Creation of Problems and their Scoring for PBL Activities

The following guidelines should be kept in mind as you develop your physics PBL (no astronomy, etc.) and its presentation to your colleagues. The guidelines mostly were obtained from the PBL PowerPoint presentation found on the PHY 311 Web page under the topic Problem-based Learning.

There are 15 criteria covering three different areas of the problem statement, problem design, and in-class presentation. Students will receive a score of 5 on a given criterion if is clearly satisfied, a 4 if somewhat satisfied, and a 3 if poorly satisfied. A presentation will therefore score 60% if poorly done, and a some degree of effort has been demonstrated.

The problem statement:

• clearly deals with physics subject matter
• messy and complex in nature; confronts students with a real-world problem or issue about which people disagree
• problem solving requires information gathering, analysis, and reflection to arrive at a solution
• involves students in making value judgments
  • has no "right" solution or answer
  • demands that students make and then defend their conclusions on the basis of evidence and argumentation
• provides challenge and motivation
  • appeals to human desire for resolution
  • sets up need for and context of learning
  • places students in active roles as problem solvers
• develops true problem-solving abilities
  • builds multi-disciplinary knowledge base
  • builds bridges between the disciplines
  • integrates knowledge from a variety of disciplines
  • assists in values clarification
  • helps the student to see the utility of science
  • helps the student apply what (s)he knows about science to real-life situations

The Problem Design:

• ill-structured problem based on desired outcomes, learner characteristics, and compelling problems.
• teacher anticipates learners' needs
• teacher makes resources available
• teacher facilitates student definition of problem through cycles of "know / need to know / how to find out"
• teacher models, coaches, and fades in supporting student learning process

The Presentation of the PBL problem:

• clear, written statement of problem
• clear statement of desired outcomes
• provides directions for implementation of PBL
• ably and accurately answers questions about PBL

Return to Problem-based Learning.