Problem Based Learning PBL

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Problem Based Learning (PBL)

• A Practical Implementation Guide
• Edmond Zahedi
• Department of Electrical Engineering
• SHARIF University of Technology
• First Draft June 2007
• Revised Aug. 2007, Sep 2007

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Objective

• To tell you how we will proceed in this course in
  order to smoothly implement PBL

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Changing perspectives in Education

• 20th century 21st century
• Teacher-directed Student-centred
• Individual learning Collaborative learning
• Teacher as a lecturer Teacher as a coach
• Mono-disciplinary Multi-disciplinary
• Knowledge-oriented Skills and
  attitude-oriented (based on demands by
  society)
• Fixed study programme Individual learning paths
• Studying books Virtual learning environments
• Fixed length of study Life long learning

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Most People learn

• 10 of what they read
• 20 of what they hear
• 30 of what they see
• 50 of what they see and hear
• 70 of what they talk over with others
• 80 of what they use and do in real life
• 95 of what they teach someone else
• source William Glasser, quoted in Biggs, 1999

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Case Studies in Assessing Team Based
CoursesWilliam Tam, Johns Hopkins University
John P. Ochs, Lehigh UniversityMichael Keefe,
University of DelawareRobert H. Allen, Johns
Hopkins University

• Active, collaborative methodology is superior for
  developing team-oriented cooperation
• Brainstorming processes develop high-order
  cognitive skills through addressing real problems
• Focusing on the product as well as the process
  develops goal oriented competence
• Inquiry based approach nurtures leadership and
  interpersonal skills
• Formal written and oral presentations develop
  communication and graphics skills

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Outline

• The Overall Steps
• The Schedule
• Frequently Asked Questions
• A few good topics

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Overall Steps

• 1- Site Visits
• 2- Information Gathering
• 3- Projects Definition
• 4- Projects Assignment
• 5- Execution
• 6- Final Presentation

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1- Site Visit

• Identify Location
• Hospital/Clinic/Health Center/Care Center
  Elderly - Veterans/Blood Transfusion/Dialysis/
• Lecturer
• Acquaintances (FF)
• Coordination by Site Leader, helped by Student
  Rep.
• Extensive visit documentation (site leader)
• Title/Contact Person/Problem Statement/Possible
  Solution
• Tools Pen Paper/Voice recorder/Camera/
• Email to everybody by student rep
• Rule of thumb 1 site ? 1 project!

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2- Information Gathering

• From the Web
• Articles in the press
• Family Friends
• Follow-up contacts visits to site
• Info Passed to Student Rep
• Edits
• Updates Web
• Brainstorming

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3- Project Definition

• Proposed Methodology
• Block Diagram
• Hardware
• Software
• Gantt Chart (milestone)
• Must fulfill Criterias
• Addresses Course Material
• Practicality
• Applicability

• Title/Location/Contact Persons _at_ site
• Team Members (LeaderM1M2)
• Problem Statement
• Objective(s)
• Define
• Deliverables
• Specific Customer

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4- Project Assignment

• Team of max 3 Members (NOT one, preferably two)
• Leader
• Member 1
• Member 2
• Same project can be assigned to 2 teams, if
• Different approaches
• Independent teams
• Encouraged to share information

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5- Execution

• Up to the team
• Periodic Progress Presentation
• Predetermined Format
• Questions to be addressed
• By ALL team members
• Material put on the Web (team leader ? student
  rep)
• Documentation during project execution
  (pictures,)

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6- Final Presentation

• Very Important!
• May be held _at_ Location
• You must show
• Work Done
• Achievements
• Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses
• Next Steps

• Documentation
• Final .ppt
• Technical Report
• Ideal
• Customer Present
• Prototype Demo
• Small Business Plan

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Time Schedule
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Frequently Asked Questions

• Are you young enough to know everything?

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• I prefer to work alone, may I?
• No! The idea is instigate teamwork. This is how
  you will have to work all your life
• None of the projects seems attractive to me!
• Help me arranging for a suitable topic then!
• Do we really have to present so often?
• Yes, this will provide an opportunity to identify
  weak points, clarify them and take appropriate
  action. It is during the following discussion
  that the process of learning takes place.

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• This course seems very different from classical
  M.Sc. courses. Is it a project or course?
• Do not take it wrongly. This is a course.
• But it is Problem Based. The idea is to learn
  while trying to find a solution to a real
  problem.
• The lecturers role is to assist you in the
  process of thinking and guiding you the the right
  solutions by asking the right questions, while
  sharing to the best of his abilities - his
  knowledge. All students participate in this
  process. You learn by successive waves of
  questions followed by brainstorming which will
  lead to answers.
• All technical/scientific concerns will be
  addressed during class.

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• Can we take a succession of smaller projects
  instead of one single project?
• Yes, if you can identify the smaller projects.
  However, experience proves that a single project
  is better.
• We are not very clear about where you want us to
  go and have many questions for the project
  definition/execution, can we see you outside
  class hours too?
• You are most welcome! Some of the questions will
  be answered during class, for the benefit of the
  students!

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• Has this method been proven before?
• Positive. Just have a look at how students build
  (micro) satellites that were really launched (P1,
  P2, P3, P4).
• It seems that we need more time to complete the
  project, which by the way seems interesting
• Your regular presentations must go on. If you are
  excited about the project, you will always be
  able to continue it (e.g. as your Masters)

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• One of our team members does not bother!
• Discuss the matter with your teammate. Try to see
  what is the problem. If not successful after a
  few times, arrange for a discussion with the
  lecturer.
• A few Team Groundrules?
• Emphasis is on interactivity. Everyone speaks and
  has the right to make mistakes.
• Criticize ideas, not people. Be humble, modest
  even if you think you hold the truth.
• Come to class/meetings well prepared.
• Think on the positive side, ignore the
  nay-sayings.

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• Better to avoid
• 1 Why didnt you consider?
• 2 We will get nowhere like this
• 3 Are you sure?
• 4 You did explain badly the problem!
• 5 What you said is completely wrong!

• Try this instead
• 1? What do you think about considering?
• 2? What do you think about considering?
• 3? Can we be sure?
• 4? Can I ask you to explain once more?
• 5? If my understanding is correct, the statement
  saying . seems to be in contradiction with .
  What do you think?

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• Do projects necessarily lead to a prototype?
• Although it is preferrable that you produce some
  working prototype, it is not an absolute
  requirement. However, a proper design, addressing
  the concerns and justified by reasonable
  assumptions/calculations, is a requirement.
• What about the costs incurred?
• A limited amount of funding is available for
  components only, in case you plan to build a
  prototype.

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• How final evaluation will take place?
• Simple your performance will be judged using the
  following criterias (see details in next slide)
• Content 40
• Presentation (final report .doc and .ppt) 40
• Teamwork 20
• You emphasize teamwork, but will grades be
  individual or students of same team get same
  grades?
• Grades will be individual

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Evaluation Criterias

• technical quality of the solution
• global concept,
• used algorithms/designs
• practicality of the solution
• price of the employed components
• Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses
• Next Steps
• convincing power of oral presentation,
• Professional presentation
• Work Done
• Achievements
• Talking/answer questions done by all members of
  the group, but all must
• thoroughness of the technical documentation,
• technical documentation
• complete, accurate and clear
• information needed to build another version or
  troubleshoot existing system
• CD
• cohesion of the group.

Based on A water tower to introduce electronic
engineering and computer science Jacques
Tiberghien a,, Nico Deblauwe b,1, Alain Barel
b a Department ETRO, Vrije Universiteit Brussel,
Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium b
Department ELEC, Vrije Universiteit Brussel,
Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium Measurement
40 (2007) 192201
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• Id like to learn more about PBL.
• There are many sites on the Web offering useful
  info. Among them
• http//www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/
  public/
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Based_Learnin
  g
• http//www.ece.ubc.ca/ugrad/projectintegratedprogr
  am/
• http//advan.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/31/1/
  45
• http//www.bmt.tue.nl/archive/BMEcongress011101/po
  sters/struijk.pdf
• http//www.pbli.org/bibliography/articles.htm
• http//www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/es/
• http//edaff.siumed.edu/dept/Pblbib.htm

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List of Potentially good topics

• Vein Finder
• Patient Tracking in Hospital
• Bio-telemetry
• Subject vicinity monitoring
• Picture Reader for the Visually Challenged
• Lie detector

• Wired 2 channel PPG recorder
• Wireless PPG recorder
• Telecare for the cardiovascular patients
• Elderly care
• Anti-snoring device
• Photodynamic therapy using LEDs

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What will happen to our designs?

• Follow suit!
• ?A Design Repository as a Resource for Biomedical
  Engineering Students
• Robert H. Allen, William Tam, Artin A. Shoukas
  Department of Biomedical Engineering Johns
  Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
• http//www.bme.jhu.edu/index.htm

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• Send me your suggestions to
• PUTMYSURNAMEHERE_at_sharif.edu

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• If I cant change the world, I still can make a
  tiny, tiny difference

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Comments are welcome!