“I Know This is Supposed to be More Like the Real World, But . . .”: Student Perceptions of a PBL Implementation in an Undergraduate Materials Science Course

Abstract

This qualitative case study examines the initial implementation of a problem-based version of an undergraduate course in materials science for the purpose of identifying areas of improvement to the curriculum prior to a planned second implementation. The course was designed around problems that students work in small teams to solve under the guidance of facilitators, with early sequence problems designed to foster the problem-solving skills required to succeed in the course. This report describes students' impressions of and experiences in the course as they worked to solve the final problem at the end of the semester and compares those impressions, where applicable, to impressions gathered after they had completed the first problem near the beginning of the semester. Using grounded theory techniques to analyze the data, six central themes emerged from the implementation: course structure, facilitation roles, student roles, group processes, coconstruction, and resources. Implications for practice and potential instructional design solutions that may aid in future implementations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)