. Realizing that some physicians practiced medicine almost solely by referring to the knowledge gained during their medical training, Evans and his colleagues brought in the concept of self-directed, lifelong learning. The patient is never "a case," but rather a person requiring the most thoughtful and up-to-date care.

John G. Kelton, MDDean and Vice-PresidentFaculty of Health Sciences

McMaster University Health Sciences

John Evans

How It All Started

Less orientation towards content. More emphasis on skills, attitudes, continued learning, and motivation.

At the centre of this revolution in medical education was Evans' idea for small-group, self-directed, problem-based learning (PBL), where there was to be less emphasis on the memorization of content and the science of medicine and more focus on teaching the student how to learn and solve problems. There would also be no coursework, no exams and students would be in touch with patients very early on in their training.

In describing the key difference of this early "McMaster Approach" in an April 1997 Toronto Star article, Evans said: "In the first year of medicine, instead of learning anatomy and physiology from books, you started with patient problems. If you had a patient with gangrene of the leg or foot, how would you deal with that, what is the nature of the process, what could you do about it, how might you have prevented it, what would you do to optimize the functioning of the individual following treatment (amputation)?

This was a drastic change to teaching medical students.

Is a student-centered approachStarts with ill-defined open-ended situation or problemsAcknowledges the base of experience of learners Facilitates a crossing of boundaries between disciplines and the intertwining of theory and practice. Focuses on the processes of knowledge acquisition rather than the products of such processes. Transforms the instructor into a facilitatorChanges the focus from staff assessment of outcomes of learning to student self- and peer assessment

In a Nutshell, the PBL Approach

Emphasizes on students taking responsibility for their own learning Offers students opportunities to learn how to learnEncourages students to develop the ability to critique issues and information, and to take up a position towards the situation with which they have been presented Supports students to learn in teams, develop presentation skills, learn negotiation abilities and develop research skillsFocuses on communication and interpersonal skills so that students understand that in order to relate their knowledge, they require skills to communicate with others

In a Nutshell, the PBL Approach

How does the PBL model differ from the flipped-classroom model?

Content vs No-Content

What are some of the challenges that

come with the flipped classroom

model?

Instructors:Recorded lectures (effort & time) Videos need to be updatedIn-class elements to motivate students to prepare for class

Students:Loss of face-to-face lecturesAssigned video lectures are available to anyone onlineNo value of the hands-on portion in-classPaying tuition for knowledge they can find on the webSafe to skip a class

It is time to share my examples with you!

Digital Communication Technologies: Exploit digital communication technologies to solve problems in a social learning perspectiveBA in Educational Studies and Digital Technologies (ESDT): PBL adopted program-wideFully online program Students: 60 to 90 Full-time, part-time students enrolled in the ESTD program + elective students from Commerce, Business, Nursing, Computer Engineering, Marketing, Criminology, etc.

Course Characteristics

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Mary

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Mary

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Is this the only challenge that Mary needs to address?

Funders

Teachers

Students Parents

Administrators Marketing Department

IT Department

Examining the Problem From Various Perspectives

Which social media platforms should Mary's teachers learn about, and how will they do that? What are the strategies that Mary's teachers should develop in order to teach online? How can Mary's teachers benefit from moving online? What could be the goal that they would like to achieve professionally and personally? How can Mary's staff use social media for a crowd funding campaign? Which IT infrastructure is required for moving Mary's brick and mortar school online? What skills should students develop in order to succeed in an online course? How to use social media to convince parents to enrol their children in Mary's online courses? How to use social media to promote the new online program? How to use social media to recruit new teachers, experts in online learning? How would potential teacher candidates use social media to attract head hunters from Mary's school?

Examining the Problem From Various Perspectives

Course Structure and Technologies Used

Designed for the mobile learning culture anywhere, anytime, through any device

OBJECTIVES

Students will describe the technical advantages offered by digitalization of communication technologies

Students will acquire skills and strategies in the use of a variety of current digital communication technologies

Students will analyze and evaluate different digital communication technologies in terms of their suitability for particular applications

Students will discuss the affordances and limitations of digital communications in terms of their social, legal, and environmental impact

EVALUATIONS

Networking, participating and sharing (Individual and collective work for both sections) 1.Participate actively to the online tutorial sessions 2.Act as a moderator for the topic 3.Discuss readings and digital media resources

Course project (solutions to one the PBL scenario) (Group work) Students will use their individual and collective experiences online and the relevant literature to propose the best usage of social media for the proposed PBL scenario. Students will 1.create instructional materials to explain the social

media platforms to use and the strategies to follow; the digital artifact (video, infographic, Prezi with voice-over, etc.)

2.present an overview of the context, the breakdown of the problem, the gap analysis, the rationale behind the suggested strategies and the resources used.

Summary of experience Students will write 2 pages, double space, summary of experience in the course (reflective rationalization), discussing their online interactions, the strategies they tested and their reflections about their experiences and the affordances and limitations of digital communication technologies

12 modulesWeek 1: Introduction to the CourseWeek 2: Communicating f2f is Better: Breaking Traditional Models + Discussing the PBL ScenarioWeek 3: Digital Communication Environments and Netiquette (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Vine, Instagram, YouTube)Week 4: Online Presence and Online Identity Management and Networking YourselfWeek 5: Digital Communication Technologies and EducationWeek 6: Aggregate, Filter, ConnectWeek 7: Working in Collaboration (group work and CoPs)Week 8: Digital Communication Technologies and CommerceWeek 9: Digital Communication Technologies and Liberal ProfessionWeek 10: Students Solutions to the PBL Case Week 11: Students Solutions to the PBL CaseWeek 12: Digital Communication Technologies and Society and Synthesis of the Course

Courses Asynchronous Discussions

Sept 2013

- Sept 2015

Sept 2015-

Ongoing

https://www.facebook.com/groups/505491579614493/https://www.facebook.com/messages/conversation-965548716899746

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5177897/5177897-6141804066856067076

https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEDT1160?src=hash

Ok, but what are the challenges?

Challenges

One Account vs Different Accounts Conversation vs Monologue Quality vs Quantity Engagement vs Last Minute Posts vs Joining the party after everyone has left! Focus on the Topic vs Off Topic Posts

Groups Asynchronous Collaboration

Collaborative Wiki

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b4Ume0cg8sT_8b4PFthFLhPDEPRSLytViYXnLpZ2ClI/edit?usp=sharing

And the challenges?

Challenges

Group Decision vs Individual Decision Collaboration vs Having a Free Ride Group Evaluation vs Individual Evaluation

Instructor Formative Feedback

PBL Project & Feedback Loops

PeerFormative Feedback

Project Part 1 Revision

Instructor Formative Feedback

PeerFormative Feedback

Project Part 2 Revision

ProjetPart 2

Instructor Summative Feedback

Project Discussion

Team Building

ProjetPart 1

Completion of Project Parts 1 & 2

Ongoing Team Evaluation

RecommendationsDesign the student experience not the delivery of content

Design for students from different backgrounds

Find relevant/authentic problems

Provide feedback without correcting content

Facilitate discussion instead of lecturing

Manage group work, manage tensions and deal with outsiders and left behind students

Tolerate the silence

Value students prior experience

Encourage active participation

Thank you!