Problem-Based Learning in Professional Entry-Level Therapy Education: A Review of Controlled Evaluation Studies (original) (raw)
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American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1999
The Iss ue Is How Should the Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning in Occupational Therapy Education Be Examined? T he recognition that students re q u i re practice-related, contextual learning to effectively integrate and apply knowledge has pro p e l l e d p roblem-based learning (PBL) to the f o re f ront of health-related pro f e s s i o n a l education (Brandon & Ma j u m d a r, 1997). The need for practice-ready graduates has added further momentum to this trend. Occupational therapy is among the many health professions to embrace PBL. Discussion with colleagues at national and international c o n f e rence workshops, some of which we re given by one of the authors, suggests that many occupational therapy education programs use PBL courses within their broader curriculum. Less common are occupational therapy education programs that are based entire l y on PBL, such as those at Mc Ma s t e r Un i versity in Canada, Sh e n a n d o a h Un i versity in Virginia, and the Un i versity of New Mexico (Royeen & Sa l vatori, 1997; Watson & West, 1996). The validity and efficacy of PBL to a c h i e ve the desired educational outcomes of occupational therapy educational programs has yet to be examined. In this a rticle, we question occupational therapy educators about why and how PBL is used in occupational therapy education p rograms and advocate re s e a rch to substantiate its efficacy in achieving educational outcomes.
Student perceptions of a problem-based learning course
The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association
Within occupational therapy education, there has been increased attention to curricula and courses that emphasize problem solving, clinical reasoning, and synthesis of information across traditional discipline-specific boundaries. This article describes the development, implementation, and outcomes of a problem-based learning course entitled Selected Cases in Occupational Therapy. The course was designed to help students to integrate the various elements of a specific occupational therapy curriculum and to enhance their abilities to respond to an ever-changing health care environment. An evaluation of the course by the first 11 students who completed it revealed both strengths and weaknesses. Students responded that the course enhanced their professional behavior, including interpersonal communication skills, team work, and follow-through with professional responsibilities; helped them to integrate the various elements of the total occupational therapy academic program; enhanced the...
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1999
Objectives. Problem-based learning (PBL) is increasingly being used within health care professional educational programs to develop critical thinking skills via a learner-centered approach. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of participation in a PBL-centered curriculum on occupational therapy knowledge and skill development over time from the perspective of the students involved. This study examined student evaluations of the first three class cohorts participating in a PBL-based curriculum. Method. A participatory action design study involving qualitative, student-led focus groups was conducted with 154 students across 2 years of the education program. Fourteen focus groups were audiotaped, and those audiotapes were transcribed by an outside expert, followed by two levels of analysis by program faculty members and a member check by student participants. Results. Themes that emerged from the data analysis related to (a) defining elements of PBL, (b) the role of students...
An evaluation of a problem-based learning experience in an occupational therapy curriculum in the UK
Occupational Therapy International, 2010
The objectives of the study was to evaluate an adapted approach to problem-based learning (PBL) on a preregistration Masters course in Occupational Therapy at the University of East Anglia in the UK. The adaptation, named placement PBL, required students to write and select the material based on their placement experiences, for the cohort's learning. The evaluation purpose was to determine the students' views of the effi cacy of placement PBL for facilitating their learning in the fi nal 3 months of their pre-registration education. Placement PBL was evaluated using both questionnaires and focus groups, with two cohorts of students for data collection. Placement PBL was seen to provide current, relevant and complex learning scenarios that help students to move from a theoretical understanding to application of theory in the complexity of actual service situations. The authors conclude that placement PBL has the potential to prepare students for the transition from student to qualifi ed practitioner. Both researchers were also the PBL tutors which may have affected the students' honesty in their feedback. Further research is indicated for ongoing evaluations of the effectiveness of PBL in helping students to become confi dent occupational therapy clinicians, and comparative studies with other learning approaches.
Problem-Based Learning: Outcomes Evidence from the Health Professions
Journal on excellence in college teaching, 2014
Over the past 30 years, problem-based learning (PBL) has become a major force in health professions education and even in the broader educational world. This article focuses on the outcomes that have been found from using PBL in the health professions based on at least 20 reviews done since 1990. The outcomes identified in these reviews are described as well as the strength of the evidence used in their support. These review results are augmented with results from selected articles that elaborate on how PBL can produce the identified outcomes.
The Impact of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) on Training and Practice in Clinical Psychology
2017
This is a pre-publication version of the following article: Pieter W. Nel, David Novelli & Lizette Nolte, 'The impact of problem-based learning on training and practice in clinical psychology', Clinical Psychology Forum, Number 294, June 2017, available online at: https://shop.bps.org.uk/publications/publication-by-series/clinical-psychology-forum/clinical-psychology-forum-no-294-june-2017.html. Published by the British Psychological Society.
A Pilot Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Effectiveness of Problem Based Learning
2003
This paper reports on the development and piloting of a systematic review and meta analysis of research on the effectiveness of problem based learning (PBL). The systematic review protocol was pilot tested with a sample of studies cited as providing "evidence" about the effectiveness of PBL. From the 5 studies mentioned in the sample of reviews, 91 citations were identified, and 15 of these were adjudged to meet the review inclusion criteria. Of the 15, only 12 reported extractable data. All of these studies used PBL in higher education programs for health professional education. The review has established that the limited high quality evidence available from existing reviews does not provide robust evidence about the effectiveness of different kinds of PBL in different contexts with different student groups. It is apparent that there is scope for a systematic review of PBL that is specific in terms of the intervention being evaluated, comprehensive in terms of strategy us...
A Problem-Based Learning Curriculum for Occupational Therapy Education
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1995
To prepare practitioners and researchers who are well equipped to deal with the inevitable myriad changes in health care and in society coming the 21st century, a new focus is needed in occupational therapy education. In addition to proficiency in clinical skills and technical knowledge, occupational therapy graduates will need outcome competencies underlying the skills of critical reflection. In this article, the author presents (a) the rationale for the need for change in occupational therapy education, (b) key concepts of clinical reasoning and critical reflection pertaining to the outcome such change in occupational therapy education should address, (c) problem-based learning as a process and educational method to prepare occupational therapists in these competencies, and (d) the experience of the Program in Occupational Therapy at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, in implementing a problem-based learning curriculum.