Abstract
Many university students have been mainly exposed to teacher-centered learning and do not generally have student-centered learning experience. An appropriate learning and teaching strategy needs to be applied, so that students can acquire the necessary skills for employment and become active learners. The author has undertaken a learning and teaching project to introduce the Problem-based Learning (PBL) approach, which uses problem cases that enable students to acquire problem-solving, self-directed learning, creative thinking, and collaborative learning skills. Web technology plays an important role in supporting the PBL processes to foster learning and teaching.
This paper describes an approach to teaching Information Systems Analysis through PBL with technological support to enhance learning and teaching. A statistical analysis of the feedback from 51 students comprised of ‘A’ level school leavers and Technical Institute graduates, is presented. This includes the perceived value of using the PBL approach, and the similarities and differences in the learning behavior of the two groups of students. The results obtained from this study indicate that the success of PBL with technological support is dependent on a number of factors. The problems that have been encountered by the teacher in the PBL process are also included.
Keywords: Internet-based educational system, Problem-based learning, Computer-assisted learning and instruction, Computer-supported collaborative learning
1. INTRODUCTION
The author undertook a learning and teaching project to introduce Information Systems Analysis through problem-based learning (PBL) in September 1999. The subject is for undergraduates in the Higher Diploma in Information Systems and the students were comprised of ‘A’ level school leavers and Technical Institute (TI) graduates. These two groups of full-time students have different educational backgrounds and capabilities, in that the ‘A’ level school leavers do not in general have a good computing background, whereas the TI graduates already have two years of education in Computing. However, students with an ‘A’ level background are in general more proficient in English. This group of students has been mainly exposed to teacher-centered learning and does not generally have student-centered learning experience.
The subject of Information Systems Analysis requires students to develop logical, analytical, and critical thinking skills for problem-solving. It has been observed in the past that students do not prepare or read sufficiently. Also, the majority of our undergraduate students do not have work experience, therefore they should be exposed to real-world problems. An appropriate learning and teaching strategy needs to be applied and envisaged that students can learn better with the PBL approach, which is facilitated by technological advances. This paper describes an approach to teaching Information Systems Analysis through PBL to achieve quality learning and teaching. A statistical analysis of the feedback from 51 students comprised of ‘A’ level school leavers and Technical Institute graduates, is presented. This includes the perceived value of using the PBL approach, and the similarities and differences in the learning behavior of the two groups of students. The results obtained from this study indicate that the success of PBL with technological support is dependent on a number of factors. The problems that have been encountered by the teacher in the PBL process are also included.
2. ADOPTION OF A HYBRID APPROACH TO PBL
Problem-based learning is a curriculum design and teaching/learning strategy which recognizes the need to develop problem-solving skills as well as the necessity of helping students to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills (Boud & Feletti, 1997). The amount of direct instruction is reduced in problem-based learning as students assume greater responsibility for their own learning. A hybrid approach to PBL was chosen and considered to be more appropriate for undergraduates. A full PBL approach with less lecturing, more students working in small groups, and more self-directed learning, may not be workable as most students are accustomed to teacher-centered learning and may need some time to get used to the PBL environment. Since their academic achievements may not be the best, it may be too ambitious to expect students to be able to read well and provide answers to ill-structured problems. A change to a full PBL approach needs to be gradual. The Information Systems Analysis subject is one of the few to promote PBL in the Higher Diploma curriculum, thus students might perceive different learning and teaching treatments, which require more self-directed learning to which they were not accustomed. Students received two hours of lectures and a one-hour tutorial per week for 14 weeks. It is an institutional constraint that teaching activities need to follow these patterns. However, there was a gradual reduction in formal lectures for knowledge dissemination, and these were replaced with more class discussion activities towards the end of the semester.
A Web-based support system has been designed to facilitate the various stages of the problem-based learning /teaching strategy. Students are able to access teaching materials on-line. They can use the Web for the purposes of discussion, development work and learning resources, and good pieces of work are posted for information sharing and exchange. Apart from the technological considerations, team formations coupled with an effective assessment mechanism are required to encourage students’ participation in group-learning situations. A PBL environment is a student-centered environment, in that it requires students to work individually or as a team.
3. THE WWW FACILITATES PBL
Development of good learning practice through knowledge transmission
The WWW is an effective mechanism for distributing educational materials to students. There is a growing trend that universities are using the WWW in direct support of teaching and learning. The use of the Web as a teaching resource can benefit students (Milheim & Harvey, 1998; Sloan, 1997). Students can access learning resources on-line (lecture materials, self-assessment questions, references and URLs for topic addresses). Information of this nature is useful to students and can be updated easily. Essential materials are presented in note form. Review questions on the different topics are made available to ensure that students understand the subject matter. The WWW also solves the problem of photocopying overhead projector transparencies in the production of handouts.
Having teaching materials on the WWW not only facilitates knowledge transmission but also supports problem-based learning. When students are in the process of problem-solving, they can make reference to the learning resources, which provide background information and can pave the way to initial information-seeking. Students should be encouraged to use the WWW for information resources, in addition to information-gathering in the library, as they are able to learn at their convenience from a wealth of information beyond the classroom and beyond the campus. Posting teaching materials on the Web can aid the development of students’ good learning practice. They are encouraged to prepare ahead of class sessions and to raise questions for discussion. There is no doubt that students understand the subject better. The atmosphere of a lecture session is enhanced when there is increased participation and discussion in the class. This should promote more active rather than passive learning.
The WWW supports self-directed and small group learning
To be effective in PBL, students work in small groups. After receiving a problem case, each team has to identify the learning issues and apply them to the problem situation. A project plan, with all tasks in logical sequence and schedule, needs to be drawn up. The assignment of individuals to each of the tasks is determined by the team leader to ensure that every member has an even share of work. Their work plan is put on the Web, through which the teacher can provide feedback via the Web or in tutorial sessions. The completion time of each task is marked. Thus, students practise project management through planning and controlling by viewing all activities on the Web. Their skills are refined as they progress with more practice on different problem cases.
It has been observed that students used the WWW more than the library for information searching. The WWW is an excellent tool for searching but students often encounter an information overload problem, as there is a lot of information and they do not know how to filter it. Students should be trained to select the relevant information rather than all the information. More importantly, they should have skills and knowledge in the use of the various WWW search engines, and in employing efficient search strategies in information-seeking.
The WWW is an automatic development environment through which individuals’ work and the results of their teamwork can be accessed, commented on and refined by team members electronically. It enables students to create knowledge. Students learn from each other within a team and also observe good work from other teams. The progress of the tutorial sessions can be more effective and productive, since both students and teacher can review the work done by each individual in each team before the tutorials. They have increased time for reflection on the problem. Shorter meetings and higher learning productivity are to be achieved. It is often the case that students cannot see the work done by other team members before a meeting and thus time is wasted unnecessarily during meetings. The use of the WWW for brainstorming enables creative ideas to be generated among the team members. Small group discussions enable them to exchange experience through communication skills and to learn about the experience of other team members. This approach to learning facilitates the development of students' interpersonal communication and social skills (Chimi 1997).
Display of good work to enhance learning
One of the important teaching and learning issues is to motivate students to learn better and to work harder. The purpose of having a posting facility is to create a co-operative learning environment where students benefit from the activities of their peers. At the same time, the posting of good works by students will provide higher motivation for them to perform well.
4. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE PBL
Team formation for collaborative learning
The formation of student teams has an impact on collaborative learning. The class was divided into teams, with six students per group. The teams were formed with mixed academic abilities and genders, so that the stronger students tended to encourage and motivate the weaker students to achieve better performance levels. At the same time, the stronger students could practise their leadership skills and serve as consultants for their teammates (Buffington, 1998). However, each student should have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, although students should be adaptable to a new team situation with people having different personalities and experiences. Teamwork can be enhanced with technological advances through better communication and electronic means of sharing information.