problem based learning - higher education - computer mediated problems

Detailed Description:

A graduate level instructional design program has a large number of part-time students, many of them public school instructors seeking jobs in the private sector after retirement and many others currently employed in non-teaching positions. Although the school has a strong theoretical program, it has lacked a way to give its part-time students experience with a wide range of analysis and design situations. Students potentially could graduate from the program with a deep knowledge of learning and instructional theories, but without knowledge of how and when to apply a particular theory to an actual learning situation.

Part-time students with full-time jobs need a flexible learning environment. The school has licensed a software system, Teacher's Assistant (T.A.), to provide students with a range of cases that an instructional designer might encounter. The cases presented to each learner will vary, depending upon his/her zone of proximal development. Each subsequent case will increase in complexity, requiring the learner to enhance his/her problem-solving skills. The program allows a team of students to work on a case together, assuming different project roles. It also allows an individual student to "work" the case alone, while the computer simulates the roles of the other players. The Teacher's Assistant can monitor the student's research efforts and offer advice to improve his/her technique. Experts in the field will judge the student's proposed solution and offer critiques and alternate solutions.

Learning Outcomes:

The software program will support the following objectives:

  • Proficiency and problem-solving proficiency within the field of instructional design
  • Analytical and flexible thinking about possible solutions and consequences
  • Self-reflection and monitoring skills to improve subsequent analyses
  • Enhanced ability to identify potential consequences of a given solution and solution affordances offered within the performance environment