ERIC Number: EJ1058746
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1541-5015
EISSN: N/A
Targeting Transfer in a STELLAR PBL Course for Pre-Service Teachers
Hmelo-Silver, Cindy E.; Derry, Sharon J.; Bitterman, Alan; Hatrak, Natalie
Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, v3 n2 p24-42 Fall 2009
Helping students in the professions apply conceptual ideas to the problems of practice is a key goal of problem-based learning (PBL). Because PBL is organized around small, collaborative groups, scaling up PBL to large, heterogeneous classes poses significant challenges for implementation. This study presents a hybrid model that mixes online and face-to-face PBL. The STELLAR system was developed to support online and hybrid PBL courses for pre-service teachers. It allows PBL to be implemented in larger classes because its scaffolding capabilities allow a small number of facilitators to distribute their attention among multiple small groups. In a quasi-experimental study, we found that students who participated in a hybrid PBL course using STELLAR (n= 33) learned more about targeted course concepts than students in a traditional comparison course (n=37). In addition, we present qualitative data that helps explain these outcomes by demonstrating how students engaged with these concepts during the hybrid PBL course. These results suggest that a hybrid computer-supported collaborative learning approach can be used to scaffold problem-based learning and foster deep understanding.
Descriptors: Problem Based Learning, Preservice Teacher Education, Blended Learning, Preservice Teachers, Large Group Instruction, Quasiexperimental Design, Instructional Effectiveness, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Transfer of Training, Computer Uses in Education, Qualitative Research, Cooperative Learning, Statistical Analysis, Pretests Posttests
Purdue University Press. Stewart Center Room 370, 504 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Tel: 800-247-6553; Fax: 419-281-6883; e-mail: pupress@purdue,edu; Web site: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ijpbl/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 0107032