ABSTRACT
Problem-based learning (PBL) is a small group teaching (SGT) technique used in a variety of subject areas in higher education worldwide. In this chapter, the authors examine what Problem-based learning (PBL) is and how it them used including the facilitator skills required to run a PBL session. They explore some of the evidence for its effectiveness as an educational tool and at some examples of PBL. The authors describe a common and generic type of PBL. When PBL was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s it operated in a ‘pure’ form without lectures. One of the aims of PBL is to encourage the learners to manage the learning and questioning process as far as possible. PBL is concerned with working and learning in collaborative and highly motivated groups where communication and interpersonal skills are developed, personal and group learning objectives are generated, self-directed learning is carried out and problem-solving and critical evaluation skills are developed.
