- In this video, we will look at Problem-based learning, PBL. PBL was pioneered first in the medical programme at McMaster University in Canada in 1960s. The use of PBL has then expanded from health sciences to many other disciplines and other levels of education as well. Simply looking at its name, you would know problem plays an important part in student learning in this instructional model. So, what is the role of a "problem" in PBL? How shall we design a PBL experience? How shall we facilitate PBL? How do students feel about PBL? Let's look at a real PBL tutorial first. Okay. Let's start. - This is a problem statement. So who would quickly, can just summarise the problem for us? - So I would just read out the problem statement and then we will make a fact out of the problem statement and after that, we will, like, put our ideas on it. So the problem statement is like this, Mrs. Namshir, 36 years old, was in the early stages of labour and had just been admitted to the Tuen Mun hospital. Dr. Ma, the obstetrician on duty, was taking her medical history. Mrs. Namshir told Dr. Ma that she had recently moved from Inner Mongolia to Hong Kong to rejoin her husband, who worked for a large mining company. She said that she did not smoke or drink and did not have any known drug allergy or underlying medical conditions. Mrs. Namshir added that she had taken good care of herself throughout her pregnancy, and had eaten a healthy diet with lots of meat and vegetables. After an exhausting 18 hours delivery, Mrs. Namshir gave birth to a 2.9 kilogram baby boy. As soon as she first saw her baby tiny face, her happiness quickly turned into sadness. Her baby boy had a fine healthy colour, but his top lip had a big crease in the middle, and his nose pulled slightly to the left. - Okay, so. - Now we can come up with the fact. I guess, the years...of the... like... Mrs. Namshir is 36 years old. - Right. - And she has a healthy lifestyle, because she doesn't have any known drug allergy, and underlying medical conditions, and she has eaten a healthy diet. - We can also take into consideration that she had recently moved from Inner Mongolia to Hong Kong. - His nose was protruded slightly to the left. - Slightly to the left. - But do you know how does it look? - We should look more into the mandible, the maxilla, and then the whole thing here. So maybe for the back, we just briefly touch the issue for the interior only. We can do more ... - Are you sure there is no problem with the back part of the palate? - I'm not sure about the back part of the palate, it's like the back part of the whole skull. But the palate is like the whole thing I think. Because I'm not quite sure about the anatomy of the whole structure, so I think that is one of the thing we have to look into. - So should I write down the learning issues? - I think it's idea. - Can you clarify your idea? Your idea is what? - Idea is that-- - Production? - What? - Oh, I'm sorry, never mind. - I think the idea is like the lip is more...and the lip and the palate is more than bony structure. That we've still got some soft tissue there. About the development of soft tissue and the bony structure - Yes. - And then you mentioned that you don't expect the defect to extend to the other part of the skull? - Yeah, probably. I'm not sure, but probably. - The idea is-- - The idea is (mumbles) - I think we should look into how the skull develops, along the stages. Because the doctor mentioned there was a failure, for the skull to develop properly. So, what is it meant by "develop properly"? - Yeah. - So we don't agree though. - So what is the skull? - What is the skull? - What is the skull? It's this part. (laughter) - This part of the head or? - Yeah. - Different region of skull and head? - Actually the osteology, I think, is more of like-- - Did you want to say something? - The skull is more about bone. But the head has other structures, like muscle. - So let us say the skull is the bone of the head. Do you agree? - I think so. - I think so. - I think so. - Major part of the bony structures of the head. - But don't rub off the ideas. Okay. Learning issues. - So the first one is the cleft. Development of cleft they call it? - Yeah the causes. - The causes. - Shall we also look at the treatment and the problems? As the mother asked if everything would be fine. - So causes and treatment? - Consequence and treatment. - Consequences and treatment. - I think we should maybe keep the causes. Like causes, consequences and treatment. - Like three separate? - Yeah. - What else? - Development of embryo. - Okay, write down. - Development of embryo. - So, do you mean that it's the embryology? - Embryology? - Embryology is what you're saying. - Yeah, but that can be a huge topic. If you look at embryology, that's a lot of things going on. - But we could focus on the-- - The cranial structure. So, embryology of cranial structure. - Otherwise, it's too broad a topic. - Yeah. - It would cost too much time to-- - Cost too much time. - But we still have to have some general idea. - Yeah. - What is the stage at the eighteen weeks and-- to go inside the jaw, baby skin - As far as I know, during the baby development, we have like multiple stages. There's trimesters, so do we have to look at the different trimesters? - You agree that these are the important topics? Anything more? We're good. In that case, then you decide who needs to be working, and then to report back at the tutorial. Okay then, this will be the end of this tutorial - Okay. - Thank you. - This is a real example of PBL tutorial conducted in Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong. In their practise, a complete PBL cycle includes two tutorials, T1 and T2. What you watched just now was an example of T1, which is normally followed by a theme-based session, self-directed learning, practical, and self-directed learning again, before students go to T2. In T2, students review the problem, share their new knowledge, and have their performance evaluated. At the last, they consolidate and integrate the learning individually, or in group to prepare the learning product. So the learning starts from and builds upon a problem in PBL. I wonder if you have got some answers now to the questions I asked earlier. Well, don't worry if you haven't. We will discuss them further in Problem Based Learning Part 2.
