The purpose of this study was to investigate how modeling-based instruction combined with an interactive-engagement teaching approach promotes students' problem solving abilities. I focused on students in a calculus-based introductory physics course, based on the matter and interactions curriculum of Chabay & Sherwood (2002) at a large state engineering and science university in the USA. Characteristic of this course is its emphasis on modeling to foster students' understanding of physics and construction of new physics knowledge and to promote their problem solving ability. In this study, I examined students' problem-solving ability during three physics problem-solving protocols phases. Interviews were conducted with students on an individual basis. The results showed that the modeling-based interactive teaching method may have an impact on promoting students' physics problem solving ability and move them towards thinking like experts (physicists). It can be concluded that the modeling-based interactive teaching method may have the potential to promote students' problem-solving ability in an introductory physics course. (Contains 4 figures and 6 tables.)