Practical Problem-Based Learning in Computing Education

O’Grady, Michael J. ACM Transactions on Computing Education 12.3 (July 2012).

Emmanuel Bello-Ogunu6 November 2014

Outline• Problem-based Learning

– Origin– Mechanics– Effectiveness

• PBL Literature Review– Methodology Specification– Selection & Refinement

• Analysis– Categorization– Additional research questions

• Discussion / Q&A

Computing Education• CS is relatively new field• Teaching techniques and pedagogical theories

still in flux, remain dynamic• As with many disciplines, CS educators are

often “knowledge transmitters”• Alternative approaches to course delivery?

Problem-based Learning (PBL)• Student-focused, student-driven learning– Empower students to take responsibility for own learning

• Grounded in philosophy of John Dewey– “Learning is based on discovery…guided by mentoring”

• Curiosity of learner is aroused– Leads to critical thinking and creative problem solving

How PBL breaks Tradition

History of PBL• Medical education: McMaster University, 1960s• “Combination of hypothetical deductive

reasoning augmented with specific knowledge” – Normal lecture approach isolated content from context

• Became widely implemented– i.e. Engineering, Business– Modified according to domain

Mechanics of PBL• Process of self-, peer-, and tutor review

1. Students presented with a problem2. Problem is discussed and refined in small groups3. Outside of class, students engage in independent study4. Students report back on what they learned5. Debate, argue, and come to consensus about solution

• Cycle may be repetitive

Effectiveness of PBL• Most often viewed as positive development– Differences in students’ disposition to critical thinking

[Tiwari et al., 2006]

– Can hold its own regarding standardized tests; tests measuring application favor PBL [Walker & Leary, 2009]

Effectiveness of PBL• Others claim due caution should be exercised– Minimal guidance during instruction doesn’t work

[Kirschner et al., 2006]– Novices are a particular case in point [Schmidt et al., 2007]

• Debate will surely continue…– Verdict: “It is rarely possible to translate a given approach

from one context to another without considerable modification” [Bond and Feletti, 1997]

PBL Literature Review• Objective of study: investigate how PBL is

being used in CS-related curricula– Any PBL case study that contributes to this is

studied• Study is being conducted by analyzing the

literature in the domain– Target: undergraduate and postgraduate curricula

Methodology Specification• Many categorization methodologies already exist in

Computing Education Research (CER)– Fincher & Petre, 2004: 10-category model– Vessey et al, 2005: unified classification scheme, 5 dimen.– Simon, 2007: reduced to four dimensions– Sheard et al., 2009: used 5 separate critieria

• For this study: augmented “didactic triangle” [Kinnumen 2010]

– Triad of teacher-content-student: course perspective– Two additional levels: organization POV and society POV

Methodology Specification• First Stage of Analysis– All papers categorized using Kinnumen et al.’s augmented

“didactic triangle” approach• Second stage– Additional questions applied

1. What has motivated the adoption of PBL?2. Has PBL been systematically evaluated in CS courses?3. Are the problems used in PBL courses documented?4. Where in the CS curriculum has PBL been harnessed?

Selection & Refinement• Relevant journals identified and explored– ACM, IEEE, Academic Search Premier

• Generic searches of appropriate search terms– “Problem based Learning”, “computing”, “software”

• Additional reference search in Google Scholar• Relevant publications referred by colleagues

Selection & Refinement• In the end, 63 papers selected

Analysis: Categorization

Additional Research Questions

Additional Research Questions• Has PBL been systematically evaluated in CS

courses? – Only 37% of reported studies attempted to evaluate– Feedbacks tends to be positive, but still mixed

• Where familiar approach preferred, student’s first exposure to PBL, and/or instructor’s first attempt

– Conclusion: more systematic approach required

Additional Research Questions• Were problems used in PBL courses

documented?– Only 19% of papers included sample problems– Good problems a prerequisite to successful PBL• Constructing them are non-trivial, demanding• Can only be validated in the classroom

– Conclusion: altern. methods must be identified

Additional Research Questions

Discussion• How do you/could you build PBL around your

current course?• How would you intervene when students or

groups struggle?• How does PBL differ from (or relate to) flipped

classrooms?

Conclusion• PBL in CS curricula: present, but shallow– May continue to be adoption in ad-hoc fashion

• If PBL is to succeed:– More systematic approach for adoption, validation– Motivations, objectives, outcomes clearly defined– Set methods to measure, evaluate effectiveness– Experiences must be shared in appropriate fora

Thank you!