ABSTRACT
This chapter describes Problem-Based Learning, operating within or outside the curriculum, that empowers learners to work in cooperative groups to conduct research, integrate theory and practice and different disciplines and apply knowledge and skills to develop a viable solution to a problem that will have unclear and/or multiple solutions. It was developed at McMaster University in Canada but has since gone worldwide. The skills developed by PBL include the ability to think critically, analyze and solve complex, real-world problems, find, evaluate and use appropriate learning resources, work cooperatively, demonstrate effective communication skills and use content knowledge and intellectual skills. Theoretical perspectives suggest a key role for cognitive apprenticeship. There are four reviews or meta-analyses of PBL, but the vast majority of studies in them took place in higher education. Effect Sizes varied from 0.46, through 0.80 to 0.34. Six examples of PBL are given. Few studies say much about training. PBL has spread to a great many countries, many subjects, higher education and the workplace, and into digital technology. References and Bibliography conclude the chapter.
