CETL Hosts Making Authentic Learning Work: Combining Problem-Based and Team-Based Learning

Originally posted on February 27, 2015 by myUNBnews

This session will take place Friday, March 13, from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. in Room 309 of Tilley Hall on the UNB Fredericton campus.

Presenter: Martin Wielemaker, Business

Many of us try to provide our students with an authentic learning environment. Problem-based learning (PBL) is a popular method to achieve this real life context. Students are provided with a problem and need to figure out what knowledge they need (to learn) in order to solve the problem. Because student teams come up with unique solutions, peer-to-peer interaction is reduced between teams as their discovery has led them in different directions, reducing comparability.

In contrast, Team-based learning (TBL) starts on the other side by taking knowledge as the starting point and seeks to improve the way in which students apply and master this knowledge by offering quite a detailed approach on how teams are to work in class. Its main disadvantage is the lack of authenticity. Real life situations are typified by ill-defined problems; not well-structured problem sets with clear choices.

In this session, Wielemaker describes how you can solve this dilemma and uses the advantages of both by using a guided model of PBL, something he calls “TBL-guided PBL”. Team-Based Learning (TBL) is used for mastering the process and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is used for developing knowledge about the unique content and context of the problem. You will learn and apply practical techniques of each method, such as scratch-cards, in this workshop.

To register for this event, please visit the CETL Event Registration page.

Article Contact Information

Contact: Nancy Fitzpatrick

Email Address: nef@unb.ca