In this paper, we present and discuss an explorative study on the use of a social 360° virtual reality (360VR) for supporting case-based Problem Based Learning (case-PBL) in clinical medical education. In the context of case-PBL, we argue that our social 360VR learning space extends the design and application of cases in medical education by…

This paper presents findings from a small-scale research study eliciting students' perceptions of benefits and challenges of working in interdisciplinary groups to solve an engineering challenge using problem-based learning. Penultimate and final year undergraduates and postgraduate MSc students in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences…

Problem-based or Enquiry-based learning is recognized as a transformative pedagogy, but there is a paucity of research examining group processing, a critical component of this pedagogy. Group processing is a structured approach to peer- and self-assessment that encourages learning that is both self-reflective and collaborative. Students develop…

An essential part of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is the students' group work. What happens in students' group work when no tutor/facilitator is present is normally a hidden land. Thus, there is limited research on students' interactional way of doing PBL, this study tries to amend this by looking at how students conduct group work without any…

This paper proposes a systematic approach to the analysis of the prevalence of generic competences in formal problem-based learning (PBL) curricula at higher education institutions and universities in which generic competences are an integral and integrated part of the curriculum, with a particular focus on how the generic competences are…

In problem-based learning large cohorts of students are divided into smaller groups that pursue learning objectives with separate instructors called tutors. This presents challenges for tutors tasked with providing similar educational experiences and assessment of multiple groups of students. Here we evaluated between-group variation in test…

This article presents the main findings of an applied research project, which studied student experiences of the challenges and opportunities of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in two master programmes (MPs) at Aalborg University (AAU) characterised by diverse student groups, who bring different educational backgrounds, skills and experiences to the…

PBL is learning through becoming conscious of practical and abstract problems and finding ways how to solve them. It can be a pattern which doesn't follow traditional divisions of disciplines. In this article the material was collected from two, in the first sight, very different groups. One was music students (N = 62) who had to learn to solve…

Based on the assumption that wellbeing, positive emotions and engagement influence motivation for learning, the aim of this paper is to provide insight into students' emotional responses to and engagement in different learning designs. By comparing students' reports on the experiential qualities of three different learning designs, their…

At Aalborg University, engineering students spend half the time each semester in groups working on projects in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. The projects are assessed through group exams, except for between 2007 and 2013 when the law forbade group-based project exams. Prior to 2007, a survey showed that students preferred the…

This article recounts reflections by a small group of students and their supervisor on play utilized at their meetings as part of a Problem Based Learning (PBL) process. The students experienced how a less traditional professor-student relationship arose, which transformed their interaction and relationship into a more holistic, trustful,…

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how PBL student teams develop specific leadership configurations when implementing interdisciplinary projects and whether or not tutors help in dealing with the group interactions that are subsequently generated. The data set was drawn from 2 cohorts of first-year students engaged in PBL activities in an…

Group work, an essential component of learning and teaching in problem-based learning (PBL), is compromised if students' experiences of PBL are colored by dissatisfaction with the process or outcomes. For the potential benefits of PBL to be realized PBL group work must be genuinely collaborative to address students' personal and professional…