Case study: use of problem-based learning to develop students' technical and professional skills

Abstract

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy that has attracted attention for many biomedical engineering curricula. The aim of the current study was to address the research question, ‘Does PBL enable students to develop desirable professional engineering skills?’ The desirable skills identified were communication, teamwork, problem solving and self-directed learning. Forty-seven students enrolled in a biomedical materials course participated in the case study. Students worked in teams to complete a series of problems throughout the semester. The results showed that students made significant improvements in their problem-solving skills, written communication and self-directed learning. Students also demonstrated an ability to work in teams and communicate orally. In conclusion, this case study provides empirical evidence of the efficacy of PBL on student learning. We discuss findings from our study and provide observations of student performance and perceptions that could be useful for faculty and researchers interested in PBL for biomedical engineering education.

Keywords:

• problem-based learning
• biomedical engineering
• student skills

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge Kevin Bennett, Joshua Grant, Janice Cunningham and Dr C. LaShan Simpson for their assistance in assessing students.

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here [doi:10.1080/03043797.2015.1040739].

About the authors

Dr James Warnock is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University (MSU). His background is in biomedical engineering and he has been a big proponent of self-directed learning and active learning in his classes and was the first person to introduce problem-based learning in the department of agricultural and biological engineering at MSU. Additionally, he is the Adjunct Director for training and instruction in the professional services department at ABET. In this role, he oversees the development, planning, production and implementation of the ABET Program Assessment Workshops, IDEAL and the assessment webinar series. He also directs activities related to the workshop facilitator training and professional development.

Dr M. Jean Mohammadi-Aragh is a research assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Bagley College of Engineering Dean's Office at Mississippi State University. Through her role in the Hearin Engineering First-Year Experiences Program, she is assessing the college's current first-year engineering efforts, conducting rigorous engineering education research to improve first-year experiences, and promoting the adoption of evidence-based instructional practices. In addition to research in first-year engineering, she investigates technology-supported classroom learning and using scientific visualisation to improve understanding of complex phenomena. She earned her Ph.D. (2013) in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech, and both her M.S. (2004) and B.S. (2002) in Computer Engineering from Mississippi State. In 2013, she was honoured as a promising new engineering education researcher when she was selected as an ASEE Educational Research and Methods Division Apprentice Faculty.