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Improving the PBL Experiences for First Year Nurses

Staff contact with students will be modified to bring about a change in stimulus for learning. Variations in students' backgrounds results in some feeling unchallenged whilst others are confused, discouraged and fall behind. This along with a full curriculum, leads to tutors falling back into a didactic approach to facilitation. The new weekly format will offer an introductory lecture and time for students to undertake some self study before they come together for group discussions around a PBL case.
Project Team: Ingrid Gouldsborough, Elizabeth Sheader  Faculty: Life Sciences
Funding year: 2005
Keywords: nursing, pbl, self-study, case, medicine, anatomy, first year, facilitation
Case Study as PDF Case Study (PDF, 156.2Kb)

A Structured Approach to Preparation for Group Project Work

The Embedded Systems Project (ESP) is a major student-centred PBL activity where students work in small groups throughout the second semester on the design of a microcontroller based product. This development project will generate a series of linked activities focused on the three key areas of team working, project planning and presentation skills, which the students previously identified as areas of difficulty.
Project Team: Peter Hicks, Norman Powell  Faculty: Engineering and Physical Sciences
Funding year: 2005
Keywords: embedded, systems, design, electrical engineering, electronic, pbl
Case Study as PDF Case Study (PDF, 86.9Kb)

Manchester Access Programme: EBL Masterclasses

This project aims to engage non-traditional FE students with the process of enquiry-based learning through a series of masterclasses. The masterclasses will focus on the theme of sustainability and will touch on various curriculum areas. The masterclasses will be facilitated by trained University of Manchester students and will take place in Spring 2006. Year 12 students participating in the masterclasses are involved in a wider series of activities aimed to support and encourage their application to The University of Manchester. Involvement with the Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning at a pre-University level will benefit both the institution and the students by better preparing them for the alternative learning and teaching methods practiced at the University.
Project Team: Patricia Clift, Stephanie Lee
Funding year: 2005
Keywords: widening participation, further education, sustainability, pbl, presentation, facilitation, sixth form, inclusion, diversity
Watch Video about this project: Windows Media Player Windows Media Video; Rich Text Document Video Transcript
Case Study as PDF Case Study (PDF, 70.9Kb)

Medical Assessment via EBL

The integration of a new self-assessment function will capitalise on the MedLea Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), which provides online resources for electronic PBL casebooks in order to support EBL. The new function (MAEBL) will enable students to contribute to a sustainable, formative self-assessment resource as well as enhance their own understanding of the subject of study.
Project Team: Andrea Owen  Faculty: Medical and Human Sciences
Funding year: 2005
Keywords: medical, medicine, assessment, self-assessment, MedLea, VLE, case, question writing, MCQs, pbl
Case Study as PDF Case Study (PDF, 70.2Kb)

Pedagogic Development - Enquiry-Based Learning for Constructed Textiles

Learning how to weave can be problematic for designers. The discipline demands the visualisation of 3D structures and manufacturing processes. Weave design has traditionally been taught through a technology-based route using lectures, laboratory classes and written exams. Observations and analyses of exam results have shown that the design students find constructed textiles difficult to master. Through this project we will translate some of the lectures from TX2009 Weaving for Designers into Problem Based Learning. The aims of this project are to: - Match the teaching methods more closely with the learning style of the students - Promote deep and holistic learning - Promote a more vibrant and stimulating learning experience - Ensure students are at the centre of the learning environment These aims will be met by creating an EBL environment for constructed textile design through a blended learning approach, converting weave design lectures into PBL, and creating a WebCT portal in which curriculum objectives and study techniques are clarified.
Project Team: Kate Sayer  Faculty: Engineering and Physical Sciences
Funding year: 2005
Keywords: textiles, design, visualisation, 3d, manufacturing, process, weaving, webct, pbl, undergraduate, teamwork
Case Study as PDF Case Study (PDF, 98.4Kb)

Embedding Enquiry-Based Learning in the First Year Curriculum

The aim of the project is to incorporate enquiry-based learning in the delivery of the first year curricula of the undergraduate courses of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. The objective is to promote and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as encourage students to be more independent in their learning by changing the focus of the course delivery from traditional lectures and tutorials in modules to an integrated format of lectures and enquiry-based learning sessions. Students will be given real and stimulating problems to solve as part of a team so that they will be encouraged and motivated to gather information, apply concepts and develop working skills. Learning resources such as lectures material, course notes and IT will also be available for the enquiry-based sessions.
Project Team: Dr Esther Ventura-Medina, Dr Ted Roberts, Dr Leo Lue  Faculty: Engineering and Physical Sciences
Funding year: 2006
Keywords: chemical engineering, critical thinking, pbl, first year, problem solving
Case Study as PDF Case Study (PDF, 83.7Kb)

Conversion of an MSc Module in Physiological Measurements to EBL

This project will convert the conventionally taught 12 week 'Physiological Measurement's module into a Problem-Based Learning module. This module combines engineering knowledge and medical knowledge pertaining to vital sign monitoring; the latter part is similar to Nursing curriculum while the first part is akin to Electronic Engineering modules. It is intended that the final converted module will be of a multidisciplinary nature which could be effectively utilised by both Engineering and Nursing students as well as the MSc students targeted in this particular module. It is the intention to map the learning objectives (the existing curriculum) to an MCQ evaluation test and hence satisfy the requirement of curriculum coverage while at the same time ensuring that the learning process remains open ended.
Project Team: Dr Tony Matthews, Dr Paul Beatty  Faculty: Medical and Human Sciences
Funding year: 2006
Keywords: physiology, physiological measurements, postgraduate, pbl, multi-disciplinary, engineering, medicine, medical, MCQs

Life Sciences go to the movies

This project aims to develop problem-based learning exercises based around popular movies to support level 1-3 tutorials in Life Sciences degree programmes. Students will work in tutorial groups to view carefully selected films, discuss their content (with tutor as facilitator). They will then conduct research and meet without their tutor to devise and produce group oral or poster presentations suitable for peer and/or non-scientist audiences, concerning the scientific and ethical content of the film. Examples of suitable films include Awakenings (Parkinson's disease and the ethics of human experimentation) and GATTACA (human genome project and eugenics). It is anticipated that the use of movies as a teaching medium will engage students due to its novelty and entertainment value, will stimulate discussion of a broader range of topics than might be elicited by a conventional text-based PBL scenario, and will act as a stepping stone to criticism of 'more serious' scientific writing.
Project Team: Dr Richard Prince  Faculty: Life Sciences
Funding year: 2008
Keywords: film, critical writing, ethics, presentation, pbl, scientific

Does the Progress Test support and encourage EBL? A study of students’ preparation for the test in two medical school which use Problem-Based Learning

This comparative and evaluative project will take place in Manchester and Peninsula Medical School who both use PBL as the main method of learning. The Progress Test is a multiple-choice paper which is administered to medical students in all year groups simultaneously and assesses the objectives of the entire education programme in the hope of discouraging the pass and forget mentality prevalent in other assessments. A better understanding of students preparation for the Progress Test will enable redesign of the assessment if necessary, in order to ensure constructive alignment and support deeper learning.
Project Team: Chris Harrison, Valerie Wass, Louise Wade, Karen Mattick  Faculty: Medical and Human Sciences
Funding year: 2008
Keywords: progress test, pbl, assessment, medical