dBPL What is dPBL?
Josmar Per Mikkel Dongyi
WHAT IS DPBL? By this group exploration, we will focus on a set of issues related to dPBL and our concerns will be presented through varied questions. Moreover, this wiki also deals with the challenges faced when using dPBL as a learning pedagogy, the pros of learning through on-line technologies, the development of problem-based pedagogy and the possibilities emerging as the technology develops and the users (both tutors and students) adapt to it.
WHAT IS PBL? It is important to firstly explain what a problem based learning (PBL) is before attempting to present further details about Distributed Problem Based Learning (dPBL). Traditional education complies of having the tutors acting as knowledge passers and provides the knowledge as is best suited in view of the curriculum. Students have little or no opportunity to influence what is taught. On the contrary, in PBL setting, the students are given freedom to acquire the knowledge as best fits to their needs and in view of a specific problem that has been presented to them by their tutor. Hence, the teacher goes from teaching students to guiding students and facilitating their learning. PBL can be divided into a two step process:
Participants work in small teams to examine a problem's situation. Instead of designing a whole programme with no interrelated topics that links the students’ knowledge acquisition, the tutors should focus on designing a set of problem scenarios that suits the students learning needs while reflecting the modules of the curriculum. In return, this approach helps the students to become independent inquirers.
Through this group exploration, each participant “…should locate the gaps in their own knowledge and skills in order to decide what information they need to acquire in order to resolve or manage the situation.” This way, the focus is on “the inquiry process rather than transmit subject-based knowledge”.
WHAT COUNTS AS DPBL? There are many forms of online education, but few fit the concept of problem-based learning. dPBL is net-based learning where the participants collaborate to each other at distance and not face to face as in ordinary problem-based learning. For this reason, Problem-based learning online is used as a generic term, since it captures the vast array of ways to work with web-based materials in a problem-based learning setting. This, as regular face-to-face problem-based learning, focuses on team-oriented knowledge-building, rather than teacher-centered learning. Students are expected to work collaboratively to solve or manage the problem at hand. It is important that they work together, which they can do either real time (synchronous) or asynchronously. Synchronous collaboration tools are vital for the effective use of PBL online. Tools which enable the students to chat together, share whiteboards and video conferencing are a necessity. Other
tools like message boards and e-mail make it possible for the students to work asynchronously, which has several advantages. When posting comments on message boards or similar tools, student answers tend to be more reflected and thoroughly thought through. They need to answer in a way that is both a reply and a reflection. These types of written comments rarely occur in regular problem-based learning, and it is therefore probable that the asynchronous learning might also leads to better quality 'dialogic learning', with more reflected conversations and meta-commenting. On the other hand does dPBL tend to rely less on ‘dialectic learning’, at least in the conventional way. Therefore it might be hard to tell if the asynchronous aspect actually leads to better quality ‘dialectic learning’, as students spend less time on the activity. The potential quality gain might be lost in non-usage of the learning method. Another teaching approach is termed as 'Blended PBL' which refers to a methodology where students will learn through collaboration via both an on-line and a face to face approach. For instance, students will learn through materials (multimedia resources) that link to a specific problem. This part will be driven by the students themselves while having face to face PBL sessions. Criticism on Blended PBL focused on the fact that such “…blended learning environments” emphasizes on technology rather than on the learning pedagogy. This has to be taken into consideration as reconstructing an already developed course to suit the technological tools leads to failure in successfully engage the students in a PBL learning process. Cousin (2005) suggests that the “medium is the pedagogy”, hence “pedagogy must lead the technology”.
WHAT ARE THE DIS-CONCERNS OF USING ON-LINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS? When educators are to implement problem-based learning in online education, there are several issues that they might have to be aware of. First off, when students learn within the digital domain, the experience is often described as less authentic than face-to-face. There are several possible theories that justify this, but it all dissolves to the fact synchronously embodied face-to-face communication just feels better than communicating online. Even though the digital environment is becoming normalized for recreational and social activity by the new online generation, in education the face-to-face encounter is still being preferred. Another problem that students face when using an online learning environment, especially if it involves collaborative work (as in dPBL), is that their identity is disrupted when working in online spaces, especially in PBL Learning methodology and it is even more of a concern when the learners have their first time experience to such a methodology. This uncertainty requires an effort from the learner to accept such ambiguity and uncertainness which imposes even more challenges to the inexperienced learner. Yet, young learners are more eager to find solutions to such an 'identity dilemma' while learning 'online'. PBL and using the internet for knowledge acquisition have a lot in common. PBL requires and interactive approach among students whose learning process is not sequential but quite random. While observing Net Generation students surfing the web, Savin-Baden and Gibbon concluded that these students also learn in a random fashion. Such an observation seems to represent a “new learning ecology” which is, according to Garrison and Anderson
(2003), “transforming our educational institutions and how we conceptualise and experience teaching and learning”. Therefore, the concern should, basically, be that we should also put into the picture those young learners who are technological oriented as they are nurtured in such an ambient. Net generations are less confused, anxious and resistant to PBL environments since they are accustomed to the new ways of collaborating, researching, sharing and working. And so, the way forward is that we shall focus not only on those individuals who are experiencing such a teaching methodological transition but also cater for the net savvy ones. Another issue is that of inhibiting the traditional roles of the individuals. Whereas the tutor's role was that of moderating and facilitating the learning process, now both the tutors and students are engaged into a more open environment. This might even more mask the learners’ identity, especially when tutors objectify students through their login name, frequency of logging in, frequency of participation and more. This might also bring the possibility of the tutor's judgment towards the students without the latter know about such a prejudice. Since PBL tutors should adopt the role of a facilitator, this challenges the tutors to undress their traditional tutor role and dress the role of a facilitator. This means that a different learning approach should be administered and instead of dictating what the students should learn, the facilitator should trust ”…the students to acquire knowledge for themselves and accepting that students will learn even if they have not been supplied with a lecture or handout but their tutor”. In an online learning process the facilitator loses even more control over what information the pupils might stumble upon, as there is too much information to master in the digital learning domains. Moreover, on-line surveillance tools have given a more systematic approach to record students' performance, hours of studying and their way of studying. The debate is whether it”…enhance teachers' ability to offer high-quality learning experiences” (Goldberg, 2000) or creating, as Mullen (2002) referred to, a ‘pedagogy of suspicion'
CRITISM OF PBLONLINE Although online technologies, such as video conferencing, chat forum and simulation models, have established an alternative learning method, i.e. more convenience, costly and time consuming, still there has been much criticism of adapting computer technology in education. To name a few, critics mentioned the fact that there is much emphasis on technological equipments and skills rather than pedagogical didactics. Online platforms are still in development to reach better performance and mitigate the restrictions and instability. Therefore, it is considered as “a medium which is less authentic and less ordered than embodied spaces for learning”. For example, Adobe connect has already been developed and tested two years ago but to date, it is still been criticised for its performance. For instance, the video conference function has little benefits for creating a functional learning environment. Adobe Connect still seems to be oriented towards a teacher-centred learning space as the functions are strictly limited for individual users and not for a team-oriented knowledge-building. Students cannot choose a board as their main focus because if one
controller shifts to focus on whiteboard, it affects all the other participants’ interface. Such factors make Adobe Connect a non appropriate tool for collaborative learning online.
CONCLUSION Even though online learning has a lot to offer, such as freedom from the constraints of timetables, freedom of location and new approaches to collaborative learning, there are also some issues related to the aspect. Some of these might solve themselves as the new online generation is brought up; others have to be worked out as the concept of online education is being developed further. As in all teaching methodologies, for implementing PBL in a digital environment, there are both upsides and downsides. The idea is to take the best out of it and give our students new ways to mature their learning process.
* Literature referenced: Chapter 1, 2, 3 in Savin-Baden, Maggi & Wilkie, Kay ed (2006) Problem-based learning online Open University (Maidenhead & NewYork) ISBN 1-335-22006-1 241