Implementation of Problem–Based Learning: Administrative Issues

Educational Development with PBL
Case Study of PBL Implementation
Positioning, Organization and Planning
Paradigm, Process, People and Problems

Educational Development with PBL

I was heavily involved in educational and staff development in the last decade as staff developer, manager and director at a higher education institution in Singapore. How effective are educational projects and initiatives? I remember talking to a Harvard-trained and highly experienced World Bank consultant, Dr Chai Hon Chan. He told me that in his more than 20 years of experience and observation of many large-scale educational development projects, funding and resources were not the primary problems. The greatest problem was the lack of project management skills, resulting in the failure to implement good ideas. The management of educational development projects is often taken for granted. Even sadder is the fact that people do not learn from the successes and failures of implementation.

At the International Conference on Problem-based Learning in Higher Education (PBL 2002: A Pathway to Better Learning) hosted by the University of Delaware, the importance of management issues in PBL implementation was given due recognition. John Cavanaugh of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, John Harris of Samford University, Ann Ferren of Radford University, Mark Huddleston of the University of Delaware and I were asked to discuss issues and strategies for sustaining PBL reforms. Such deliberations are indeed important considering that there are numerous funded PBL projects in many universities worldwide and that many institutions and programmes are keen to adopt PBL approaches. In this final chapter, I shall discuss some of the management issues that PBL champions should note in the course of introducing and implementing PBL educational development projects.

By project we usually mean work that has a beginning and an end rather than processes or routine work that is ongoing. A PBL educational development project entails work that aims to create change in specific aspects of the curriculum and of teaching, learning and assessment. Planning an educational development project begins with the articulation of the objective and the educational benefits that we hope to bring. Also to be elaborated are the rationale, scope, resources and time frame, together with how it will be accomplished, its development monitored and achievement evaluated. Educational development projects involve several phases:

• Preplanning, positioning and definition
• Organization and planning
• Implementation, tracking and monitoring
• Completion and review

These are probably stereotypical stages of most projects. Sometimes it is difficult to define the “completion” stage as such projects are aimed at spearheading a change process that is meant to be ongoing. Nevertheless, completion can be delimited in terms of (1) the time frame for measuring desired outcomes or (2) the duration of funding. What is most important, however, is probably understanding the critical factors that ensure success in each of these stages in bringing about effective change.

Educational innovation has never been easy, whether it is incremental changes in curricula or implementation of alternatives to existing practices (Ford, 1987; Peterson et al., 1997). Pockets of innovations initiated from the ground may not last very long. Projects often have to be top-down as resources tend to be given for rather global and clearly structured projects. It is a sad fact that projects do not always end on a positive note. Speaking of educational reform, Huberman (1989) and Little (1996) observed that more often than not staff involved in institution-wide innovation are disenchanted at the end of such projects. Furthermore, whilst there is sufficient rationale for change, Swann and Pratt (1999) noted that the research conducted to inform change appeared to be less than satisfactory. They observed that, whether in Britain, Australia or the United States, there was a parallel concern that “policy makers do not make good use of research generated by the academic community and others” (p. 3). Morrison (1998) noted that “whilst one can plan for change in a careful way, in practice the plan seldom unfolds in the ways anticipated” (p. 15). He observed that “evolutionary planning” works better than “linear planning”.

Case Study of PBL Implementation

The idea of curriculum innovation at the polytechnic where I worked did not happen overnight. As a staff developer, I saw a need for curriculum innovation in terms of moving away from the traditional lecture—tutorial approach to a more learner-centred and active learning approach. Concomitant with the search for more active learning methodology was an increased awareness of the need for change. The viability of a traditional lecture—tutorial system with heavy emphasis on content knowledge had been seriously questioned, but pockets of interactive learning did not seem to satisfy staff nor students. Active learning was emphasized with a view to enhancing thinking and infusing higher-order thinking skills and creativity.

One initiative that caught the attention of management and staff developers at the polytechnic was a pilot programme by a team of computer engineering staff. They came across the concept of PBL and picked up further expertise through study trips and training at the University of Southern Illinois. They adapted the PBL approach in medicine and applied it with enthusiasm to their computer engineering programme. The project caught the attention of management, who immediately saw the potential of using PBL in more polytechnic courses. As I was heading the Thinking Initiative Programme, I saw that PBL philosophy and pedagogy would be useful for anchoring curriculum innovation. The challenge then was taking the idea and growing it into a major project. We seriously needed a project to facilitate further developments, fan into flame the sparks of action, spread the fire and help staff challenge the status quo and promote a shift in the way they looked at teaching and learning. The presence of like-minded PBL champions with the passion and commitment to practise the innovation needed to be supported and recognized.

It was probably on the basis of these macro developments, the initiatives of my colleagues and management support that a PBL approach to polytechnic education was conceived, which eventually led to institution-wide implementation and the establishment of a centre for PBL. The centre was set up “to meet the challenges of preparing students for the world of dynamic change” by adopting “a new academic architecture” that featured PBL (Tan, 2000c). The philosophy of the centre was “to establish a culture of inquiry, enterprise and meaningful student learning” through the use of PBL (Temasek Centre for Problem-based Learning, 2000). It was envisaged that PBL would benefit students in terms of developing problem-solving acumen, multidisciplinary learning and lifelong learning.

Through PBL, students were expected to attain greater self-motivation, develop higher-order thinking skills, teamwork and communication skills (Tan et al., 2000).

The centre provided opportunities for staff from the polytechnic to be trained in PBL through workshops, forums, open lectures and exchanges with PBL experts. The workshops included an introduction to PBL, design of PBL problems, facilitation in PBL, curriculum development in PBL and assessment in PBL. Selected staff were sent to various international PBL centres, such as those at the University of Southern Illinois, University of Maastricht, University of Newcastle, University of Samford, and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. The centre also provided consultation to the various schools of the polytechnic (which then included Design, Business, Engineering, Information Technology, and Applied Science) in curriculum development as well as research and development in PBL. It also collaborated with local and international centres to exchange and advance the practice of PBL. One of its accomplishments was hosting the Second Asia-Pacific Conference on Problem-based Learning, which saw over 140 presentations and some 500 local and overseas delegates.

I was privileged to see the implementation of PBL in a context where the administration and management gave full support and advocated the use of PBL as the anchoring philosophy for professional training and education. The piloting and implementation also won national recognition when a number of colleagues and I won an Innovator Award for co-pioneering PBL as an innovation in education. What was triumphant about the award was not so much our initiatives as educators but the fact that the Enterprise Challenge Unit from the Prime Minister's Office recognized an educational innovation—problem-based learning.

As director of the institution's PBL centre then, I had the opportunity to work with course teams, undertake staff development work and monitor student feedback in PBL initiatives across various disciplines and levels. On reflection, I note two major milestones that epitomize the importance of looking out for and seizing opportunities so that a project can be strategically positioned and be implemented. The first involved an organizational-level strategic planning session where a management retreat was held to “reinvent” polytechnic education. This led to a search for a new academic architecture. The second was the cognizance of the national initiative The Enterprise Challenge (TEC). An educational project did not initially appear to fit the bill as TEC was an “initiative to bring out the Silicon Valley spirit inside the Public Service” and deliverables had to be measurable in terms of cost saving and enterprise of a more inventive nature. In fact, of the seven projects that obtained funding in 2000, six were technology related. One was a biotechnology project that had a direct impact on environment enhancement, two were in information technology and three were in high-technology system design and development. The assessment criteria for TEC award are among the most rigorous of award criteria as it is not only a matter of funding but also the highest recognition of innovation. To present our case for the award, a colleague and I had to appear before a final panel that comprised the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Manpower, chief executives from the public and private sectors and senior staff from the Office of the Prime Minister. I had to focus on three things: originality, feasibility and benefits. I was selling a new educational paradigm. I remember being asked what was so original about the idea of PBL. My argument was that it is a revolutionary rather than an evolutionary approach to professional education. It was novel because we intended to have an entire curriculum revamp, changing the way we dealt with content, the mode of delivery, the role of the teacher, the activities of students and the mode of assessment. I made sure I also delimited the project to an area where feasibility and benefits were more realizable.

Positioning, Organization and Planning

PBL educational development projects are aimed at bringing about change and meeting needs. Positioning is an important aspect of such projects, and for a project to be effective it is essential to take note of the following factors:

• Global trends. Keep track of global and regional trends that may be related to what you want to implement. They will help you rationalize and define your PBL project.
• National agenda. Be aware of national agendas and priorities not only to be politically correct but, more importantly, because a project at the micro level or a small project that fulfils a particular national priority can actually take off much faster than top-down initiatives.
• Know the state of the art. Projects should advance the frontiers of knowledge or improve the current state of practice. To bring about such developments, it is important to keep track of the current status in your field of work and be cognizant of opportunities for innovation.
• Commitment to change. Commit to a project for the purpose of advancing good practices or a field of knowledge and take a stand that, whatever changes in policies that may happen, we intend to stick to our commitment. An educational development project, in particular, requires a commitment to change underpinned by sound educational beliefs or philosophy.
• Beyond educational justification. Look for more than educational justification because it alone may not convince people. Multi-pronged justifications, such as those with economic or social impact, help.
• Action research. Do your own action research (e.g. small-scale collaborative inquiry and improvement studies) and preliminary surveys to support what you plan to do.
• Consistent championship. Consistently champion and advance a good idea. PBL projects do not just happen with a one-off idea.
• Build a team of people. Project teams can be formed by assignment, but informal collaboration among a group of like-minded people will facilitate the development of the project.
• Collaborative international network. Having a network of people locally and internationally who share the same interests can be very helpful, even though they may not be part of the project team.

In addition to these factors, the organization and planning of educational development projects must be based on:

• Conviction and clarity of purpose. A strong conviction and a clear idea of PBL and what you want to change help provide the meaning and motivation, without which there would be little momentum for organization and planning.
• Well-developed ideas and mental models. It is important to develop a clear idea of the PBL curricula and to formulate mental models for communication.
• Visualization of the feasibility and benefits. It helps in project planning to have the end in mind and to visualize the outcomes and benefits.
• Systems thinking and systematic thinking. Planning and organization involves constant awareness of the holistic aspect of the project as well as detailed planning.

To implement a major PBL development project, we need high commitment, the right people, focus groups, quality check points and review of progress. The project teams need to be clearly organized with roles and responsibilities defined. Major milestones have to be established with clear time lines and control and monitoring mechanisms.

Paradigm, Process, People and Problems

Whilst planning, systems thinking and systematic thinking help provide the foundation for projects to be effectively started, implementation and sustaining momentum are never easy.

What are the major obstacles? The first pertains to paradigms and mindsets. PBL involves a rather radical change and, whilst its philosophy and rationale seem convincing, people are highly sceptical as they do not know how it will work. I mentioned earlier that the PBL centre at the polytechnic provided staff development in the areas of PBL design, facilitation, curriculum development and assessment. In addition, course teams embarking on PBL worked with PBL staff to develop their curricula. It should be noted, however, that PBL was new to both staff developers and teaching staff. Major gaps in skills were experienced in curriculum design, facilitation and assessment.

The other obstacles are the existing systems and processes. Whilst top-management support may be given, there are often bulky systems already in place that need to be changed. PBL innovation also requires breaking impasse and barriers in many academic policies and systems. For example, the Programme Validation Committee and the Senate have to be consulted when major changes in curriculum or in modes of assessment are involved. Going through these major committees means that things would be slowed down tremendously. There are also the educational quality assurance systems and standard student feedback forms designed to assess the effectiveness of lectures and tutorials. The lecturer's roles in PBL are very different. The standard student feedback form includes items like “clarity of explanation”, but PBL entails getting students to seek and obtain their own solutions and explanations. The approach we adopted was educating and helping peers become informed.

All projects aim to achieve the objectives and benefits within budget, on schedule and with the desired quality through effective definition, organization and planning, execution, tracking, managing of problems, and completion. The completion of a PBL project may be defined in terms of a full cycle of PBL implementation for a particular academic year. The polytechnic in question incidentally also employs total quality management. Because PBL was prescribed as a useful alternative, surveys of lecturers' perceptions generally showed a positive response. However, surveys and monitoring of student feedback produced mixed results. Whilst quantitative data were helpful for a broad picture, the most valuable sources of insights were qualitative. I have given some case vignettes of students in the previous chapter (see also Tan, 2001). From the perspective of educational development project management, what insights and lessons can we draw from a review of the processes, interactions and outcomes?

The Uncertainty Principle

In a culture where planning and systematic thinking prevail, the very strength of project planning becomes a major weakness. I learnt the hard way about what we may call the uncertainty principle of PBL project management. When we try to locate where we are on the time line of project completion, often we are unsure of the momentum, namely, how and where it is heading and with what intensity! Thus, in PBL all we know is that we are practising things characteristic of PBL, but we are really not very sure if we are achieving the intended outcomes. As noted earlier, even assessment systems have to be changed because we are not measuring the same things as before. The presence of such uncertainties, however, does not necessarily depreciate the value of the project. Accepting the uncertainty principle is a necessary part of educational project management, in particular PBL projects.

Practical and Systems Barriers

The experiences with PBL point to the fact that de-skilling and re-skilling are essential to PBL innovations. The lack of PBL skills (e.g. problem design, coaching, curriculum development) was one factor responsible for many implementation problems. Apart from skills, related problems are often the lack of resources such as time, administrative support, space and materials. Besides all the planning, PBL resources for students, the design of problems, availability of rooms for PBL-type discussions, and support staff are important concerns. Sometimes staff can be caught in a vicious cycle where the lack of time, support and resources leads to poor quality from stage to stage. Sometimes the systems in place do not support change. In fact, the more efficient the current system, the greater it is a barrier to change. Thus, if the educational quality assurance system has been developed and fine-tuned over a period of time for a lecture—tutorial system, it is never easy to dismantle the system quickly to cater to the PBL approach. Yet, the quality system will inevitably be tied to staff appraisal systems and course evaluation systems. Clearly, a single project of educational change is not normally conceived with immediate consideration of existing systems. The only solution is flexibility on the part of the custodians of these systems, and it is here that project leaders have to win collaboration and promote ownership of new ideas through strategic communication.

Mindset and Value Barriers

PBL implementation involves mindset change in academic staff and students as well as administration. People naturally feel more secure, comfortable and confident with familiar ways of teaching and learning, and changes are bound to be initially resisted. As mentioned earlier, staff training and plenty of preparation are needed to overcome psychological barriers. There are, however, deeper barriers that are sometimes difficult to penetrate. On issues of teaching and learning, one will find that the barriers pertaining to value and belief systems go deeper than psychological barriers. Resistance sometimes results in paying lip service or “conspiracy of the least”, namely, doing just enough to get by. There are no easy solutions to such resistance; the positive approach is to establish success cases to convince people of the true value and benefit of the project. This is why recruiting champions for a project is important for it to take off.

The Whole is More than the Sum of Its Parts

PBL projects tend to experience student resistance in the initial stages of implementation. If we rely on initial responses alone to decide whether to proceed with PBL, it would never take off. Similarly, many parts of a system may not be optimized when change is happening. A holistic approach and a systems perspective are more helpful in addressing the diverse barriers and the problems that crop up.

Whilst the technicalities of planning, scheduling, resource allocation, prioritizing and so on are important, the factors that make a project work are people collaboration and ownership. The same approach that we use to facilitate PBL lessons should be practised in PBL implementation.

PBL implementation involves change initiatives, which are iterative in nature and spiral in development. The same processes often have to be revisited and the outcomes are but the beginning of another iterative process. Good management of PBL educational development projects is about championing a desired change that is rooted in much informed deliberation and planning. It is about challenging the status quo and taking risks while being aware of both global developments and the localized contexts .