Teacher in a problem-based learning environment – Jack of all trades?

ABSTRACT

Problem-based learning (PBL) is one among several approaches to active learning. Being a teacher in a PBL environment can, however, be a challenge because of the need to support students’ learning within a broad ‘landscape of learning’. In this article we will analyse the landscape of learning by use of the study activity model (SAM) developed by the Danish University Colleges, with the aim of investigating to which extent this may lead to explication and clarification concerning the challenges faced by teachers in a PBL environment. In the case study, the SAM is applied to the first semester of an engineering programme at Aalborg University, a university setting where the PBL approach to teaching and learning is dominant. The results of the analysis are presented and discussed, and the conclusion is that the model, in spite of some shortcomings, is useful in clarifying the role of the teacher in a PBL environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Engineering education
• problem-based learning
• teacher’s roles
• study activity model

Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge our colleague, Associate Professor Emeritus Jens Christensen for his thorough review and very valuable comments to the conference paper on which this article builds.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Mona Lisa Dahms is Associate Professor, Aalborg Centre for Problem Based Learning in Engineering Science and Sustainability, under the auspices of UNESCO (UCPBL), Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University, Denmark. Her educational background is in electronic engineering, international development and adult education. She has worked with technical education and training in Denmark, Tanzania, Afghanistan and other countries. Specifically, she has been working with first year electronic engineering students at Aalborg University for more than 20 years, as Chair of the Study Board (4 years), semester coordinator, project facilitator, course lecturer on technical electronics courses and on the PS course. Furthermore, she is on the international team of the Master in Problem Based Learning in Engineering and Science (MPBL), under the auspices of UCPBL. Her research areas are higher education and learning, including problem-based learning; the role of information and communication technology in development; gender and science and technology.

Claus Monrad Spliid is Teaching Associate Professor, Aalborg Centre for Problem Based Learning in Engineering Science and Sustainability, under the auspices of UNESCO (UCPBL), Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University, Denmark. Since 2001 he has guided a broad range of first-year engineering students into the Aalborg Model as PS course responsible and as project-group facilitator. Parallel to this he has facilitated assistant professors’ pedagogical development and introduced educators to the Aalborg Model at home and abroad. Involvement in educational change within higher education from mainly teacher-directed towards increased student-directed approaches has served as medium for his own development as reflective practitioner. He holds master degrees in agriculture and in adult education and is presently pursuing his Ph.D. His research areas is within students’ learning to manage their own learning in PBL environments, and teachers’ learning to provide feedback and facilitate student reflections.

Jens Frederik Dalsgaard Nielsen is Associate Professor, Department of Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, Denmark. He obtained a Master in System Construction in 1983 and a Ph.D. in Control Engineering in 1992. He is teaching at all levels at Department of Electronic Systems with special emphasis on Control Systems and Space Technology. He is the main responsible person for the student satellite activities at Aalborg University which as one of their results in 2016 launched their cubesat nr 5 as part of an ESA financed student satellite programme. He is furthermore engaged in European Space Agency (ESA) educational activities as well as a number of EU projects regarding space technology. The last number of years he has carried out course lecturing and project supervision for first year students at Electronics & IT and Health Care Technology as well on bachelor and master level at Electronics & IT. He has been active in promoting the Aalborg PBL model and the satellite project is regarded as an optimal outcome of using the PBL model.