Transcript Document

Problem Based Learning (PBL)
A Practical Implementation Guide
Edmond Zahedi
Department of Electrical Engineering
SHARIF University of Technology
First Draft: June 2007
Revised: Aug. 2007, Sep 2007
1
Objective
• To tell you how we will proceed in this
course in order to smoothly implement PBL
2
Changing perspectives in
Education…
20th century
21st century
Teacher-directed
Individual learning
Teacher as a lecturer
Mono-disciplinary
Knowledge-oriented
Student-centred
Collaborative learning
Teacher as a coach
Multi-disciplinary
Skills and attitude-oriented
(based on demands by society)
Individual learning paths
Virtual learning environments
Life long learning
3
Fixed study programme
Studying books
Fixed length of study
Most People learn:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
10% of what they read
20% of what they hear
30% of what they see
50% of what they see and hear
70% of what they talk over with others
80% of what they use and do in real life
95% of what they teach someone else
• source William Glasser, quoted in Biggs, 1999
4
Case Studies in Assessing Team Based Courses
William Tam, Johns Hopkins University
John P. Ochs, Lehigh University
Michael Keefe, University of Delaware
Robert H. Allen, Johns Hopkins University
• Active, collaborative methodology is superior for
developing team-oriented cooperation
• Brainstorming processes develop high-order cognitive
skills through addressing real problems
• Focusing on the product as well as the process
develops goal oriented competence
• Inquiry based approach nurtures leadership and
interpersonal skills
• Formal written and oral presentations develop
communication and graphics skills
5
Outline
•
•
•
•
The Overall Steps
The Schedule
Frequently Asked Questions
A few good topics
6
Overall Steps
1- Site Visits
2- Information Gathering
3- Projects Definition
4- Projects Assignment
5- Execution
6- Final Presentation
7
1- Site Visit
• Identify Location
– Hospital/Clinic/Health Center/Care Center – Elderly Veterans/Blood Transfusion/Dialysis/…
– Lecturer
– Acquaintances (F&F)
– Coordination by Site Leader, helped by Student Rep.
– Extensive visit documentation (site leader)
• Title/Contact Person/Problem Statement/Possible Solution
• Tools: Pen & Paper/Voice recorder/Camera/…
– Email to everybody by student rep
– Rule of thumb: 1 site  1++ project!
8
2- Information Gathering
•
•
•
•
•
From the Web
Articles in the press
Family & Friends
Follow-up contacts & visits to site
Info Passed to Student Rep
– Edits
– Updates Web
• Brainstorming
9
3- Project Definition
• Title/Location/Contact
Persons @ site
• Team Members
(Leader+M1+M2)
• Problem Statement
• Objective(s)
• Define:
– Deliverables
– Specific “Customer”
• Proposed Methodology
–
–
–
–
–
Block Diagram
Hardware
Software
Gantt Chart (milestone…)
…
• Must fulfill Criteria’s:
– Addresses Course Material
– Practicality
– Applicability
10
4- Project Assignment
• Team of max 3 Members (NOT one, preferably
two)
– Leader
– Member 1
– Member 2
• Same project can be assigned to 2 teams, if:
– Different approaches
– Independent teams
– Encouraged to share information
11
5- Execution
• Up to the team
• Periodic Progress Presentation
–
–
–
–
Predetermined Format
Questions to be addressed
By ALL team members
Material put on the Web (team leader  student rep)
• Documentation during project execution
(pictures,…)
12
6- Final Presentation
• Very Important!
• May be held @
Location
• You must show:
– Work Done
– Achievements
– Analysis of Strengths
and Weaknesses
– Next Steps
• Documentation:
– Final .ppt
– Technical Report
• “Ideal” :
– Customer Present
– Prototype Demo
– Small Business Plan
13
Time Schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Site Visits
Info
Gathering
Project
Definition
Project
Assignments
Execution
Presentations
/Discussions
Final Report
14
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you young enough to know everything?
15
• I prefer to work alone, may I?
– No! The idea is instigate teamwork. This is how
you will have to work all your life…
• None of the projects seems attractive to me!
– Help me arranging for a suitable topic then!
• Do we really have to present so often?
– Yes, this will provide an opportunity to identify
weak points, clarify them and take appropriate
action. It is during the following discussion that
the process of learning takes place.
16
• This course seems very different from classical
M.Sc. courses. Is it a project or course?
– Do not take it wrongly. This is a course.
But it is “Problem Based”. The idea is to learn while trying
to find a solution to a real problem.
The lecturer’s role is to assist you in the process of thinking
and guiding you the the right solutions by asking the right
questions, while sharing – to the best of his abilities - his
knowledge. All students participate in this process. You
learn by successive waves of questions followed by
brainstorming which will lead to answers.
All technical/scientific concerns will be addressed during
class.
17
• Can we take a succession of smaller projects
instead of one single project?
– Yes, if you can identify the smaller projects.
However, experience proves that a single project
is better.
• We are not very clear about where you want
us to go… and have many questions for the
project definition/execution, can we see you
outside class hours too?
– You are most welcome! Some of the questions
will be answered during class, for the benefit of
the students!
18
• Has this method been proven before?
– Positive. Just have a look at how students build
(micro) satellites that were really launched (P1,
P2, P3, P4).
• It seems that we need more time to complete
the project, which by the way seems
interesting…
– Your regular presentations must go on. If you are
excited about the project, you will always be able
to continue it (e.g. as your Master’s)
19
• One of our team members does not bother!
– Discuss the matter with your teammate. Try to see
what is the problem. If not successful after a few
times, arrange for a discussion with the lecturer.
• A few Team Groundrules?
– Emphasis is on interactivity. Everyone speaks and
has the right to make mistakes.
– “Criticize ideas, not people. Be humble, modest
even if you think you hold the truth.”
– “Come to class/meetings well prepared.”
– “Think on the positive side, ignore the naysayings.”
20
• Better to avoid:
1: “Why didn’t you
consider…?”;
2: “We will get nowhere
like this…”;
3: “Are you sure?”
4: “You did explain badly
the problem!”
5: “What you said is
completely wrong!”
• Try this instead:
1 “What do you think about
considering…?”
2 “What do you think about
considering…?”
3 “Can we be sure?”
4 “Can I ask you to explain
once more?”
5 “If my understanding is
correct, the statement
saying …. seems to be in
contradiction with …. What
do you think?”
21
• Do projects necessarily lead to a prototype?
– Although it is preferrable that you produce some
working prototype, it is not an absolute
requirement. However, a proper design,
addressing the concerns and justified by
reasonable assumptions/calculations, is a
requirement.
• What about the costs incurred?
– A limited amount of funding is available for
components only, in case you plan to build a
prototype.
22
• How final evaluation will take place?
– Simple: your performance will be judged using
the following criteria’s (see details in next slide):
• Content
• Presentation (final report .doc and .ppt)
• Teamwork
~ 40%
~ 40%
~ 20%
• You emphasize teamwork, but will grades be
individual or students of same team get same
grades?
– Grades will be individual
23
Evaluation Criteria’s
• technical quality of the solution:
–
–
–
–
–
–
global concept,
used algorithms/designs
practicality of the solution
price of the employed components
Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses
Next Steps
• convincing power of oral presentation,
–
–
–
–
–
Professional presentation
Work Done
Achievements
Talking/answer questions done by all members of the group, but all must
thoroughness of the technical documentation,
• technical documentation
–
–
–
complete, accurate and clear
information needed to build another version or troubleshoot existing system
CD
• cohesion of the group.
Based on:
A water tower to introduce electronic engineering and computer science
Jacques Tiberghien a,*, Nico Deblauwe b,1, Alain Barel b
a Department ETRO, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
b Department ELEC, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Measurement 40 (2007) 192–201
24
• I’d like to learn more about PBL.
– There are many sites on the Web offering useful info.
Among them:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Based_Learning
http://www.ece.ubc.ca/ugrad/projectintegratedprogram/
http://advan.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/31/1/45
http://www.bmt.tue.nl/archive/BMEcongress011101/posters/s
truijk.pdf
http://www.pbli.org/bibliography/articles.htm
http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/es/
http://edaff.siumed.edu/dept/Pblbib.htm
25
List of Potentially “good” topics
• Vein Finder
• Patient Tracking in
Hospital
• Bio-telemetry
• Subject vicinity
monitoring
• Picture Reader for the
Visually Challenged
• Lie detector
• Wired 2 channel PPG
recorder
• Wireless PPG recorder
• Telecare for the
cardiovascular patients
• Elderly care
• Anti-snoring device
• Photodynamic therapy
using LEDs
26
What will happen to our designs?
• Follow suit!
A Design Repository as a Resource for
Biomedical Engineering Students
Robert H. Allen, William Tam, Artin A. Shoukas; Department of Biomedical Engineering;
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/index.htm
27
• Send me your suggestions to:
[email protected]
28
If I can’t change the world, I still can
make a tiny, tiny difference…
29
Comments are welcome!
30