Nikos MattheosNikos MattheosTandvårdshögskolanTandvårdshögskolanMalmöMalmö

PBLPBLfor Internetfor Internet

based teachingbased teaching

•Develop and evaluate a functional model of PBL for Internet-based teaching.

•Identify factors of importance when attempting to use PBL in distance education with this media.

• 85 publications (1985 –1999)

• 30 selected for further classification - year - media employed - target group - type of evaluation - methodology - reported results

• Analysis of the factors of importance

•Factors of importance:

- accreditation or ”filtering”

- personal contact

- team work

•Lack of theoretical framework

•Lack of original research data (5/85)

•3 generations of interaction

11stst Generation Generation:: Correspondence or home study

22ndnd Generation: Generation: Interactive courses

33rdrd Generation. Generation. Virtual Classrooms

questio

nnaire

•Printed materialPrinted material

•Mail correspondence Mail correspondence

•TapesTapes

•SlidesSlides

•TV broadcastTV broadcast

•VHS videosVHS videos

•CD-ROMCD-ROM

•World Wide WebWorld Wide Web

Audio telephone conference: since 50’s

Audiovisual teleconference: early 60’s

Interaction in a typical teleconference session:

The network environment that can facilitate similar kinds of interaction as in

a physical classroom.

Student – tutor

Student – student

Student – learning resources

tutor

students

Learning resources

Interaction

A Virtual Classroom allows the individual

student or professional to access the whole learning process from the comfort

of his/her home, with only a standard PC and a

reasonably fast Internet connection.

Chat

Audioconference

On-line library

E-mail

Web boards

Search engines

Multimedia

THE SOUP MODEL !

• 28 Undergraduate students - 12 different countries• 4 PBL groups – 4 tutors

• No specific level of competence with computers

• No specific experience with PBL

• High quality multimedia material

• Simple and affordable technology

11stst Pilot study: Pilot study:

1. Define the problem

2. Generate hypothesis

3. Formulate learning goals

4. Collect information outside the group

5. Synthesise newly aquired knowledge

6. Test Hypothesis

1st meeting

1 week

2nd meeting

The Malmö model

1. Define the problem

2. Generate hypothesis

3. Formulate learning goals

4. Collect information outside the group

5. Synthesise newly aquired knowledge

6. Test Hypothesis

The Network model

Internet

•Synchronous

•Asynchronous

Preparatory Workshop : Barcelona October 1998!Duration : January – May 1999!

•Description of the course

•Description of the technology

•Introduction to PBL

•Formulation of groups

•Sangria tasting..!

Case 1 !Presented on  18th

January 1999

Karin

 

Karin is female 23 years old . She complains about bleeding in the area of the upper incisor  when she brushes her

teeth.

KarinKarin

From: GabrielaDate: 19 Jan 1999Time: 16:34:21

“THE PROBLEM HERE IS BLEEDING WHILE BRUSHING. THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD IS OF COURSE, BLEEDING. AS I SEE IT FROM THE VIIDEO, THERE IS NO PERIODONTAL POCKET. THE BLEEDING MUST BE DUE TO INFLAMMATION OF THE GINGIVA. AND THE CAUSE OF INFLAMMATION IS THE PATHOGEN.

I look forward for the next step”

From: HelenaDate: 19 Jan 1999Time: 20:02:13

“[…] It seems she has an early stage of gingivitisgingivitis. The margins of the gums are inflamated because of the body response to bacteriabacteria. The bacteria probably are from the dental plaque or tartarplaque or tartar, so a first step would be a better higyenebetter higyene of the mouth. I would recommend a plaque removal by a dental specialist. As it is an early stage, it is reversible. I wouldn’t try an antibiotic treatmentantibiotic treatment cause it will cause mutations to the oral bacteriae. Only if the disease gets to an acute stage one should think of antibiotics. I would also recommend washing regularly with an antibacterial mouth rinseantibacterial mouth rinse.. But as it gets only to the coronar part of the teeth, I think I’ve heard of litle pumpslitle pumps that put the antibacterial rinse into the sulcular space. Of course, she should brushbrush twice a day, and floss from time to time... And about the toothpaste I’d suggest to change the toothpastetoothpaste everytime the tube goes empty, because there is a small amount of antibiotics in it and bacteriae get resistent. The gingivitis must be treted properly otherwise it gets to ulcerateulcerate, or even to periodontal diseaseperiodontal disease. Please comment my reply because i’m very interested in this field... See you! ”…

From: RimadaDate: 21 Jan 1999Time: 10:32:11

Hello people, What are we supposed to do? Has case 1 already ended? Greetings, Rimada

You can’t teach them

to swimswim,

without getting them

wetwet..!

How good are you with computers?

Almost unfamiliar

Almost expert

2,78

Students tend to

overestimateoverestimate

their competence

with computers!

•Decide when…

•Decide which media…

Group Flexibility:Group Flexibility:

too much flexibility

might jeopardise

groupworkgroupwork

on the Net..!

What was the most important you learned during the Virtual Classroom?

0

5

10

15

20

25

ComputerLiteracy

PBL Other no finalevaluation

28 students

The media might

overshadowovershadow

the aims..!

•8 participants (2 groups)

•Hybrid structure

•5 PBL cases

•Distance from 5 to 600 km

•Mean age 39 yrs

•No previous experience with PBL or Distance Learning

2nd Pilot study:2nd Pilot study:

1. Define the problem

2. Generate hypothesis

3. Formulate learning goals

4. Collect information outside the group

5. Synthesise newly aquired knowledge

6. Test Hypothesis

InternetAsynchronous

In Classroom

InternetSynchronous

The Hybrid model

•Speed of interaction

•Tutor involvement

•Participation of individual student

•Content related features

•Student attitudes

•Overall functionality, effectiveness

What did we evaluate?

Interaction speedInteraction speed

Class Sync Async

2,1 inputs/min2,1 inputs/min15 inputs/min15 inputs/min --

Speed of On-line interaction

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

1 2 3 4 5

Sessions

inp

uts

pe

r m

inu

te

Group 2

Group 1

Interaction speed

Class Sync Async

2,1 inputs/min15 inputs/min -

Tutor involvement (max)Tutor involvement (max) 9 %9 % 48 %48 % 10 –35 %10 –35 %

Tutor involvement in the on-line discusion

0

20

40

60

80

100

1 2 3 4 5

sessions

percentage

Group 1

Group 2

Interaction speed

Class Sync Async

2,1 inputs/min15 inputs/min -

Tutor involvement 9 % 48 % 10 –35 %

Uneven distributionUneven distribution ++ ++ ++

Student attitudeStudent attitude + ++ + + + ++ ++

Interaction speed

Class Sync Async

2,1 inputs/min15 inputs/min -

Tutor involvement 9 % 48 % 10 –35 %

Uneven distribution + + +

• on-line discussions more ”superficial” and on-line discussions more ”superficial” and sometimes ”frustrating”sometimes ”frustrating”

•Slightly more positive towards DL after courseSlightly more positive towards DL after course

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Case 1 Case 2 Case 3 Case 4 Case 5

ContentTechnologyPresentationsMisellaneous

Inputs in the web board (asynchronous)

The messaging thresholdin computer mediated

communication.(Reid 1996)

Reid, J. M. F., V. Malinek, J. T. Stott, and J. B. T. Evans. 1996. Ergonomics 39: 1017–37.

”We only communicate through

a medium,when our need to communicate

exceeds the ”cost” of using this medium.”

In-classroomInternet text- based

Text based interaction through Internet is:

• ”filtered”

• ”superficial” ?

• Less spontaneous

• More tiring

•…differentdifferent..!threshold

• Virtual PBL possiblepossible if properly organised

• Might constitute a compromisecompromise over the in-classroom PBL, with currently available media. Further research is needed to identify factors of importance.