2. Things that help learning Role of the facilitator
Matching context Realistic case
Activation of prior knowledge
Helping students identify what they
already know
Elaboration of knowledge at the
time of learning
Encouraging students to discuss
what they are thinking
Co-operative learning Encouraging co-operative learning
Cognitive conflict promotes
conceptual change
Encouraging discussion, evaluation
of evidence, challenging thinking
Motivation – autonomy, interesting
cases, gaps in knowledge
Letting students lead the process
and make choices
3. Things that help learning Role of the facilitator
Promotes reflection and
metacognition
Helping students reflect
Self-directed learning skills
Letting students lead the process
and make choices
Stimulation of deep thinking
Asking leading, open Qs, raising
issues to be considered
Provides feedback, clear goals and
practice
Encouragement, feedback, monitor
progress
Provides challenge Authentically complex cases
Guidance and facilitation can extend
learning capability
Guidance and facilitation
4. Do facilitators need to be content
experts?
Meta-analysis of 94 studies which reported
quantitative outcomes on student learning or
reasoning processes.
Leary et al (2013). Exploring the relationships between
tutor background, tutor training, and student learning: A
problem-based learning meta-analysis. Interdisciplinary
Journal of Problem-based Learning, 7(1).
http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1331
5. No significant differences in student learning
between facilitators with different levels of content
expertise
– Image from Leary et al (2013) Interdisciplinary
Journal of Problem-based Learning, 7(1) removed for
copyright compliance
– Showed effect sizes for expert, novice and mixed all
overlapping with values of around 0.25-0.33
6. Tutor training seems important for student learning
gains
– Image from Leary et al (2013) Interdisciplinary
Journal of Problem-based Learning, 7(1) removed for
copyright compliance
– Showed effect sizes for those with training (n=101) of
0.29 and those with no training (n=3) with wide
confidence intervals but centred over a value close to
zero (-0.01)
7. Students have stronger learning gains from
inexperienced facilitators than experienced ones
but this is only in programme-wide PBL
implementations, not single classes
– Image from Leary et al (2013) Interdisciplinary
Journal of Problem-based Learning, 7(1) removed for
copyright compliance
– Showed effect sizes for those with training (n=114) of
0.19 and those with no training (n=35) of 0.31
Editor's Notes
PBL helps studentsAcquire factual knowledgeMaster general principles that may be applied to other situationsAcquire examples which can be used for pattern matching
PBL draws on a number of learning theoriesActivation of prior knowledge – all learning builds on something else. Learning is better when prior knowledge is activatedElaboration of knowledge at the time of learning enhances subsequent retrievalMatching context – the more closely the situation in which something is learned resembles the situation in which it will be recalled, the more likely retrieval will occur. – provides a context of a clinical problemCo-operative learning – learn from each other more than they would alone, plus learn to work in a teamCognitive conflict – conflict between what you thought you knew and what you are confronted with - either in discussion or the evidenceCase experience to draw on for pattern matchingProvides motivation by: taking account of students views, giving opportunity for student choce
PBL draws on a number of learning theoriesActivation of prior knowledge – all learning builds on something else. Learning is better when prior knowledge is activatedElaboration of knowledge at the time of learning enhances subsequent retrievalMatching context – the more closely the situation in which something is learned resembles the situation in which it will be recalled, the more likely retrieval will occur. – provides a context of a clinical problemCo-operative learning – learn from each other more than they would alone, plus learn to work in a teamCognitive conflict – conflict between what you thought you knew and what you are confronted with - either in discussion or the evidenceCase experience to draw on for pattern matchingProvides motivation by: taking account of students views, giving opportunity for student choce