Problem-based Learning is an established learner-centred pedagogical approach for developing skills and competencies. This paper presents the evolutionary development of a Massive Open Online Course, titled "Design for the Real World: A Problem-based Learning Approach", with the aim to empower learners to independently pursue problem-based inquiry using design methods and tools, thereby fostering creativity and life-long learning.

In recent years, the architectural legacy and so-called ‘difficult heritage’ of Fascist Italy has become a flourishing field of research. These topics have also begun to make their way into the undergraduate classroom. To date, however, there has been little research carried out into the methods we use to teach the history of Fascism in particular. In this short article, we outline how we have applied problem-based learning and scenario-based learning approaches to tackle this topic. After presenting three assignments, we explain the benefits associated with a PBL/SBL approach, summarised under the headings of interdisciplinarity, creativity and authenticity, before highlighting some aspects on which colleagues may wish to reflect if they are considering adopting a similar approach in their teaching.

Sustainable Design Engineering (SDE) is an emerging research field and the development of programmes aiming at educating sustainable design engineers is very limited. One example is the SDE program at the Aalborg University in Copenhagen, which is based on a Problem Based Learning (PBL) model. In this article we aim to address the following three research questions: i) why Sustainable Design Engineering? ii) what is Sustainable Design Engineering? iii) How can Sustainable Design Engineering be implemented? By means of two examples from master thesis projects in the building and food sectors.

We present the results of the implementation of a didactic sequence based on the formulation and resolution of astronomical problems by seventh grade elementary school students from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its objective is to generate a meaningful understanding of the heliocentric model of the Solar System from the systematization of topocentric observations of the sky, either direct or mediated by resources such as diagrams, Stellarium software and tables, which we correlate with the parallel globe, other models with specific material and the Solar System Scope software. Throughout the sequence we address topics such as the diurnal and annual movement of the Sun, the night sky, astronomical ephemeris, Moon phases and eclipses. These are developed in parallel to the sphericity of the Earth and the concept of motion in science. For each of these topics we start from its recognition. We then implement strategies to guide students towards a possible description from the local point of view, and then extend it to other locations on the surface of the Earth. We encourage them to explain their ideas about the possible links between these topocentric observations and the corresponding relative positions of the celestial objects as seen from an external point of view to the Earth. These ideas are then contrasted with geocentric and heliocentric models. Here we highlight the integrative instances in which the students formulated problems in small groups and shared them for their resolution. Thus, motivated and challenged by the collaboration between peers, they became the protagonists of their learning.

The mandate for living sustainably is becoming increasingly urgent. This article reports on the Climate Clever Energy Savers (CCES) Program, a student-centred, problem- and project-based program in New South Wales, Australia, aimed at enabling school students to identify ways of reducing their schools’ electricity consumption and costs. As part of the program, students apply for Department of Education and Communities funds to address issues of electricity usage, such as building or appliance modifications, or education campaigns. In particular, this article focuses on the systemic approach used to assist teachers and students in meeting the aims of the CCES program, the Sustainability Action Process (SAP). To ascertain the contribution and value of such a framework in achieving project outcomes and associated learning and attitudinal change, we investigated teachers’ and some students’ uses and opinions of the SAP via surveys (n = 434), 16 interviews, and analysis of documents such as student work samples and lesson outlines. Our research indicates that the SAP has been a highly effective, enabling and engaging tool in helping students to identify ways and means of reducing electricity consumption and evaluating their effectiveness, as well as identifying allies and other sources of assistance in carrying out their projects.

Problem solving and teamwork abilities are important skills for graduates entering the environment profession. Through a problem based learning approach small groups of students from the environmental courses at RMIT University have been gaining these professional skills by undertaking projects in Vietnam. With three years experience in running the project we have data, through the students' reflections and feedback, to demonstrate the value of the project approach, and to undertake improvements. Drawing on data from the latest project we can identify opportunities for improving the details of the project's organisation, but importantly demonstrate the value of the project in providing a depth of professional experiences for the students. This analysis will be important for other academics needing support in the development of project based activities for those in environmental courses.

In recent years, effective models of disaster medicine curricula for medical schools have been established. However, only a small percentage of medical schools worldwide have considered at least basic disaster medicine teaching in their study program. In Italy, disaster medicine has not yet been included in the medical school curriculum. Perceiving the lack of a specific course on disaster medicine, the Segretariato Italiano Studenti in Medicina (SISM) contacted the Centro di Ricerca Interdipartimentale in Medicina di Emergenza e dei Disastri ed Informatica applicata alla didattica e alla pratica Medica (CRIMEDIM) with a proposal for a nationwide program in this field. Seven modules (introduction to disaster medicine, prehospital disaster management, definition of triage, characteristics of hospital disaster plans, treatment of the health consequences of different disasters, psychosocial care, and presentation of past disasters) were developed using an e-learning platform and a 12-hour classroom session which involved problem-based learning (PBL) activities, table-top exercises, and a computerized simulation (Table 1). The modules were designed as a framework for a disaster medicine curriculum for undergraduates and covered the three main disciplines (clinical and psychosocial, public health, and emergency and risk management) of the core of “Disaster Health” according to the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) international guidelines for disaster medicine education. From January 2011 through May 2013, 21 editions of the course were delivered to 21 different medical schools, and 524 students attended the course. The blended approach and the use of simulation tools were appreciated by all participants and successfully increased participants’ knowledge of disaster medicine and basic competencies in performing mass-casualty triage. This manuscript reports on the designing process and the initial outcomes with respect to learners' achievements and satisfaction of a 1-month educational course on the fundamentals of disaster medicine. This experience might represent a valid and innovative solution for a disaster medicine curriculum for medical students that is easily delivered by medical schools.Table 1

List of Modules and Topics

IngrassiaPL, RagazzoniL, TengattiniM, CarenzoL, Della CorteF. Nationwide Program of Education for Undergraduates in the Field of Disaster Medicine: Development of a Core Curriculum Centered on Blended Learning and Simulation Tools. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(5):1-8.

This article critically examines the possibility of using Problem-Based Learning as an approach to teaching and learning and curriculum design in Indigenous studies. This approach emphasises the potential for Experience-Based Learning or Problem-Based Learning as a model that frames the curriculum and pedagogical activities to encourage student engagement with key issues in ways they find meaningful. It takes the form of an interview with Professor David Boud, a well-known scholar in this area.

Reflective journals have been used as an assessment tool in clinical practice, in the fully integrated context directed learning (CDL) undergraduate program at the University of South Australia, over a period of five years. This paper reports the commonest issues evidenced within the year 2 and year 3 reflective journals. The results confirm that these are linked to the stage of development and experience of the students in both academic knowledge and clinical practice. Quotations from the journals give an insight into students' experiences of both emotional and practical skills development.

Rapid and effective medical intervention in response to civil and military-related disasters is crucial for saving lives and limiting long-term disability. Inexperienced providers may suffer in performance when faced with limited supplies and the demands of stabilizing casualties not generally encountered in the comparatively resource-rich hospital setting. Head trauma and multiple injury cases are particularly complex to diagnose and treat, requiring the integration and processing of complex multimodal data. In this project, collaborators adapted and merged existing technologies to produce a flexible, modular patient simulation system with both three-dimensional virtual reality and two-dimensional flat screen user interfaces for teaching cognitive assessment and treatment skills. This experiential, problem-based training approach engages the user in a stress-filled, high fidelity world, providing multiple learning opportunities within a compressed period of time and without risk. The system simulates both the dynamic state of the patient and the results of user intervention, enabling trainees to watch the virtual patient deteriorate or stabilize as a result of their decision-making speed and accuracy. Systems can be deployed to the field enabling trainees to practice repeatedly until their skills are mastered and to maintain those skills once acquired. This paper describes the technologies and the process used to develop the trainers, the clinical algorithms, and the incorporation of teaching points. We also characterize aspects of the actual simulation exercise through the lens of the trainee.