Implementation of Problem-Based Learning in Higher Education [Paperback] De Graaff, Erik; Graaff, Erik De and Bouhuijs, Peter A. J.

The number of supporters of the educational method of Problem-based Learning (PBL) is rapidly increasing all over the world. Originating from health education PBL is now also applied in the academic education for professions like law, economics and architecture. In higher education in the Netherlands several educational programmes have been converted to PBL. In other cases PBL-like elements are being integrated within a traditional curriculum.
The implementation of a new educational approach in an existing institute is a complex operation, especially when the method needs to be adapted to the conditions of a different professional field. This book focusses on the introduction of PBL in existing institutions, based on papers presented at the ECER-conference at Enschede 22-25 June 1992. First the organizational aspects of large scale introduction of PBL are discussed, featuring the cases of Building Sciences in Delft and Policy and Administrative Sciences in Nijmegen as examples. Next, some aspects of the full-scale implementation of PBL are described and finally some studies on the effects of PBL-elements are reported. The book does not provide answers to questions like the advisability of introducing PBL in a specific study programme, or recipes for how to deal with such an operation. It does, however, provide food for thought for those who want to improve their educational programme and who are considering PBL as an alternative.