Using Project-Based Learning Pedagogies in African Higher Education

Introduction And Background

Project Based Learning (PBL) shows us ways in which people acquire knowledge in day to day life and also solve problems (Biggs &Tang, 2007). Traditional methods of teaching tends to make students acquire a lot of information which is termed declarative knowledge which professionals in fields like medicine and dentistry may use to a limited degree in the case of functional knowledge. In actual fact functional knowledge is the key to enabling students to adjust easily to the practice of their profession after university. PBL is not synonymous with problem solving learning. In problem solving learning students are taught in a traditional way and they are then allocated activities to solve based on the lessons they have learnt.

Problem based learning has its genesis in a situation where a student has an issue to solve. This can be a puzzle or any challenge or that they want to find an answer to. The challenge may be a single puzzle or query or a number of challenges. The students has then to interrogate disciplines, procedures or information that is pertinent to addressing the challenge. The traditional areas of knowledge do not guide the student in terms of how far they may go to find information, but the boundary are set by the challenge or challenges before them. The goal of PBL is to ensure that not only do student develop problem solving skills, but are able to acquire content that is vital for that area of learning, and they also become savvy in their profession. PBL may be employed in different degrees in various disciplines. In a scenario, where it is employed in a fully-fledged way, the students will be ready to engage meaningfully in the world of work upon graduation (Biggs &Tang, 2007).

PBL may not afford students an opportunity to engage with all the content that is provided in the curriculum in a traditional way, but the knowledge acquired has direct relevancy to the world of work, where students can implement it. In traditional teaching the motivation is to teach as much content as possible, and this runs contrary to the assumptions that underpin PBL. Tang and Biggs (2007) theorise ways in which PBL, may be effected in medicine among the first year students. The student may be afforded a real situation of a patient who has a real challenge, for instance a growth in the head. This real challenge furnishes the student with the motivation to learn by tackling a real medical challenge. The students may be assigned to work in groups to explore options that may be taken to help the patient. The students will start to engage in solving this medical challenge facing the patient initially by utilizing the current knowledge, and then they proceed to seek and add, new knowledge to addressing the challenge. Student research may encompass sources such as videos, audios, books, journals and other cases that are related to that situation. The student will then meet with the facilitator to discuss the solutions that they have come up with. The students are able to secure continuous feedback as they work on the challenge and they become independent and develop the capacity to manage their own learning and professional growth.

PBL is dynamic and has evolved to have different shades, however each of the methods has to be able to display the following attributes:

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  Prepare knowledge that can be used immediately in the workplace. This is called the acquisition of functional knowledge, which is vital to many professions.

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  Development of cognitive skills that enable students to solve many problems in the world of work.

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  Help students to develop various skills that can help them to manage their own professional development such as metacognitive and also autonomous skills.

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  The manner in which students are placed in situations where they can solve real challenges becomes a source of motivation for them.

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  Students are also able to collaborate with other students in problem solving.