ABSTRACT
Many studies on learning and cognition indicate that learning is an active process of constructing knowledge, ra ther than a passive process o f m em orizing inform ation (Bruning, Schraw, 8c Ronning, 1995; Glaser, 1991). Inform ation is stored in memory in meaningful, dynamic structures (Anderson, 1990), and adding new inform ation to a m eaningful structure results in a richer structure in which many relations exist am ong the con cepts included in the structure. T he richer a structure is, the m ore can be done with the inform ation. This theory implies that educational program s should be developed that encourage students to develop rich knowledge structures. Problem-based learning (PBL), an instructional approach con sistent with such research findings on learning and cognition, sets out to do ju st that.
