Increasing the use of library and self-motivated learning by Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach at Faculty of Health-Care Sciences, EUSL. Paper presented at ARS 2010, EUSL

1. Santharooban, S
(Assistant Librarian)
and
Sathaananthan, T
(Lecturer)
Faculty of Health-Care Sciences
@ Annual Research Session-2010
Eastern University, Sri Lanka

2.  It is observed and reported by several authors
that the library usage decline in most of
academic libraries.
 libraries become deserted libraries.
 There are several reasons for the decline of
the library use.
◦ Technology has widened variety of electronic
resources.
◦ (sometime) Students are given with handful of
notes.

3.  These developments have reduced the need
to visit the library.
 Decline in library usage changes the
knowledge background and information-
seeking habits for students (and staff too).
 In parallel, plagiarism is increased.
 Decline in the use of physical collections and
services, make it difficult to justify
 additional space,
 staffing and
 other traditional resources

4.  But, the improved teaching-learning process
will increases use of library.
◦ this will increase the knowledge backgrounds of
users
 The Problem Based Learning is such an
approach which will encourages the students’
search for information literacy and thereby
increase the use of library.

5.  Problem-based learning (PBL) originally
started in the field of Medical education.
 It is a teaching learning process where the
learning takes place by finding solution for
real-world problems.
 The students are given a scenario on a topic
and they work in teams through a structured
process to solve problem.

6.  The PBL improve the self directed learning.
 With its emphasis on independent learning
and information-gathering, the PBL
environment promotes many values of library.
 Faculty of Health-Care Sciences, EUSL has
introduced PBL in its curriculum.

7.  In the PBL of FHCS, students are given with real
case history.
 Students are divided into groups and discuss
cases.
 The PBL class is facilitated by two tutors and
resource person.
 At the end of the each PBL day, students are
provided with learning needs related to the case
history.
 Students search the information to study the
learning needs given in the PBL class.
 In the next PBL day, the learning needs will be
discussed.
 This will continue for a week.

8. The objective of the present study is to
analyse the impact of PBL on the library usage
of students of Faculty Health-Care Sciences.

9.  The daily usage was record from November
2008 to July 2010.
 The numbers of student users coming to the
library during the PBL week was compared
with traditional lecture period.
 The two sets of data were compared using
student-t test.
 Association between PBL period and
increased frequency of library users was
tested by Chi-squared.

10.  Chi-squared test (p <0.00) reveals that there
is a association between PBL teaching period
and increase in library usage by students.
 significant different (p=0.014<0.05) between
the number of student users during PBL
weeks and preceding week of traditional
lecture.
 Average student user/day in PBL > Average
student user/day in non- PBL.

11. Periods

13.  Results shows that the PBL have impact on
the library usage.
 In PBL, the self-directed learning are
encouraged among the students.
 The facilitators motivate the students’ critical
thinking.
 It stimulates the students searching habits for
literature related to their field.
 The library facilitate to solve the problem.
 This will automatically increase the library
usage.

14.  Since the PBL is an integrated approach,
solution will NOT be obtained only through a
particular discipline,
 must have to read all the disciplines related
to the problem.
 students become a voracious readers and
improves their knowledge and skill.
 Other experimental evidences also indicates
that PBL students learn as well as traditional
students and enjoy learning more than
students studying identical subjects in
traditional, lecture based curricula.

15.  Observational evidences from present study
show that in-house reference is dramatically
increased than lending.
 This type of library usage improve the
◦ students’ self learning ability,
◦ life long learning and
◦ information searching
 For medical profession, continuous learning
is essential to overcome newly emerging
problems.

16.  Though the PBL is widely practiced in medical
education, it can be recommended to other
non-medical faculties to adopt PBL in their
curriculum.